Any fans of Black Metal?

[aztattooedsean]

I happen to have chat with Erin, the wife of Samoth, a few times and she did a great job at keeping it secret.


As much as I would like to see Wacken, I think seeing them at Inferno fest would be much better due to the atmosphere of seeing them in a 1500 person crowd rather than them looking like the size of ants in front of 30000 people.


tattooedsean opens up expedia.com for plane prices to Norway and Germany :Spin:

 

[BenMech]

I've got mixed emotions about this.

Yay for the chance to learn how Prometheus would translate onstage.
Boo that they're gonna use Trym instead of previously MIA drummer Faust
Yay that they wouldn't need to be overly promoting their WORST album (IX Equilibrium)
Boo that they had said they closed the book forever on reunions by sticking THORNS ON MY(sic) GRAVE.
Yay if this means new music
Boo if it's just a cash plea


By the way, Bob's list of albums was satisfactory, though I'd change Nattans Madrigal for Bergtatt.

 

[JosephAcevedo]

It seems most people only think Black metal exists only in Norway or Sweden and don;t bother looking into other countries for Good BM.

I haven't heard any GOOD black metal from outside of Norway/Sweden... but then again, the only band I've heard is Judas Iscariot (US) and they suck. Summon doesn't count either, because they're more death than black (although they use elements of both).

I'm sorry you don;t like Judas Iscariot, i think they are great. Are they not dimmu/cradle-ish enough for you? Are they not norwegian sounging enough?

I don't consider Summon to be pure BM either. they mix elements of both genre's.

 

[Sautherom]

Yes.. i like Black Metal.... Dimmu, Cradle, Emperor, Burzum, ... also.. the old school .. like Venom (black metal's fathers) Bathory !!!! (Quorthon ..RIP) !

 

[dr00b]

Summoning and Burzum are fucking awesome. \m/

 

[booB]

I'm sorry you don;t like Judas Iscariot, i think they are great. Are they not dimmu/cradle-ish enough for you? Are they not norwegian sounging enough?

Dimmu/Cradle-ish? I don't give a shit. Norwegian-sounding? perhaps there may be something to that (see below). The reason I don't like JI, and enjoy other black metal, is because, in Quorthon's case, and in the case of Emperor, Satyricon, et al, there seems to be a "method to their madness", so to speak. The production is bad... but, in a way, it's perfect -- it's just the thing for adding atmosphere to the extremely dark and brutal music. After all, it's not like they use thin production by accident. The music may be a clusterfuck to the untrained/unfamiliar ear, but to me, there's a very profound beauty in both the music and the songwriting (especially Bathory's UtSotBM). However, Judas Iscariot seems to be an exercise in "let's make everything sound as messy as possible with no pattern to anything". It seems to me that they don't really understand the point or purpose of black metal. Maybe a band just HAS to be Norwegian or Swedish to "get it". I don't know of any American black metal bands that are actually worth listening to (although, I admit, the only one I'm familiar with is JI).

 

[batmura]

booB:

Do you consider the first Agalloch release black metal? I certainly though. They've got that folky substance heard on earlier Ulver discs and combine it with more dark elements. Great American black metal to these ears.

 

[aztattooedsean]

I like Grand belial's key(don't like their beliefs), Typhus(get to see them as part of my buddy's Heathen crusade fest this January), and Absu (all from North America).


I will always love Mayhem(so looking forward to seeing Atilla back in the fold), Emperor, and marduk(curious to see them with the current singer).



I don't know whether I will be able to make it to Wacken or Inferno but Erin, Samoth's wife, has obviously been recommending the Norway show due to it being in a club like atmosphere.

 

[Sautherom]

in the 90's , the black metal scene in Scandinavia was a war between Scandinavian's bands, they burned churches and other violent acts.. the original vocalist of Mayhem "Dead" committed suicide, after that, Euronymous (mayhem guitarrist) was murdered by "Count Grishnack" (Burzum)...
The story writing by the own Varg "Count Grishnackh" Vikernes in a PDF File here:
http://www.burzum.org/eng/biography.shtml

 

[TheGraveDigger]

I am also a big Behemoth fan. I have not heard their early black metal stuff but I love their newer stuff. I am definetly wanting to go back and get their first couple albums and see what I think.

