| Black metal | |
|---|---|
| Stylistic origins | Thrash metal, speed metal, hardcore punk |
| Cultural origins | First Wave: Early-mid 1980s, European extreme metal scene Second Wave: Early 1990s, Scandinavian extreme metal scene |
| Typical instruments | Vocals - Electric guitar - Bass guitar - Drums |
| Mainstream popularity | Moderate since the early 1990s in Norway, Finland and Sweden, underground elsewhere |
| Subgenres | |
| Symphonic black metal - Viking metal | |
| Fusion genres | |
| Blackened death metal | |
| Other topics | |
| List of bands | |
Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, shrieked vocals, highly distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, blast beat drumming, raw recording, and unconventional song structure.
During the 1980s, several thrash metal bands formed a prototype for black metal. This so-called "first wave" included bands such as Venom, Bathory, Hellhammer and Celtic Frost.[1] A "second wave" arose in the early 1990s, spearheaded by Norwegian bands such as Mayhem, Burzum, Darkthrone, Immortal and Emperor. The music of the early Norwegian black metal scene became a distinct genre.
Black metal has often been met with hostility from mainstream culture, mainly due to the misanthropic and anti-Christian standpoint of many artists. Moreover, several of the genre's pioneers have been linked with church burnings and murder. For these reasons and others, black metal is usually seen as an underground form of music. Additionally some have been linked to neo-Nazism, however many black metal fans and most prominent black metal musicians reject Nazi ideology and oppose its influence on the black metal subculture.[2][3][4][5]
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Black metal guitarists usually favour high-pitched guitar tones and a great deal of distortion.[6] The guitar is usually played with much use of fast tremolo picking[6][7][8] and dissonance. Guitarists often use specific scales, intervals and chord progressions designed to yield what they consider the most fear-inducing and foreboding sounds. The tritone or flat-fifth is often used for example. Guitar solos and low guitar tunings are rare in black metal.[8]
The bass guitar is seldom used to play stand-alone melodies. It is not uncommon for the bass guitar to be minimal or difficult to hear,[8] or to homophonically follow the bass lines of the guitar. Typically, drumming is fast-paced and uses double-bass and/or blast beats.
Black metal songs often stray from conventional song structure and often lack clear verse-chorus sections. Instead, many black metal songs contain lengthy and repetitive instrumental sections.
Traditional or "purist" black metal bands usually use high-pitched and raspy vocals which include shrieking, screaming and snarling.[6][8] This vocal style was influenced by Quorthon of Bathory,[9] and is one of the traits that distinguishes traditional black metal vocals from those of death metal, which usually uses low-pitched growls.
Black metal was originally used as a term for extreme metal bands with Satanic lyrics; today, the most common and founding lyrical theme is opposition to Christianity[8] and other organized religions. As part of this, many artists write lyrics that could be seen to promote atheism, antitheism, paganism or Satanism.[10] The hostility of many secular or pagan artists is in some way linked to the Christianization of their countries. Other oft-explored themes are depression, nihilism, misanthropy,[10] death and other dark topics. However, over time, many artists have begun to focus more on topics like the seasons (particularly winter), nature, mythology, folklore, philosophy and fantasy. One of the more notable sources of inspiration is The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien.
For more information about black metal lyrics, see the ideology section below.
Low-cost production quality was typical for early black metal artists with low budgets, where recordings would often take place in the homes or basements of artists.[6] However, even when they were able to raise their production quality, many artists chose to keep making low fidelity (lo-fi) recordings.[8][10] The reason for this was to stay true to the genre's underground roots and to make the music sound more "raw" and "cold".[10] One of the better-known examples of this is the album Transilvanian Hunger by Darkthrone – a band that has been said to "represent the DIY aspect of black metal" by Johnathan Selzer of Terrorizer magazine.[10] Many have claimed that, originally, black metal was not meant to attract a big audience.[10] Vocalist Gaahl said that during its early years, "black metal was never meant to reach an audience, it was purely for our own satisfaction".[7]
Unlike artists of other genres, many black metal artists do not perform concerts. Bands that choose to perform concerts often make use of stage props and theatrics. Mayhem and Gorgoroth among other bands are noted for their controversial shows; which have featured impaled animal heads, mock crucifixions, medieval weaponry, and band members doused in animal blood.[11]
Black metal artists often appear dressed in black with combat boots, bullet belts, spiked wristbands,[10] and inverted crosses/pentagrams to reinforce their anti-Christian or anti-religious stance.[1] However, the most stand-out trait is their use of corpse paint – black and white makeup (sometimes mixed with real or fake blood), which is used to create a corpse-like appearance.
