The term originated in the Norwegian black metal sub-culture of the early 1990s to describe ground-breaking artists including Mayhem, Burzum, Darkthrone and Emperor, whose militantly satanic ethos exemplified the era's black metal aesthetic. Non-satanic bands espousing Norse paganism or strong anti-Christian sentiment may still be regarded as KVLT.
A black metal band must disdain success to be regarded as KVLT. Many Scandinavian artists only release a few hundred copies of their recordings to maintain their KVLT status.
"Tr00" is often appended to KVLT to emphasize authenticity. Artists who commit crimes which are motivated by their satanic worldview are most likely to be regarded as tr00.