So what brought the second wave of modern black metal to a close? Well, this is a subjective question, and I will provide a subjective answer. The second wave, like the first wave, never really ended...it was simply supplanted by something new. Modern black metal seemed to have two distinct periods: the first wave (1987-1993) and the second wave (1994-2000). I would say that what ushered in the new era, or the postmodern period of black metal would be the work of Mayhem.

In 1994, the release of De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas by Mayhem saw the old-school black metal style reach its creative apex. This album was backward-looking: in other words, it sought to take all of the sounds from the past and forge it into one searing moment of blackened genius. In 2000, Mayhem released The Grand Declaration of War, and took the opposite approach. War sought to open the doors into a new, unexplored realm of black metal. Going into DMDS, one knows what to expect because of the history that it culminates. Going into War, one does not know what to expect because its history has yet to be written!!!

And thus describes the entire new era of black metal. Many questions arise: Will the black metal of the future be "pure", or incorporate elements from outside the genre? Will all black metal have to be "necro" and "grim" and "kult" to be considered real black metal? Will black metal ever be commercially successful, and should it be? This uncertainty about black metal is one of the chief characteristics of post-millenial, post-modern black metal. The following sections will flesh out a few developments of post-Y2K black metal.