In the early 1990s, most pioneering black metal artists used simple black-and-white pictures or writing on their record covers.[4] This could have been meant as a reaction against death metal bands, who at that time had begun to use brightly-colored album artwork.[4] Most underground black metal artists have continued this style. In the main, black metal album covers are usually atmospheric or provocative; some feature natural or fantasy landscapes (for example Burzum's Filosofem and Emperor's In the Nightside Eclipse) while others are violent, perverted, sacrilegious and iconoclastic (for example Marduk's Fuck Me Jesus and Dimmu Borgir’s In Sorte Diaboli).
The first wave of black metal refers to those bands during the 1980s who influenced the black metal sound and formed a prototype for the genre. They were often speed metal or thrash metal bands.[1][12]
The term black metal was coined by the English band Venom with their second album Black Metal (1982). Although deemed thrash metal rather than black metal by today's standards,[10] the album's lyrics and imagery focused more on anti-Christian and Satanic themes than any before it. Their music was fast, unpolished in production and with raspy or grunted vocals. Venom's members also adopted pseudonyms, a practice that would become widespread among black metal musicians.
Another major influence on black metal was the Swedish band Bathory, led by Thomas Forsberg (under the pseudonym Quorthon). Not only was Bathory's music dark, fast, heavily distorted, lo-fi and with anti-Christian lyrics and imagery, Quorthon was also the first to use the "shrieked" vocals that came to define black metal.[9] The band played in this style on their first four albums: Bathory (1984), The Return of Darkness and Evil (1985), Under the Sign of the Black Mark (1987) and Blood Fire Death (1988). With Blood Fire Death and the two following albums Hammerheart and Twilight of the Gods, Bathory pioneered the style that would become known as Viking metal.
Other artists usually considered part of this movement include Hellhammer and Celtic Frost (from Switzerland), Kreator, Sodom and Destruction (from Germany),[13] Bulldozer and Death SS (from Italy),[14] whose vocalist Steve Sylvester was a member of the Ordo Templi Orientis.[15]
By the time Bathory's Under the Sign of the Black Mark was released, the album was considered a death metal record.[16] In the fifth issue of his Slayer fanzine, Metalion wrote that "the latest fad of Black/Satanic bands seems to be over",[17] the tradition being continued by a few bands like Incubus[17] and Morbid Angel[17] (from the United States), Sabbat (from Great Britain),[17] Tormentor (from Hungary) and Sarcófago (from Brazil).
In the years before the Norwegian black metal scene arose, important recordings were released by Root and Master's Hammer (from Czechoslovakia), Von (from the United States), Blasphemy (from Canada), Rotting Christ (from Greece) and Samael (from Switzerland).
In Northern European countries, bands began to refer to these bands or the older ones from the first wave. In Sweden this included Marduk, Dissection, Nifelheim and Abruptum. In Finland, there emerged a scene that mixed the black metal style with elements of death metal and grindcore; this included Beherit, Archgoat and Impaled Nazarene. Bands such as Demoncy and Profanatica emerged during this time in the United States. During this time, American and Swedish death metal were more popular among extreme metal fans.
