A desaturated monochrome color theme for VS Code and Cursor, inspired by the cold, washed-out aesthetic of black metal album art.
Pure black background. Muted grays. A single faded teal for strings. No noise, no neon, no distractions — just code on stone.
Palette
| Role |
Hex |
| Background |
#000000 |
| Foreground |
#c1c1c1 |
| Bright black |
#404040 |
| Red (strings) |
#5f8787 |
| Green (funcs) |
#a5aaa7 |
| Yellow (cmts) |
#626b67 |
| Blue (kwords) |
#888888 |
| Magenta (nums) |
#999999 |
| Cyan (types) |
#aaaaaa |
| White |
#c1c1c1 |
Syntax mapping
- Strings & regex —
#5f8787 (the only hint of color)
- Functions —
#a5aaa7
- Comments —
#626b67, italic
- Keywords —
#888888, bold
- Numbers, constants,
this/self — #999999
- Types, classes, properties, links —
#aaaaaa
- Variables, punctuation, default text —
#c1c1c1
- Line numbers, borders, gutters —
#404040
Terminal ANSI colors match the palette exactly, so your shell stays consistent with your editor.
Install
From the VS Code Marketplace
Coming soon. For now, install from a release or build locally.
From a release .vsix
Download the latest .vsix from the Releases page.
Install it:
# VS Code
code --install-extension black-metal-marduk-0.0.1.vsix
# Cursor
cursor --install-extension black-metal-marduk-0.0.1.vsix
Build from source
git clone https://github.com/v0id-user/vscode-black-metal-marduk.git
cd vscode-black-metal-marduk
npx @vscode/vsce package --no-dependencies --allow-missing-repository
code --install-extension black-metal-marduk-*.vsix # or: cursor --install-extension ...
Activate
- Reload your editor:
Cmd+Shift+P → Developer: Reload Window
- Open the theme picker:
Cmd+K Cmd+T (or Cmd+Shift+P → Preferences: Color Theme)
- Select Black Metal (Marduk)
Recommended pairings
For maximum effect:
- Font: any monospace with character — Berkeley Mono, JetBrains Mono, Iosevka, Commit Mono
- Window: hide the activity bar (
workbench.activityBar.location: hidden) and breadcrumbs (breadcrumbs.enabled: false) for a true monolith
- Terminal: the ANSI colors are wired in — no extra config needed
Contributing
Found a syntax scope that looks off? Open an issue or PR.
License
MIT — do whatever you want with it.
"The pen is mightier than the sword — and the editor mightier still."
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