Do themes such as Satanism or Anti-Christianity Affect Your Metal Preferences?

[Demilich]

Cliche is fine with me as long as its well done!

 

[Xorv]

Multi-part question here.

-What are your views on the above topics in metal? For me, if the music is good I'm good. But sometimes It gets a little too extreme for me, with bands like Dark Funeral, whose music I can listen too.

-Also, do you listen to metal for those things? Alot of extreme metalheads listen to Satanism for the message.

-Lastly, if you do not believe in organized religon or God, what are your views on the matter?

I listen to metal for the music, not the message. Unless it's something insightful and not just blasphemy on every track. I could care less if you hate Jesus. I'm sure he hates you too. Ya pricks.

I don't like to get into the topic of God too much. I fear his power.

 

[EarthDog]

Personally I do not find anti-christian lyrics offensive at all or for that matter satanic ones either. I am anti- christianity myself in the sense that I do not believe that killing and torturing people in the name of love is something that I would like to get behind. The Truth of the matter is that is exactly how christainty came into prominence. The sword ,torture, fear of these things and the burning stake.The whole sell slaughter of pagan peoples for their beliefs.
Anything that is based by action and history on these things can not claim to be of love and light without tongue firmly in cheek.So I have no problem with
metals anger at this and the forced believe or burn attitude. The arguement that they don't do these things any longer does not hold water with me.

I am not a satanist but I will not listen to the preaching of hypocrisy that is the church. I don't believe Jesus was truly the son of God. Only a mind control game played on the mass'. Having said that I do not hate people just because they claim they are christain I have had many friends that made such claims over the years .Many are descent people who are mislead IMO.

Some satanic lyrics are cool ,some dumb. I do read lyric sheets and like well thought out intelligent lyrics best but if the music is good and I like the sound of the vocals I'm going to listen to it and dig it.

 

[More Murder]

SHUT UP TROLL LET THE MAN EXPRESS HIMSELF!!!!

I'm not trolling anymore, hehe.

But it's a silly question to ask on a metal forum since many metal bands write about it.

 

[Demilich]

If Christianity is so great, why has so much of it been forced upon people by the sword, by indoctrination through education, by the threat of trade embargoes, etc? Seriously, if it was all that, people would have flocked to it en masse and believed of their own will.

 

[Sonnenritter]

But it's a silly question to ask on a metal forum since many metal bands write about it.

Many, not all, which makes it a legitmate question.

 

[Under The Oak]

If Christianity is so great, why has so much of it been forced upon people by the sword, by indoctrination through education, by the threat of trade embargoes, etc? Seriously, if it was all that, people would have flocked to it en masse and believed of their own will.

There's always someone who doesn't listen to my perfectly logical explanations. If you were all that great, maybe you'd understand that anything and everything can be manipulated by power put into the wrong hands. It doesn't make the core belief any more or less true. Christianity is certainly not the only value system passed on by the sword, and there have been countless times and places over the centuries where Christianity has been persecuted and expressing those beliefs was punishable by death. Even today there are countries where missionaries are killed because some other religion (sometimes even atheism) has the majority. The rest of the world isn't like Canadian hippy policies.

 

[V.V.V.V.V.]

This is pretty much not true at all, lyrics carry meaning and should not always be spared the attention given to other parts of the music simply because its inconvenient for metal fans to have to admit that metal lyrics are very frequently awful. I don't understand how someone can dismiss the most obvious way of understanding what a peice of music is meant to express as being 'superficial'.

Music is beyond words. What I am saying is not to just dismiss a band who is outwardly NS just by virtue of their lyrics. By doing so, you are being the close-minded fool you are trying not to be by paying heed to such "hateful" and "morally corrupt" lyrics.

