So we have a "fairly loose, free floating, somewhat unifying, semi-coherent ideas". Sounds like a sound base in trying to give black metal a solid ideological foundation - or not. This is the thing, and ideology is something that is pretty solid and clear - its not generally an emotional state (which black metal seems to be more than anything to me). The one common nominator seems to be a free floating critique on various taboo themes in modern society. Nothing more and nothing less. This takes such wide and varying shapes that I do not consider it an ideology in itself. Not even a unifying idea since quite often black metal lyrics arent coherent with what they critique and how they do it.
The reason that I belabored the point about what 'ideology' is in reference to in the context of black metal ("fairly loose, free floating, somewhat unifying, semi-coherent ideas") is because you were having trouble getting passed the usage of the word 'ideology' as something more concrete and uniform than is meant in this case. It is important that we understand the way in which the term is being used in this discussion. The ideology of a music genre (if it has one cogent enough to be extrapolated) is different in nature to a political ideology in that the former is far more amorphous and prone to evolution and expansion. It is coherent to an extended degree, but not infinitely, as new voices slowly echo the core fundamentals of that ideology while introducing new elements that are harmonious with the base values already firmly established. This in essence even leaves room for dissent within that ideology for issues about which it is not fundamentally valuable to have complete unison (such as, for example, the desire to destroy nature or the desire to revere it). One of these things is not Christianity. No notable band even linked to black metal in any way has ever espoused genuine praise for the Christian god. This is simply not found in any meaningful example of the black metal ideological body and so directly and frequently opposed within that same body that the concept of Christian black metal falls under its own weight.
I said nothing about inauthenticity. And still with the words that describe the meaning of authenticity like "truthfulness of origins, attributions, commitments, sincerity, devotion, and intentions" (yes copied from wiki) you can say that at least the lyrical content of Venom is inauthentic but only if you read into them what they tend to say (worship of sex, drugs, Satan and violence) but not so much if you only regard it as metaphors of rebellion against the societal current. I dont undervalue their imprtance to the genre though.
Venom practiced blasphemy with direct intentions in their lyrical craft, including all of the things that you highlighted (sex, drugs, Satan, and violence), so it can't be regarded as inauthentic even if we weigh in the qualities in the artists themselves. But viewing the lyrics in and of themselves, it is clear that they portray a coherent and cohesive message that epitomized not only everything that the band stood for within the metal landscape at the time, but also everything that black metal was in 1981-1982.
Well as an example Burzum is quite clearly about returning to our rots and live a more natural life (at least thats what it has become - one can debate the earlier releases). Dissection were actually about opposition t the natural world and as an old MLO (Jons org) document said "we see it as the ultimate purpose to destroy this universe" while Immortal clearly takes more of a Kiss route and I doubt they have any larger intention with an ideology behind the music.
This goes back to my earlier point about room for divergent views in the ideology of black metal. Within the fundamentals, there is no direct contradiction in any of the bands you mentioned, or, to be more blunt, in any band that plays black metal. Immortal's lyrical qualities go beyond KISS type showmanship, by the way. Demonaz's lyrics, especially earlier ones, are the vivid escapist imaginings of a genuine fantasist.
Well in some ways but to blaspheme and not present a good example of what we should be like instead. How can I take anyone seriously that album after album dishes out critique of christianity and then are just a slob in real life. Although not a black metal band per-se Deicide is one of the best examples of this. Or when bands praise wisdom and then rather go out taking drugs and getting drunk rather than pursue named wisdom (unnamed vocalist of prominent swedish black metal band Im talking about you!).
Black metal is music, not the musicians who play them. If a black metal musicians disregards the message that he sets forth in his music, this doesn't diminish the music in itself, though it does damage the credibility of the individual. Then again, a lot of black metal bands preach hedonism, and they're quite good at that...
Also, there's no arguing that there's a lot of
bad black metal. However, there is a distinction between black metal that is bad and music that is not black metal.
No words have "natural" or "platonic" meanings. They all depend on their contex and enviroment according to me.
Well, according to reality, of course. Words have no meaning other than the meaning (or various meanings) given to them.
However talking about political left and right _does_ imply quite clear ideological differences.
"Black" however, in the contex of black metal, doesnt have a clear ideological meaning because the lyrics from all black metal bands (be it 1st, 2nd or 3rd generation - "true or untrue"
) differ to much in content and structure to ever give the word black a cohesive meaning. If you ask me how I define political right and political left its a complex but fairly easy question to answer. If I asked you to define the word black and what makes something black in metal music, in regards to ideological content, what would the answer be exacly?
There is a lot of divergence in the political spectrum as well, actually. Left and right, just like black, do not possess a 1:1 ratio between term and definition; their meanings are flexible even within the boundaries that we have defined (namely, politics and the subgenre in heavy metal). There are fascists and anarchists in the 'left' side of the political spectrum, and there are fascists and anarchists within black metal. Black metal represents divergent yet (crucially) non-contradictory concepts at the same time and all mean the same thing, from anti-Christianity, to reverence of nature, to pure hatred for all things, general disgust for society, longing for past times or cultures, hedonism, and mythic idealism. All of these concepts fall coherently within the boundaries of black metal without disrupting the essential properties that constitute the identity of black metal.
Edit: regarding the discussion underway distinguishing anti-Christianity from unchristianity; the discrepancy is irrelevant because both possess a non-contradictory relationship with black metal.
