why do metal bands use LOGOS?

[einride]

if you think about it, why is a genre that is supposedly so adamant about resisting commercialism THE one where every band has a logotype of their own?

especially black metal -- i mean really, folks call themselves nihilists and want to burn the world with anticosmic fire, but are very concerned about caring for their trademark by always using their finely crafted big stupid logo on all their merchandise? for me these pieces don't really fit together.

no other genre that i know of so consistently cares about this shit. maybe hardcore punk/crust/grind which is even more laughable considering their incessant anti-capitalist diatribes

 

[swizzlenuts]

Isn't it because it makes the band more obscure and less easy to find if you can't read it?

 

[einride]

Isn't it because it makes the band more obscure and less easy to find if you can't read it?

not really because the net result is people who are already into death and black metal will recognize bands more easily because their logo and visual identity is all over shit. if you wanted to scare people away or make your album intentionally hard to find and unattractive to purchase, you would do like ORDOG and not even have cover art (just a plain black LP sleeve) or like ABRUPTUM and use completely black "artwork"

also, you can easily read logos like IRON MAIDEN and DIO and KREATOR. similarly big/well-known bands in other genres don't generally have logos.

 

[dorian gray]

 

[Vittra]

Does this mean the next Nasheim will be with plain font and no runes?

I'm sure people just like being artistic with their name, or at least, for some there is that aspect to it.

 

[Demilich]

Hypothetically speaking:

a) Tradition/herd mentality - metal bands have been using distinct logos for fuck knows how long now, it is done simply because it is done

b) Distinction/identifiability - Hand-drawn and unique logos provide a measure of separation from one's peer group, though in effect most of them end up looking painfully similar

c) They can just look really cool when done right

 

[Disgustipated]

c) They can just look really cool when done right

Seriously though. Original Metallica logo a prime example. Nice and simple, yet somehow just so metal. I used to love decorating my school books with metal bands' logos.