Black Death

Black Death claim to be the first all-Black heavy metal band. Frankly, there’s not a lot of competition. Falling somewhere between Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’s spooky showmanship, KISS’s chunky post-glam, and Venom’s amateurish racket, their sole full-length record feels like an anachronism on the musical side (especially right when thrash and glam metal were taking off) but it’s a valuable historical artifact nonetheless. And it’s an infectious listen! “Night of the Living Death” unleashes the plague rats; when they get epic on “Fear No Evil” and the eponymous title track it turns your speakers into superspreaders.