Black Metal

[Earth-Angel]

What's the deal with black metal? Especially with black metal from Scandanavian countries ie. Norway. Is it a contest as to who can be the most evil/satanic/violent/shocking/rebellious/distasteful? I heard that the best black metal comes from there because the weather is always so bad and they have the highest suicide rate. I've read some shocking stories about members of opposing groups murdering one another because that's what they do for fun over there. I have to say, I have seen some things on their videos that I will never get out of my head/nightmares! Why would people want to create something so evil and terrible? And why would they go so far as satanism and murder and burning churches to get their point across?

I'm lost on this one.... ::

[superuninvited]

I like Black Metal since I´ve been 17 and I could explain some things (except of the murders of course...) but I don´t think that my English is good enough to do that. But I can say that some bands (Darkthrone, Immortal, Emperor, Satyricon), who doesn´t work only with an "image", can create a very dark and scary atmosphere. The lyrics often deal with the beauty of nature, above all the scandinavian nature which means the woods, the mountains, the seas etc.The cover-artwork often does intensify this atmosphere.

[MindCrime]

Here's an interesting article

I've read a few different stories in the past about these murders & church arsons, I've always blamed it on a publicity stunt.

[Earth-Angel]

Thanks Mindcrime, very insightful article.

"But when King Diamond donned corpse paint he was threatening?until he started singing." hehehehehe

But seriously, it's a shame that music can cause people to commit such violent acts. Whether it's directly or indirectly linked to the music. I have to admit, I have listened and danced to a fair share of black metal in various goth clubs, Mortiis and such was the usual choice. Until I really listened to the words, then I stopped going. In too many of the videos there's a women struggling or covered in torn/ripped clothes and always filthy. And hardly any of them were about nature and the olde ways...

[Earth-Angel]

Thank you for the reply Superuninvited

I looked at Satyricon's website, listened to the MP3 samples and learnt quite alot about the band.

[superuninvited]

You´re welcome. "Satyricon" is a good choice, one of the most progressive BM-bands ever. The song "Black Lava" is one of the best things ever written in extreme metal...it´s not fast or very brutal, it sounds like what its name says.

To the videos: Most of these bands don´t have the money to make sort of a MTV-video. The bands with the budget for that ("Cradle Of Filth" for example) are the ones who make the videos you´re dealing with. There are several videos existing from the bands I´ve written about, but you won´t find these ones on TV. It´s still too much "underground" for the commercial stations.

[XXX]

Thanks Mindcrime, very insightful article.

"But when King Diamond donned corpse paint he was threatening?until he started singing." hehehehehe

But seriously, it's a shame that music can cause people to commit such violent acts. Whether it's directly or indirectly linked to the music. I have to admit, I have listened and danced to a fair share of black metal in various goth clubs, Mortiis and such was the usual choice. Until I really listened to the words, then I stopped going. In too many of the videos there's a women struggling or covered in torn/ripped clothes and always filthy. And hardly any of them were about nature and the olde ways...

Hehe. One of the reasons I seldom went to Goth clubs was because they played Black Metal - like there wasn't enough Gothic music to go around? Totally different sound and lyrical aesthetic even if BM took its look from the Gothic subculture.