But I've ignored the introduction to this topic completely, haven't I?
Well, since I was 15 [and until today] I've admired a very particular band, which sank me into the deepest darkness, when words and music and my favorite harmonies combined into a place, which I found out was called Blackwater Park, and it made me overcome a lot of difficulties I would later face in my teenage life.
That band is Opeth, and it had nor has absolutely nothing to do with Black Metal. However, the band's earlier style [which I love much more than the present] made me want to discover the more darker pits of the Metal genre.
Black Metal always looked very mystical to me, and through the years I found myself wanting to relate to it more, because I found the themes of forests and nature very close to my heart. I loved the guitars and the vocals especially, but the monotone drumming and the perpetum mobille of the same thing did overdo themselves after the 2 minutes of the first song.
So although in terms of genre, Black Metal music is not as delicate as Post Punk, nor it is as fabulous as New Wave or Synthpop, and you may find more punks that relate to Black Metal because of the sound similarities. But I ask you, don't you find Black Metal goth?
I mean, maybe it's the brutal attitude [or the Neo Nazi themes, I love exaggerating this one because a lot of the Black Metal music focuses on the Nordic greatness, particularly some who like to make the world a better place and believe that everything which is not Nordic should perish] but Black Metal is really dark, morbid and can sound depressing.
Not to mention the beautiful, folk-like image.
I do not know a lot of Black Metal bands, but some I really enjoyed watching on stage. My first and last concert so far featured the Israeli bands Eternal Decay and Kutna Hora, both sounded absolutely amazing live, although at the time I didn't like any music such as they played. But live the act looked real, the corpse paint, the candles on stage, the inverted crosses and the theatrical show, which was exactly what I person should witness when coming to a quality Black Metal concert.
I still regret not taking pictures of that concert, but I wasn't into concert photography back then.
Eternal Decay
Kutna Hora. The sign behind the drummer states "There's No god" in Hebrew.
For the record, this is how I looked like while watching these amazing guys play:
Boris and I both turned out really amusing in this photo.
I'm like overlooking my entire life, and Boris looks like he just came back from the Supermarket.
What do you think? Do you find Black Metal inspiring? Or do you find other genres of Metal, such as Doom, not less depressing? Do you like metal at all and if not, found this entire post unrelated and crappy?
If everything mentioned above, please do comment!
If you aint comment I aint gonna know ya hier!
Fun Fact: About a week ago my 14 year old brother wrote me, that he happened to find a CD that belonged to me in our parents' house in Israel. He told me it's his new favorite band. It was a CD given to us by the lovely Eternal Decay. Someone is growing into the deepest darkness!
I still hate who Varg Vikernes is and think he should stay in prison forever, but I found his music very inspiring at times.
N. Finsternis
I used to be more into metal...not black metal though. I liked some medieval death metal/dragon metal and hardcore (I was just listening to sepultura today!) and industrial metal. Metal shows are the only shows I go to these days--I think the crowds are more fun
ReplyDeleteI love Sepultura! They were one of the first metal bands I ever listened to. My heart will always go to the folk oriented metal, but not the viking folk but like the music System of A Down does. I am also a huge fan of Blind Guardian.
DeleteHmm, I tend to prefer heavy metal, but it's not a genre I delve into much into. With black metal I don't think I'd be comfortable listening to a band which promotes fascism and white supremacy, particularly when it's still such a present issue in Europe and the wider world.
ReplyDeleteYou're right about the fascism, sadly it's something europe is struggling to change, but there will always be people who think races matter. Heavy metal was never my cup of tea, but I do like Black Sabbath and other bands who made heavy metal to be what it's today.
DeleteI'm not listening very much to black metal, sometimes the bands are taking it too far and become ridicilous instead with their paint and seriousness. I wouldn't say that Opeth is a black metal band, rather progressive metal. I listen to them a lot. One of the folk metal bands I listen to is Eluveite. I was on a metal festival this weekend and there were lots of folk and black metal. Ensiferum was nice to watch, Korpikklaani is just too much...
ReplyDeleteI haven't thought of black metal as neo nazi. some bands are just very proud of their heritage, the nature and their history. But if there is a band that disrespect other cultures I would stop listening immidiately, I hate racism.
I didn't say Opeth were black metal, they are indeed progressive metal and in their beginning were death/doom metal. I really love their first albums :)
DeleteOh I've tried listening to Eluveitie, didn't like anything much XD
I love the folk metal to some extent, but I think it is rather overdoing itself than bringing in something new. Same with "gothic" metal, but that's a completely different story :)
Oh I have a lot to say about me and metal music, but not so much time. So just shortly.. Metal scene was very important for me a years ago because I found gothic subculture through it! Firstly fascinated by Dany and his Cradle of Filth, than a lots of another bands and at last I liked many bands from Findland until I found The 69 Eyes, which was my first step into gothic scene.
ReplyDeleteI liked doom, dusk (special drawer for COF :), death metal, but never was so much into black, which lyrics and things around was always too cruelty for me.
I don't know the band Kutná Hora, which you mentioned in this post, but it seems pretty weird to me, because I was born in town Kutná Hora! :)
COF and I had a history as well, I actually listened to them when I was 19, not so much when I was younger ^^
DeleteThat's so cool you were born in the same town! That's funny XD maybe it's a sign for you to check the black metal out, who knows, maybe you'll get into some bands! I personally listen to only highlights of the genre, sometimes too much metal can be too overloading.