 

[Menhir]

I like

Aes Dana
Ancient Rites
Ancient Wisdom
...and Oceans
Anoerexia Nervosa
Aura Noir
Axis of Perdition
Bathory
Beherit
Belenos
Blut Aus Nord
Borknagar
Burzum
Butterfly Temple
Celtic Frost
Covenant
Darkthrone
Deathspell Omega
Diabolical Masquerade
Dornenreich
Drudkh
Emperor
Ensiferum
Enslaved
Enslavement of BEauty
Grand Alchemist
Grand Belial's Key
Graveland
Hirilorn
Immortal
Imperial Crystanline Entombment
In the Woods
Isengard
Judas Iscariot
Keep of Kalessin
Limbonic Art
Manegarm
Menhir
Negura Bunget
Nokturnal Mortum
Peccatum
Sad Legend
Sigh
Sirius
Sorcier Des Glaces
Stargazer
Stille Volk
Summoning
The Meads of Asphodel
Ulver
Velvet Cacoon
Venom
Vesperian Sorrow
Windir
Woods of Ypres

 

[BenMech]

(snip) I don't know of any American black metal bands that are actually worth listening to (although, I admit, the only one I'm familiar with is JI).

boB - check out the bands on Moribund Cult and tUMUlT labels.

I doubt you know the San Francisco wing of US Black metal (vaguely pschedelic, raw, suicidally depressed, and epic) Bands like Crebain, Leviathan, Xasthur (pronounced Castor), Wolves in the Throne Room, and the long lost defunct legends in Weakling.

 

[dargormudshark]

I might get flames for this but what were the terms on which the band split. I noticed they have only been out of the game for 3 years, so what's so big about that. Now unless something really fuckin' bad happened between them that split them up I wold see the hype. Just curious overall...

 

[Purveyor Of Evil]

Yes. I love Black Metal! Dimmu Borgir is one of my favorite bands. Also, I love Cradle Of Filth, Emperor, Immortal, Ancient Rites, even though they are a bit different now. Behemoth is very cool, too. I like to be diverse with metal. If I liked only one style, it would get boring quickly.

 

[sh0kr0k]

Holy crap - I'm way late to this thread!
I can't believe Emperor is reuniting!!
...not that it will benefit me any.

 

[JosephAcevedo]

I'm sorry you don;t like Judas Iscariot, i think they are great. Are they not dimmu/cradle-ish enough for you? Are they not norwegian sounging enough?

Dimmu/Cradle-ish? I don't give a shit. Norwegian-sounding? perhaps there may be something to that (see below). The reason I don't like JI, and enjoy other black metal, is because, in Quorthon's case, and in the case of Emperor, Satyricon, et al, there seems to be a "method to their madness", so to speak. The production is bad... but, in a way, it's perfect -- it's just the thing for adding atmosphere to the extremely dark and brutal music. After all, it's not like they use thin production by accident. The music may be a clusterfuck to the untrained/unfamiliar ear, but to me, there's a very profound beauty in both the music and the songwriting (especially Bathory's UtSotBM). However, Judas Iscariot seems to be an exercise in "let's make everything sound as messy as possible with no pattern to anything". It seems to me that they don't really understand the point or purpose of black metal. Maybe a band just HAS to be Norwegian or Swedish to "get it". I don't know of any American black metal bands that are actually worth listening to (although, I admit, the only one I'm familiar with is JI).

There are plenty of great bands in the U.S. Check out Xasthur, Leviathan, Kult ov azazel, thy Infernal, Fog, Typhus, or Noctuary. I agree that JI didn use the bad production purposely but hey all i got to say is if doing certain things a certain way is what makes the band happy and makes them sound good then i'm all for it. As long as I can hear the instruments clearly enough i can care less about production. I disagree about JI making everything clutter and messy as possible. There is a formula they do use indeed. What exactly is the so called point or purpose of black metal as you say? Thats one thing in the BM scene I never understand.