The second wave of black metal began in the early 1990s and was spearheaded by the Norwegian black metal scene. During 1990–1994 a number of Norwegian artists began performing and releasing a new kind of black metal music; this included Mayhem, Thorns, Burzum, Darkthrone, Immortal, Satyricon, Enslaved, Emperor, Dimmu Borgir, Gorgoroth, Ulver and Carpathian Forest. They developed the style of their 1980s forebears as a distinct genre that was separate from thrash metal. This was partly thanks to a new kind of guitar playing developed by Snorre "Blackthorn" Ruch of Stigma Diabolicum/Thorns and Øystein "Euronymous" Aarseth of Mayhem.[7] Fenriz of Darkthrone has credited them with this innovation in a number of interviews. He described it as being "derived from Bathory"[18] and noted that "those kinds of riffs became the new order for a lot of bands in the '90s".[19] As seen below, some members of these Norwegian bands would be responsible for a spate of crimes and controversy, including church burnings and murder. Within this scene, an aggressive anti-Christian mindset became a must for any artists to be finalized as "black metal". Ihsahn of Emperor believes that this trend may have developed simply from "an opposition to society, a confrontation to all the normal stuff".[20] Visually, the dark themes of their music was complemented with corpsepaint, which became a way for many black metal artists to distinguish themselves from other metal bands of the era.[10]
Black metal scenes also emerged on the European mainland during the early 1990s, inspired by the Norwegian scene or the older bands. In Poland, a scene was spearheaded by Graveland and Behemoth. In France, a close-knit group of musicians known as Les Légions Noires emerged; this included artists such as Mütiilation, Vlad Tepes, Belketre and Torgeist. Bands such as Black Funeral, Grand Belial's Key and Judas Iscariot emerged during this time in the United States.
By the mid 1990s, the style of the Norwegian scene was being adopted by bands worldwide. Newer black metal bands also began raising their production quality and introducing additional instruments such as synthesizers and even full-symphony orchestras.
During May–June 1991,[21] Euronymous of Mayhem opened an independent record shop named Helvete (Norwegian for 'hell') in Oslo. Musicians from Mayhem, Burzum, Emperor and Thorns often met there, and it became the foremost outlet for black metal records.[22] In its basement, Euronymous founded an independent record label named Deathlike Silence Productions. With the rising popularity of his band and others like it, the underground success of Euronymous's label is often credited for encouraging other record labels, that previously shunned black metal acts, to then reconsider and release their material.
On 8 April 1991, Mayhem vocalist Per Yngve 'Dead' Ohlin committed suicide while alone in a house shared by the band.[23][24] While fellow musicians often described Dead as odd and introverted off-stage, his on-stage persona was very different. He went to great lengths to make himself look like a corpse and would cut his arms while singing.[25][7]
He was found with slit wrists and a shotgun wound to the head, by Mayhem guitarist Øystein 'Euronymous' Aarseth. Dead’s suicide note apologized for firing the weapon indoors and ended: "Excuse all the blood".[24] Before calling the police, Euronymous allegedly went to a nearby shop and bought a disposable camera with which he photographed the body, after re-arranging some items.[26] One of these photographs was later used as the cover of a bootleg live album called Dawn of the Black Hearts.[27]
In time, rumors spread that Euronymous had made a stew with bits of Dead’s brain and had made necklaces with bits of his skull.[10][23] The band later denied the former rumor, but confirmed that the latter was true.[25] Moreover, Euronymous claimed to have given these necklaces to musicians he deemed worthy.[1] Mayhem bassist Jørn 'Necrobutcher' Stubberud noted that “people became more aware of the [black metal] scene after Dead had shot himself ... I think it was Dead's suicide that really changed the scene”.[28]
Two other members of the early Norwegian scene would later commit suicide: Erik 'Grim' Brødreskift (of Immortal, Borknagar, Gorgoroth) in 1999[29][30][31] and Espen 'Storm' Andersen (of Strid) in 2001.[32]
Musicians and fans of the Norwegian black metal scene took part in over 50 arsons of Christian churches in Norway from 1992 to 1996.[22] Some of the buildings were hundreds of years old and seen as important historical landmarks. One of the first and most notable was Norway's Fantoft stave church, which police believed was burnt by Varg Vikernes of the one-man band Burzum.[22] The cover of Burzum's EP Aske (Norwegian for 'ashes') is a photograph of the Fantoft stave church after the arson. In May 1994 he was found guilty for the burnings of Holmenkollen Chapel, Skjold Church and Åsane Church.[18][33] To coincide with the release of Mayhem's De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas, Vikernes and Euronymous had also allegedly plotted to blow up Nidaros Cathedral, which appears on the album cover. Euronymous's murder in August 1993 (see below) put an end to this plan and stalled the album's release.[23] The musicians Samoth,[34] Faust[35] (both of Emperor) and Jørn Inge Tunsberg (of Hades Almighty)[22] were also convicted for church arsons.
