04) Renton

Unsgard’s fellow Sarkom co-founder, Renton, served as the group’s drummer for the better part of a decade before moving on. Renton’s other previous bands include Urgehal, Svartelder, etc. He currently plays with Nattverd — a fantastic outfit that we hope will attract more attention — and Jordsjuk — an incredibly promising new supergroup that boasts a highly unique sound. Jordsjuk states: “Nekro times needs nekro music..! We’re here to bring you death and doom with a groove!” We urge listeners to check out Jordsjuk’s stellar debut EP, Råtner På Rot, when it unleashes its beautiful wrath on March 15.

03) Dirge Rep

The legendary Dirge Rep will be remembered for his role as an early member of Gehenna. He has also served as the drummer to Enslaved, Djevel, Orcustus, NettleCarrier, etc. We especially love his short-lived “True Narcotic Black Metal” project with Vrangsinn dubbed Secht. We consider Secht (2006) to be one of black metal’s most underrated gems. Dirge Rep can currently be found in Nauthis and The Konsortium.

02) Sundli

Hailing from Trondheim, Øyvind Sundli, a.k.a. “S.” and “ⷚ,” plays with Mare and Beyond Man. In the past, Sundli belonged to the beloved powerhouse One Tail, One Head. Although Sundli may be underappreciated on the whole, those who are truly knowledgeable about the genre understand the weight of his accomplishments. Fortunately, more and more people are coming to recognize the importance of Nidrosian Black Metal, a movement of which Sundli is a leading member, due in part to festivals like Beyond the Gates, which is co-organized by the tireless Ole A. Aune.

01) Niklas Kvarforth

Shining’s genius mastermind, Niklas Kvarforth, not only marches to his own beat, but he dictates the beat to which all others will march as well. No, Kvarforth does not play drums in the studio, but he has composed pretty much all of Shining’s music himself. Due to this simple fact, the drums, as everything else on his albums, are absolutely perfect. You might have noticed that a lot of our picks have featured members of Shining. This is because the genre’s top talents all either flock to Kvarforth or succumb to his devilish charm. Shining has featured about 100 members, give or take, over the years, and Kvarforth has been by far the best of all.