Reason I say that is because there are too many people who make excuses in the BM scene about not liking this band or certain scene or style or country's BM because probably one of more of the reasons below apply to ( insert here the BM band you dislike)


- There record crappy production
- they record perfect studio production
- this band uses keyboards
- this band does/does not wear corpsepaint
- this band is not Kult or "True" enough
- This band is a NSBM
- This bandd uses goth or vampiric imagery
- This band uses a drum machine
- This band is too "necro"
- this band is "symphonik"
- This band sucks because they are NOT from (insert your country's gay name here)


I believe these are the reasons why there is barly Unity within the BM scene.

 

[Ruthven]

I like Cradle of Filth, making me a man without a country I suppose

Sonically, I like most of the black metal I've heard. However, the satan schtick wears thin. Then again, most would say that satanic antics are the entire point of black metal. So ultimately I haven't explored it in detail for that reason.

 

[sh0kr0k]

I like Cradle of Filth, making me a man without a country I suppose

Sonically, I like most of the black metal I've heard. However, the satan schtick wears thin. Then again, most would say that satanic antics are the entire point of black metal. So ultimately I haven't explored it in detail for that reason.

Now Ruthven you know that's true... you know the satan thing isn't the whole point However those who are tr00 and kvlt wouldn't dare say otherwise. But look at bands like (..you knew it was bound to be said... wait for it) Extol, and not just because they have faith-oriented lyrics, but because they perfectly embody the sound without the satan thing. I mean, not ALL power metal is about dragons and swords ((btw Ruthven, I'm not really arguing with you. Moreso this is for anyone else reading this that still has their head far enough up their ass to think that black metal is fundamentally satanic)) ...

 

[Ruthven]

It's the tr00 and kvlt black metal fans I was referring to in my comment above. That being said, much of the black metal I've heard does deal directly with satanism (or, anti-Christian - as opposed to merely non-Christian - aesthetics), even if it's done pretty cheesily.

That being said, I would never write a band off and say "they suck" based solely on an ideological difference.

I don't really consider Extol to be black metal. Admittedly I haven't heard all of their stuff, but the majority of what I've heard sounded like quasi-experimental metal. Unless, of course, my perception of what black metal is and is not is flawed.

 

[sh0kr0k]

That being said, much of the black metal I've heard does deal directly with satanism (or, anti-Christian - as opposed to merely non-Christian - aesthetics), even if it's done pretty cheesily.

You're absolutely right, the majority of it is chalk-full of satanic/anti-Christian sentiment. I usually laugh when it goes overboard, othertimes I'm simply impervious to it.. just like dragons and swords, it becomes nothing more than a set of lyrics.

I don't really consider Extol to be black metal. Admittedly I haven't heard all of their stuff, but the majority of what I've heard sounded like quasi-experimental metal.

Quasi-experimental is a good term for Extol, but I do think they embody enough of the elements of Black Metal to be considered for the genre. Their first album Burial is by far the most telling show of their BM prowess ("none more black" ).. and with each album they seem to add a different element to their sound. For instance, after Burial was an EP called Mesmerized which seemed to blend BM with electro-industrial elements, and very successfully if you ask me! Then came the album Undeceived which was the most experimental to that point, incorporating many progressive and nearly power metal phrasings, numerous key changes, and the whole nine yards. Quintessence I've not heard enough of to really make a good judgement. Their latest creations, I'm not sure of the titles right now, are much more evolved and a tad bit more melodic and mellowed. It really sounds as though they are maturing as musicians and song-writers in their niche without really losing their trademark Extol sound (yes they have a definite sound all their own, even with all the other stuff in there.. I can hear it but that's because I know a lot of their music inside and out) ...

I'd recommend a good spinning of Burial and Undeceived.