Today, opinions on the church burnings differ within the black metal community. Guitarist Infernus and former vocalist Gaahl of the band Gorgoroth have praised the church burnings in interviews, with the latter saying "there should have been more of them, and there will be more of them".[1] However, Necrobutcher and Kjetil Manheim of Mayhem have berated the church burnings, with the latter claiming "It was just people trying to gain acceptance within a strict group [the black metal scene] ... they wanted some sort of approval and status".[23]
On 10 August 1993, Varg Vikernes of Burzum murdered Mayhem guitarist Øystein 'Euronymous' Aarseth. That night, Vikernes and Snorre 'Blackthorn' Ruch (of Thorns) traveled from Bergen to Euronymous's apartment in Oslo. Vikernes fatally stabbed Euronymous. His body was found outside the apartment with 23 cut wounds – two to the head, five to the neck, and 16 to the back.[36]
It has been speculated that the murder was the result of a power struggle, a financial dispute over Burzum records, or an attempt at "out doing" a stabbing in Lillehammer the year before by another black metal musician, Bård 'Faust' Eithun.[37] Vikernes claims that Aarseth had plotted to torture him to death and videotape the event – using a meeting about an unsigned contract as a pretext.[38] On the night of the murder, Vikernes claims he intended to hand Euronymous the signed contract and "tell him to fuck off", but that Euronymous attacked him first.[38] Vikernes also said that most of Euronymous's cut wounds were caused by broken glass he had fallen on during the struggle.[38] This version is doubted by Faust and other members of the scene.[39]
Whatever the circumstances, Vikernes was arrested within days and in May 1994 was sentenced to 21 years in prison (Norway's maximum penalty) for the murder and for four church arsons. Vikernes smiled when his verdict was read and the picture was widely reprinted in the news media.[38] That month saw the release of Mayhem's album De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas, which has Euronymous on electric guitar and Vikernes on bass guitar.[7] Before the release, Euronymous's family had asked Mayhem's drummer, Hellhammer, to remove the bass tracks recorded by Vikernes. Hellhammer said "I thought it was appropriate that the murderer and victim were on the same record. I put word out that I was re-recording the bass parts, but I never did".[7] In 2003, Vikernes failed to return to Tønsberg prison after being given a short leave. He was re-arrested shortly after while driving a stolen car with various weapons.[40] Vikernes was released on parole in 2009.[41][42]
There was said to have been a strong rivalry between Norwegian black metal and Swedish death metal scenes. Fenriz and Tchort have noted that Norwegian black metal musicians had become "fed up with the whole death metal scene"[4] and that "death metal was very uncool in Oslo" at the time.[23] A number of times, Euronymous sent death threats to some of the more mainstream death metal groups in Europe.[23] Allegedly, a group of Norwegian black metal fans even plotted to kidnap and murder certain Swedish death metal musicians.[23]
There was a brief feud between Norwegian and Finnish scenes during 1992 and 1993.[43] The feud was partly motivated by seemingly harmless pranks; for example Nuclear Holocausto of the Finnish band Beherit made prank calls in the middle of the night to Samoth of Emperor (in Norway) and Mika Luttinen of Impaled Nazarene (in Finland). The calls consisted of senseless babbling and playing of children's songs,[43] although Luttinen believed them to be death threats from Norwegian bands.[43]
Notably, the album cover of Impaled Nazarene's Tol Cormpt Norz Norz Norz has "No orders from Norway accepted" and “Kuolema Norjan kusipäille!” (‘Death to the arseholes of Norway!’) printed on the back. The Finnish band Black Crucifixion criticized Darkthrone as "trendies" due to Darkthrone originally being a death metal band.[44]
The first wave bands had a Satanic image, most of them not being ideologically connected to Satanism[54]; with the second wave, Satanism as an ideology defined black metal[55][56]. Bands associating themselves with black metal are generally opposed to Christianity.[1] Arguably, this is the only coherent sentiment among those defining their music as black metal. Artists who oppose Christianity tend to promote atheism, antitheism, paganism, or Satanism.[1]
