For your average rock and metal fan, black metal was a hell of a hard sell. It was bleak, it was raw, it was phenomenally harsh both in sound and aesthetics and some of the behaviour of the Norwegian second wave bands was genuinely shocking, even by heavy metal standards.
As the 90s progressed and the furore of the murder and arson associated with the scene died down, nu metal, with its “come-one-come-all" embracing of hip-hop and dance culture, became the dominant movement in heavy music. At that point, the idea of a “crossover” black metal band seemed inherently ludicrous.
