Symphonic Black Metal

[Zemb]

"Nokturnal Mortum(?)...."

Their music is good, but they are Nazis, and this is not the kind of band i want to have in my collection, so i will not buy anything from them.

 

[Lee_B]

From the earliest days of black metal, black metal has been the sound of nihilistic minimalism; Bathory, Hellhammer, Sodom, and of course, Venom were all extremely primative and raw

This was by accident and not by design. I interviewed Tom Warrior in 1984 for my fanzine and I asked why Hellhammer didn't play solos. His reply was because he couldn't play them. He just loved Venom and wanted to emulate them and ended up tripping over his tits and "discovering" a fairly unique sound by mistake.

All the bands you quoted above were deemed as thrash metal bands in the day. Black metal was just an album title by Venom. There was certainly no "ethic" involved.

If it uplifts, inspires or offers the tiniest shred of light, it isn't BLACK metal.

So the comedy song by Venom "Teacher's Pet" isn't black metal, despite it being on the "Black Metal" album? How about "Another Beer Is Just What I Need" by Italian Venom-clones Bulldozer (another band inexplicably revered as innovative..)? I could go on..

Lee B

 

[Morningrise]

Don't argue with Lee_B, hes the man!!!

 

[from the Cradle]

Dimmu Borgir

 

[D Mullholand]

Limbonic Art
Bal-Sagoth
Summoning (more distant from BM)
Emperor (probably symphonic)
Nokturnal Mortum (definitely, no matter that they are ideologically impotent)

Bands to ignore :

Dimmu Borgir
Cradle of Filth
Covenant

and the worst offender :

EVOL

IMHO, of course.

D Mullholand

 

[YaYo]

Bands to ignore :

Dimmu Borgir

I think u meant ignore everything EXCEPT "Puritanical euphoric misanthropia" their latest release. ok ok u probably didnt, but ive loved every song off that album that ive heard so far, and i have borrowed two of the earlier albums and well im really not liking those ones except for tiny moments on them.

 

[StorTroll]

Originally posted by D Mullholand
Limbonic Art
Bal-Sagoth
Summoning (more distant from BM)
Emperor (probably symphonic)
Nokturnal Mortum (definitely, no matter that they are ideologically impotent)

Bands to ignore :

Dimmu Borgir
Cradle of Filth
Covenant

and the worst offender :

EVOL

IMHO, of course.

D Mullholand

Cool! There´s someone here who gives shit about Bal-Sagoth, am
I right?!? Ultima Thule rules!!!

 

[D Mullholand]

Originally posted by YaYoGakk
I think u meant ignore everything EXCEPT "Puritanical euphoric misanthropia" their latest release. ok ok u probably didnt, but ive loved every song off that album that ive heard so far, and i have borrowed two of the earlier albums and well im really not liking those ones except for tiny moments on them.

Well, I didn't, you're right ! There were some moments here and there on "Spiritual Black Dimensions", usually with Simen's vocals, but the rest of their product is shallow music and rather forgettable.

Bal-Sagoth is made of green cheese, but it's much more fun and interesting than the Cradle/Dimburger blandness.

D Mullholand

 

[transfixed]

i LOVE bal-sagoth
they kick ass

 

[Armageddon's Child]

Originally posted by Lee_B
This was by accident and not by design. I interviewed Tom Warrior in 1984 for my fanzine and I asked why Hellhammer didn't play solos. His reply was because he couldn't play them. He just loved Venom and wanted to emulate them and ended up tripping over his tits and "discovering" a fairly unique sound by mistake.

All the bands you quoted above were deemed as thrash metal bands in the day. Black metal was just an album title by Venom. There was certainly no "ethic" involved

To be fair, whether the earliest influences upon black metal intentionally created the genre's ethic or not, it doesn't matter. That ethic has become an established fact of the genre. Only bands that follow it are black metal, as the second wave acts which define black metal to this day (Mayhem, Burzum, DarkThrone, early Emperor, Beherit et al.) all self-consciously adopted the ethic they saw to have been embodied by the sounds of the pioneers of the 80's. Whether you like it or not, calling the so called "symphonic" bands "black metal" is completely moronic, it's like calling Opeth "death metal," it only makes sense to those who have no clue what true black metal is.

Originally posted by Lee_B
So the comedy song by Venom "Teacher's Pet" isn't black metal, despite it being on the "Black Metal" album? How about "Another Beer Is Just What I Need" by Italian Venom-clones Bulldozer (another band inexplicably revered as innovative..)? I could go on..

Lee B

There's nothing uplifting about self-destructive behavior. Sonically, neither song has a "positive" vibe, both being raw and primative.

 

[Despot]

May Result

 

[requiem]

Originally posted by D Mullholand

Well, I didn't, you're right ! There were some moments here and there on "Spiritual Black Dimensions", usually with Simen's vocals, but the rest of their product is shallow music and rather forgettable.

I disagree. I personally find the last three Dimmu albums to be entertaining and enjoyable. Certainly the new album, 'Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia' contains better and more intelligent lyrics than the early "Hail Satan" goofery, as well as displaying a supreme sound, but I still think each album has something to offer.

Even if it's just a colourful break from the bleakness of 'In the Nightside Eclipse' et al....

Each of their albums are different to the others as well. I like the idea of not making the same album twice, as many other fans do.

So I'll go with the others and suggest Dimmu Borgir as a great Symphonic Black Metal band, if that's the style you're looking for.