In a Norwegian documentary, Fenriz stated that "black metal is individualism above all",[57] and artists tend to be supportive of individualism,[1] although followers of Euronymous tended towards support of anti-individualism.[55] According to Benjamin Hedge Olson's master thesis, "Black Metal is characterized by a conflict between radical individualism and group identity and by an attempt to accept both polarities simultaneously".[58] Occasionally, artists write lyrics that appear to be nihilistic and misanthropic,[10] although it is debatable whether this represents their mentality. In some cases, black metal artists have also espoused romantic nationalism, although the majority of those involved are not outspoken with regard to this. Nonetheless, many black metal artists seek to reflect their surroundings within their music. The documentarist Sam Dunn noted of the Norwegian scene that "unlike any other heavy metal scene, the culture and the place is incorporated into the music and imagery".[1] An article in the Chronicles of Chaos zine noted that "An overriding feature of almost all black metal is the fascination with the past".[59] Regarding this, Aaron Weaver from Wolves in the Throne Room said in an interview: "I think that black metal is an artistic movement that is critiquing modernity on a fundamental level saying that the modern world view is missing something".[60]
Regarding the sound of black metal, there are two conflicting groups within the genre: "those that stay true to the genre's roots, and those that introduce progressive elements".[10] The former believe that the music should always be minimalist – performed only with the standard guitar-bass-drums setup and recorded in a low fidelity style. One supporter of this train of thought is Blake Judd of Nachtmystium, who has rejected labeling his band black metal for its departure from the genre's typical sound.[61] Snorre Ruch of Thorns, on the other hand, has stated that modern black metal is "too narrow" and believes that this was "not the idea at the beginning".[62] Eric Horner of the Montana, USA band, Throne of Malediction states that "I personally think black/extreme metal takes something that can be called 'fashion' and makes it true 'art'. Though many bands base it on Satanic belief, I disagree that it is the only way to be 'black metal'. Black metal to me is pure emotion and individuality with a real vibe to it. It is a genre where beautiful piano compositions can sit next to screeching banshee vocals and raw guitars. It has no limits, as far as I'm concerned".[63]
Some prominent musicians within the scene maintain that black metal does not need to represent any particular ideology. For example, Jan Axel Blomberg said in an interview with Metal Library that "In my opinion, black metal today is just music".[64] Likewise, Sigurd Wongraven stated in the Murder Music documentary that black metal "doesn't necessarily have to be all Satanic, as long as it's dark".[10] An article in Metalion's Slayer fanzine attacked musicians that "care more about their guitars than the actual essence onto which the whole concept was and is based upon", and claimed that "the music itself doesn't come as the first priority".[65]
Black metal was originally used as a term for extreme metal bands with satanic lyrics, although most of the "first wave" bands only used satanism for shock value; one of the few exceptions was Mercyful Fate singer and Church of Satan member King Diamond, whom Michael Moynihan calls "one of the only performers of the '80s Satanic Metal who was more than just a poseur using a devilish image for shock value".[54]
Mayhem guitarist Euronymous was central in establishing an ideology for the Norwegian black metal scene.[55] He and his followers rejected Anton LaVey and the Church of Satan, instead promoting a "hard-line, misanthropic devil worship".[56] Benjamin Hedge Olson wrote that they "transform[ed] Venom's quasi-Satanic stage theatrics into a form of cultural expression unique from other forms of metal or Satanism" and "abandoned the mundane identities and ambitions of other forms of metal in favor of religious and ideological fanaticism".[55] Bands who were not Theistic Satanists were not deemed "black metal" by Euronymous and other important members of the Norwegian scene, like Faust of Emperor.[13][14] At the time, bands with a 'Norwegianesque' style, but without Satanic lyrics, tended to use other terms for their music.[49][66][67] Today there are still prominent musicians – such as Infernus,[68] Arioch[69] and Erik Danielsson[70] – who insist that Satanism should be foremost. Some bands have moved from Satanism to Paganism; as black metal traditionally is defined by Satanism, "for many 'purist' black metallers, this latter move disqualifies a band as 'black', placing it instead beneath a variety of other modifiers: pagan, Viking, troll, forest, and the like".[71]
Unblack metal, or Christian black metal, is a term used to describe music that sounds musically similar to black metal but where the artists, lyrics and imagery promote Christianity.[72] The Australian band Horde's debut album Hellig Usvart, released through Nuclear Blast Records, is often credited as being the first Christian black metal album, although the sole member, known as Anonymous, has stated that "there were similar [unblack] bands prior to Horde, even in Norway", referring to such bands as Antestor, who formed in 1990, although prior to 1993 they were a death/doom band bearing a different name, Crush Evil. Hellig Usvart caused great controversy in the black metal scene, and death threats were sent to Nuclear Blast Records headquarters demanding them to release the members' names. The name of Anonymous was later revealed as Jayson Sherlock, a drummer for the bands Mortification and Paramaecium.
