Black Metal!

Darkthone is pretty safe iirc fwiw

Well there is all that controversy about Darkthrone using the word 'Aryan' on the back of one of their earliest albums -- but Nachtmystium putting out a record on a white power label (no matter how much they deny Nazi affiliations/sympathies today) seems much more suspect to me.

Varg has a load of lyrical credits on Transilvanian Hunger (plus that whole Aryan Black Metal thing) which makes Darkthrone a bit dodgy.

Trouble is they totally rule.

And I mean suspect insofar as that being on a white power label is somehow excusable if your band is 'apolitical' or whatever -- it's a philosophical issue, yes, but it's also one of intellectual dishonesty.

if you're that worried about dodgy politics it's probably best to avoid black metal altogether

all the classic stuff's better but i suppose there's the whole depressive american misanthropic bm scene - leviathan, xasthur et al., who if racist really don't make a point about (far as i know). there's also velvet cacoon who i'm pretty sure don't have anything to do w/ racist ideology, tho their albums are a little boring sometimes.

what about the french scene? blut aus nord? spektr are pretty amazing. deathspell omega?

ha, or the aussie scene? striborg just hates everybody

oh yea, and here's another thread on the subject: Could someone please recommend me some black metal that is non-racist, non-sexist, and that doesn't go too far past the line of good taste?

i wouldn't really worry about it if you just started listening; the bands you're going to encounter aren't going to be very controversial w/r/t this stuff. most of the big american bm bands are "safe" as far as i know, mayhem (at least the current incarnation) is, seems like from what i know gaahl's gorgoroth probably is too.

if bands that may have said something "controversial" once 15 years ago are going to bother you, then yeah stay away. but if you're cool chalking that up to being a dumbass and not an actual ideology then you're a lot better off imo

what about the french scene? blut aus nord? spektr are pretty amazing. deathspell omega?

― mark cl, vrijdag 10 april 2009 0:38 (7 hours ago) Bookmark

I'm almost positive you can't go wrong with DsO in this matter, racism is something that band doesn't deal with at all. I personally find DsO one of the most interesting bm bands seen from an intellectual point of view. They take elements out of all religions and blend it into something else. Well maybe it's not something else, but it sounds/reads like nothing I've seen before. I'd recommend this interview. It's a very interesting, almost elegant, conversation in my opinion. DsO refuses any simplicity or being categorised into something they're not.

i used to dig a band called bloodthorn from france. mind you that was about 10 years ago.

shit, bloodthorn are norwegian. i sure got that wrong.

antaeus is some interesting french black metal, i found

we should try and compile a list of some of the greatest black metal tracks. listening to certain black metal albums in their entirety tend to leave me a bit drained these days, whereas standout individual tracks can still blow me away/take me to that other place etc.

some winners:

satytricon - mother north
emperor - with strength i burn
burzum - det som en gang var
borknagar - the dawn of the end
enslaved - vetranott
summoning - the glory disappears

Start with Weakling and Wolves In The Throne Room. That's safe stuff and also many non-bm peoples bands its ok to like.

Deathspell Omega are required listening for anyone with an interest in heavy music

also Darkspace (crazy and pretty good if long-winded Swiss sci-fi BM group) have no sort of agenda beyond "shit the universe is terrifying"

also Xasthur is some sort of genius, plz lay hold

When you're ok with all that, listen to every Ulver album, in chronological order, in one sitting :D

Also check out the Alcest EP Le Secret. (the album is shoegaze metal but the ep is BM)

That's an awesome interview with DsO btw! And take it from me: they're not just intellectual gnostics, they're *insanely good* musicians who have a wonderful approach to composition.

maybe this will be the year i'll get into black metal. quite like what xasthur ive heard. like a big dirty whirlwind of sound. its like heroin metal. but i really like the punky end of things like Vordr and Bone Awl. any suggestions?

Can't help you out on punk influenced BM, though Darkthrone might be a good start.

If you're liking Xasthur, you should D/L the early Mutiilation albums, a definite influence and raw as hell.

I think Ildjarn invented that Vordr/Bone Awl style

theres a hell of a lot of this stuff on youtube. Ildjarn seem to be like raw bone awl type stuff to the track below which is like super sleek wind tunnel metal.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVa9H763T60

Dude looks like Billy Corgan!

The negative reviews on metal-archives are hilarious, and the sheer size of his discography is intimidating, but Zarach Baal Tharagh is as punk as fuck, and his myspace is as good as any place to start:

http://www.myspace.com/zarachbaaltharagh

Ooh, good revive. I've never heard Vordr or Ildjarn before. Stuff is pretty badass.

All my black-metal buddies are freaking out about Marblebog from Hungary right now. And I can't say I blame them.

myspace.com/marblebog

Sorry for not making that a live link but I know you can make it work.

Thanks for the recommendations - gonna check out Zarach Baal Tharagh & Marblebog now!

btw you guys would probably like Ganzmord - Monolithic In Darkness

Ganzmord have a 7" release on the AT WAR WITH FALSE NOISE label, out of Glasgow, who also have an album by Zarach Baal Tharagh and many others.

ganzmord got really mad at me once. what a twit. i dared to give him a great review! still like his stuff though.

he also got mad that the people who put out his record - blackmetal.com - would dare to try and SELL his record. You know, promote it. dude, your label is a STORE! hahaha, i got a kick out of that.

he hates Decibel too.

i would hate decibel too if i were him. i'd hate everything. i mean, duh, that's the point.

:D

http://www.myspace.com/liturgynybm

Liturgy score major BM points for namechecking Gerard Grisey, surely the most Tr0o and kVlt figure in the world modern composition: Compose a complex suite about death involving ancient Babylonian texts, then drop dead unexpectedly - beat that!

Listening to those Liturgy on the myspace site again last night. Damn good stuff, really should acquire the CD. Thanks for the tip, Whiney.

Liturgy is great. 20 Buck Spin is putting out the new album this year. Great guys. Great tunes. Definitely pushes some boundaries that need to be pushed.

I would like to talk about Darkspace III.

I am listening to it for the first time right now and it is monumental. Surely one of the best metal albums of recent years.

I revived a stupid thurston bore thread to talk abt it, but I've been really liking the 2nd Malkuth LP! NY black metal that is very good imo.

cheers for the heads-up, will check out

Totally agree about Darkspace III. I is almost on the same level, II is more ambient, but still essential. They play occasional festival dates, and I'd love to see them live. Stage shots show them backlit and rigged out something like the cenobites from Hellraiser. I'm sure the sound is like falling into a black hole.

Check out mainman Tobias Mockl's long standing solo project Paysage D'Hiver - similar epic feel, but super raw and experimental. Genius!

Wow.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=er3lNIawdEE

(HD sounds better, btw. Click the video & click HD when you get there)

AWESOME! They make me think of Phillipe Druillet's acid-head space opera comics from Metal Hurlant. Hadn't clicked that the bass player is a woman. (Well, a female alien, anyway.)

Here's a long, cold blast of Paysage D'Hiver:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1W8h3mLvNo

loving the darkspace video - they should look ridiculous but instead are totally compelling!

The video sound is OK, but doesn't do the records justice - they're IMMENSE!

^ OTM

Identifies as a woman now.

Legitimately did not know that, sorry.

Thread needs this
https://www.instagram.com/p/Ba7Xh2zHQUt/

Listening to Defuntos, a 2-piece bass&vocals/drums band from Portugal and you know what, I'm not mad at it. Don't think I've ever heard a bm band sing in Portuguese before and it works pretty well.