 

[Neurotic]

i generally don't like satanic, anti-christian lyrics.
i'm an atheist so i really don't relate to it but if they are well written i have no problem with them. (like i have no problem with christian lyrics or any other subject)

i actually in my band i have some lyrics if misunderstood might look anti-christian but it's more against the problems of organised religion.
i have nothing against any kind of faith.

anyway what matters to me in the first place it's the music, if the music is good i will listen to it. it would have to be something really extreme in terms of lyrics for me to stop listening to a band.

 

[Necro Joe]

Music is beyond words. What I am saying is not to just dismiss a band who is outwardly NS just by virtue of their lyrics. By doing so, you are being the close-minded fool you are trying not to be by paying heed to such "hateful" and "morally corrupt" lyrics.

No what you said is that "lyrics [...] dictate only superficial value", which to me is just as stupid as saying music only dictates superfical value, since obviously setting words to music is just as valid a method of expression as anything else.

 

[Matt]

If Christianity is so great, why has so much of it been forced upon people by the sword, by indoctrination through education, by the threat of trade embargoes, etc? Seriously, if it was all that, people would have flocked to it en masse and believed of their own will.

One faith, one leader one nation. That was the philosophy back then.

 

[V.V.V.V.V.]

No what you said is that "lyrics [...] dictate only superficial value", which to me is just as stupid as saying music only dictates superfical value, since obviously setting words to music is just as valid a method of expression as anything else.

Only words have given meaning; musical notes do not. Thus, music is deeper than words, and words should not be able to turn you away from a band if the music is good enough.

 

[skeptik]

Music is not deeper than words.

 

[V.V.V.V.V.]

Oh OK. Thanks for setting me right.

 

[Necro Joe]

Only words have given meaning; musical notes do not. Thus, music is deeper than words.

That really doesn't follow at all, the only 'meaning' a peice of music has is produced culturally, it relies on you recognising the accepted 'meaning' of a given sound as it has developed to aquire significance. Music does not produce a 'deeper' reaction than words just because it is more vague in how it can be interpreted.

...and words should not be able to turn you away from a band if the music is good enough.

This just reinforces my point that if you do not like the lyrics of an artist whose music you enjoy you would rather pretend they are irrelevant than accept that there is a flawed aspect to their work as a whole.

 

[Thoth-Amon]

Wow... we actually agree on something. Jaco rules.

 

[EarthDog]

One faith, one leader one nation. That was the philosophy back then.

Oh OK than that's perfect justification for torturing and burning people alive.
But thanks for making my point for me. Kill everyone that will not follow and short of that terrorize the rest to make them fall in the line. It is nothing more than a form of mind control to have power over the mass'. And now I'm supposed to feel bad because some BM band calls Jesus a cunt or a christains feelings might be hurt by name calling.

It is true as someone stated earlier that all though out history people have taken over using the sword. The difference is the blatant hypocrisy of pretending to kill and torture and burn alive because a spirit that is all loving and forgiving said so. And then to have a group of brainwashed followers that believe that it was love that killed everyone is out right ridiculous

The church is no less corrupt now than back in the day and the lyrics in metal reflect this. To me they are a symbolic form of throwing off the yoke of a tyrant master. Taking up the side of the Angel of Light that rebelled against a tyrannical overlord named Yahweh.

 

[V.V.V.V.V.]

That really doesn't follow at all, the only 'meaning' a peice of music has is produced culturally, it relies on you recognising the accepted 'meaning' of a given sound as it has developed to aquire significance. Music does not produce a 'deeper' reaction than words just because it is more vague in how it can be interpreted.

OK so how about depth is relative and we just end this argument now.

 

[skeptik]

Sounds like a plan.

 

[Demilich]

That really doesn't follow at all, the only 'meaning' a peice of music has is produced culturally, it relies on you recognising the accepted 'meaning' of a given sound as it has developed to aquire significance.

do you honestly believe that the ONLY meaning music can have is ENTIRELY a product of culture? what precludes music (or the sounds that make up the music) from sounding good on the merit of the sound and not the relationship between the notes?