Atmospheric Black Metal!

[Draehl]

Dark, heavy at least in parts of songs, and a generally similar vocal style are really the only qualifiers I'd place on the genre. Subject matter is irrelevant.

 

[crimsonfloyd]

Velvet Cacoon is one of my favorite atmospheric black metal bands. Very oceanic.

 

[The Emptier]

that was interesting

 

[sevag00]

Are those guys still active?

 

[The Butt]

Velvet Cacoon? No, last I checked they called it quits.

 

[Kreated]

I still don't buy the argument attributing ideology as an essential tenet of black metal. It seems like a flawed process of identification to me. Of course, because the satanic elements were often done for theatrical purposes, and the medium itself is an art form, that might nullify the issue.

It just seems to me that if ideology can always be redescribed as subject position (i.e. what people believe isn't absolute truth, it's merely the result of their position in the world), then it's useless to try and ascribe ideology as a defining factor of a musical genre. My example would be that the founders of America were deists, but that doesn't mean you have to practice deism in order to be considered American. Then again, I understand that the satanist aspects were often done for performance purposes; but if they're performative anyway, why are they necessary to the genre? The music is the vehicle for the ideology, not the other way around. It seems to me that it doesn't matter whether the satanism is "real" or "fake."

I don't feel black metal requires Satanism, or any religious or anti-religious theme, however, its sound, which comprises both vocal style and instruments, can definitely be described as harsh, which makes it difficult to call something black metal that doesn't have a similarly "harsh" theme or message, though this doesn't have to be a religious one. It could be about the cold winter darkness, for example. Black metal about Jesus's love, for example, does not make sense to me, and I wouldn't listen to it, even though I'm even Christian myself, because it seems nonsensical. While the style of music isn't defined by the musicians' personal beliefs either, the quality of its message can be affected by that, because if the musician is feigning satanism or chaos-worship to sell records, the music is inherently hypocritical, but if the musician is openly pretending to be satanic for theatrical purposes, while never claiming to be in real life, or similarly singing Tolkien-inspired religious themes, then it's not hypocritical because they are not trying to deceive their audience by pretending that believe something they actually do not.

 

[Necroraven]

Velvet Cacoon is one of my favorite atmospheric black metal bands. Very oceanic.

That sounded great. Not what you usually hear.

 

[Kreated]

To SummoningEvil, the original poster:

I'm a huge fan of Summoning, and here's a band I like, which you might like as well:

 

[Draehl]

Velvet Cacoon is one of my favorite atmospheric black metal bands. Very oceanic.

Good shit.

 

[sevag00]

Velvet Cacoon? No, last I checked they called it quits.

Thank God.

 

[crimsonfloyd]

That sounded great. Not what you usually hear.

Yeah Genevieve is one of my favorite black metal albums. It got overlooked in the hype of all the bands lies and misinformation, but when it comes down to it, Genevieve is just an amazing experience.

 

[Hubster]

Thank God.

Seconded. Utterly forgettable.

 

[The Butt]

Fun fact: I still have not heard any Velvet Cacoon yet. :zombie:

 

[sevag00]

Stay without listening to that worthless band.

 

[SkeletonWitch]

Sear Bliss is one of the best "atmospheric black metal" bands you'll ever hear.

 

[Luoto]

 

[cookiecutter]

I guess it's appropriate that an atmospheric black metal thread was raised from the dead...

 

[solinari6]

Dark, heavy at least in parts of songs, and a generally similar vocal style are really the only qualifiers I'd place on the genre. Subject matter is irrelevant.

Altar of Plagues should fit the bill then, right? I'm starting to get into this type of metal as well, and am appreciating the recommendations.

 

[sadistik necrofiend]

Incursus. By far one of the craziest atmospheres ever evoked by a band. Very fucking evil sounding, cold, and possessing.

Very much can have you in some altered fucking state that doesn't seem human at all.

 

[Raina]

Fogland has some nice songs, for those who don t mind clean sound...