aside from the obvious (Wagner, etc). . .
I already stated that I was starting a black/death/thrash metal project (called Goat Martyr), and I have three songs skeletons already written. I noticed that my riffing reeks of Belphegor and Goatwhore influences. I know that Helmuth listens to a fair amount of classical music and I can tell that it inspires his writing. I was wondering if you guys had any recommendations for classical music that could be used to inspire black metal music.

I'm going to warn you that my biases in terms of where I want black metal to go are going to shape my recommendations, but try drawing from Ligeti and Penderecki.

that's fine, man, I'll take anything I can get at this point . Thanks!

Taking "classical music" in its broadest sense, I'd like to see some Black Metal mixed with "minimalist" composers like Philip Glass. The intense rhythmic repetetive nature would work excellently:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYLHRdgdnKk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odyqZFJKbNc

4'33" by John Cage

interesting, will check out later.

this guy can write some very ambient stuff when he wants to, Penderecki, on the other hand, I haven't heard of, so I will check him out.

does anybody know of any classical that just sounds straight up evil? Like something you'd hear right before a Dark Funeral riff starts playing?

What you want is the Wolf's Glen scene from Der Freischütz:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FojsiGXZYDU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LKRm2wWBwE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZUQ7yZTFco Faust!
also Shostakovich kinda sounds like drumless techdeath at times haha
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8hE0c62 ... re=related
Nachtreich mixes black metal into their music but it stays classical.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dt1GQbTkLqs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5gqecQL ... re=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELjjPdgf ... re=related

and this is evil as fuck
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPd17arloo8
;D

thanks, I actually have another song skeleton written now after listening to these two!

A bit off-topic but I have to refer this band up. Daemonicium has most pure classical influences from black metal bands I know. You should really check out the use of piano in this band. Here is a link for an awesome song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZfXOR_Ai5k

interdasting. Well since this thread was created I've gone from 3 song skeletons to like 25 now. . . .
I will definitely check out Daemonicium

there's also one more concern. . . one of the songs I've written has this odd melodeath sound to me, but I'm not too sure how it'll turn out. Melodeath is the last thng I want the music to sound like, but I like how the song was written. Any ideas on how to. . . fix it?

I'm not really into classical music by itself, but there's one band I occasionally listen to:
Les Fragments de la Nuit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIvaZwkiA3E
From their facebook: Their music, ranging from tragic to epic and atmospheric was greeted by audiences with unexpected enthusiasm. Some see in it the influence of repetitive music composers such as Philip Glass or Steve Reich, others the melancholic emotion found in the works of Arvö Part or Canadians Godspeed You! Black Emperor.