Many in the black metal scene see "Christian black metal" as an oxymoron.[73] On the British black metal documentary Murder Music: A History of Black Metal (2007), all interviewed musicians stated, when asked about the matter, that black metal cannot be Christian.[10] The term "Christian black metal" drew confused replies from black metal musicians, for example Martin Walkyier of the English metal band Sabbat commented: "'Christian black metal?' What do they do? Do they build churches? Do they repair them? (laughs)"[10] Early groups such as Horde and Antestor refused to call their music "black metal" because they felt that the style was strongly associated with Satanism. Horde called its music "holy unblack metal", and Antestor preferred to call their music "sorrow metal" instead.[74] However, many current unblack metal bands, such as Crimson Moonlight, feel that black metal has now changed from an ideological movement to a purely musical genre, and that is why they also call their own music black metal.[73]
When asked if he was bothered by the fact that the first black metal bands were against Christianity, Jeff Arwadi of Indonesian black metal group Kekal replied "I think you're wrong if first black metal bands were highly against Christianity. […] I dig the very first black metal bands a lot.. those 80's bands like Venom, Bathory, Hellhammer/Celtic Frost, early Sodom, etc. […] By my knowledge, none of those bands were against Christianity. They only had those kind of 'satanic' image which is more like some high-school Halloween movies or parent-shocker rather than Satanism as a philosophy or ideology".[75] Earlier in the interview he even went as far as to say that "Even bands like Celtic Frost were once considered 'white-metal' from some 'true' black metal fans because the band thanked God on album thanks list, and one member wearing a cross necklace instead of inverted cross. It's a totally relative issue, depending on how 'extreme' you would go, right?"[75] Whereas Arwadi claimed that to his knowledge, "none of those bands were against Christianity",[75] Bathory founder Quorthon rejected Christianity in numerous interviews.[76][77]
National Socialist black metal (NSBM) is a term used for black metal artists who promote National Socialist (Nazi) beliefs through their music and imagery. NSBM is not regarded as a distinct subgenre, as there is no way to play black metal in a National Socialist way. Some black metal bands have made references to Nazi Germany for shock value, causing them to be wrongly labeled as NSBM. Due to his writings[78] and outspoken far-right views, Varg Vikernes is regarded as the main inspiration for such views within the scene[79][80] and therefore the NSBM movement.[81] Vikernes, however, has tried to distance himself from Nazism and the NSBM scene, preferring to refer to himself as an "odalist" instead of a "socialistic", "materialistic" Nazi.[78]
NSBM artists are a small minority within black metal, according to Mattias Gardel[82] and Benjamin Hedge Olson.[83] They have been criticized by some prominent and influential black metal musicians – including Jon Nödtveidt,[84] Tormentor,[85] King ov Hell,[2] Infernus,[3] Lord Ahriman,[4] Emperor Magus Caligula,[4][5] Richard Lederer,[86] Michael W. Ford,[87] and the members of Arkhon Infaustus.[4] They categorize Nazism alongside Christianity as authoritarian, collectivist, and a "herd mentality".[84][85]
Documentaries on black metal:
References in media:
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