Re the OP's original q: I think they're laughably pretentious.  Almost any artist name with "Dark", "Mage", "Hell" and so on makes me think of teenagers desperately trying to be different and falling into the trap of conforming with another peer group.  Note I said "Almost any artist name" because I'm sure there are exceptions.

Band names do form impressions for me, and generally my impression is pretty much in line with how the band sound, even if I've never heard 'em before.  Example, I knew Coldplay would be a bunch of watered down, talentless, piss poor Muse and Radiohead* ripoffs long before I heard them and I was right.  And a bunch of miserable twats, too. :D

Summary:  Artist's name, stick with something straightforward such as your member name, unless it happens to be something along the lines of DarkMageHell.  Band names, tread carefully.  In general with band names, anything ending -er is to be avoided.  They're usually tedious AOR bands. :)

• I rather like Muse and Radiohead.

Coppula eam se non posit acceptera jocularum.

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