Black Metal!

Summoning - Old Mornings Dawn caught my eye more than anything else on the best of 2013 metal thread. Just listening to it now (I've really neglected metal this year) and I'm really loving it.

This thread was revived on the same day of some interesting news. All is not well in Blashyrkh, it seems.

http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/immortal-members-involved-in-legal-battle-over-rights-to-band-name/

I hope this legal stuff doesn't hurt the band too much.

Didn't realise Old Mornings Dawn was a Tolkien thing until I was reading about it last night. It's got so much of the beauty and sense of ancient history that the recent movies don't have.

Summoning are entirely Tolkien-themed, aren't they? A lot of their albums are named in tribute to evil fortresses.

I need to listen to more Summoning.

It appears most of their music is Tolkien based but it's less obvious now.
That normally would have put me off because I'm generally not a fan of artists extensively using someone else's mythology. But the music is so good.

Well loads of respectable bands have been extensively using Nordic mythology for years, not to mention (the antagonists in) Judeo-Christian mythology.

case in point: Isengard

Yeah I suppose. But those mythologies are pretty enormous and so much to pick from. I suppose Tolkien created a huge world to explore but when you go for HP Lovecraft, the same old names of monsters and places keep coming up.

Siegbran, can I request you (and any other metal experts) contribute to this thread..
Most EPIC GRANDEUR music of all time!
what are the most dazzlingly epic metal albums? Preferably symphonic.

Tolkienian grandeur and melancholy is a fine thing to try to capture in black metal form, imo. I wouldn't say the same for all fantasy novels.

How about Robert Jordan? Epic twenty minute tracks about women smoothing their skirts.

Still loving Summoning - Old Mornings Dawn. So wonderful.

Is anyone able to verify how accurate the translation of "Over Fjell Og Gjennom Torner" (specifically the last two lines) here is?: http://darkthrone-translations.blogspot.ca/

At least two other sources give roughly similar translations (e.g. http://lyricstranslate.com/en/over-fjell-og-gjennom-torner-over-mountain-and-through-thorns.html). I honestly thought Darkthrone were relatively innocuous.

jesus

it's probably accurate though. that's an early album; white suprematist bullshit was in the air among norwegian black metal dudes at that time.

it's so unfortunate because the music that came out of that scene is very powerful. i don't think you can divorce it from the racism though, as the cthontic power of the icy forest vibes was intimately linked, for them, to this nordic pagan stuff. hunter hunt hendrix has the right idea: instead of ignoring it all and pretending you can isolate the sound of black metal from the *energy* you need to transform the sound into something else, preferably its antithesis.

maybe that is new agey for ilx. i do kind of think the aesthetic of those early norwegian bands is corrupt, in a sense, and should only be appreciated "at a distance"

i don't think you can divorce it from the racism though, as the cthontic power of the icy forest vibes was intimately linked, for them, to this nordic pagan stuff.

Huh?

hunter hunt hendrix has the right idea: instead of ignoring it all and pretending you can isolate the sound of black metal from the *energy* you need to transform the sound into something else, preferably its antithesis.

Huh?

Varg Vikernes wrote the lyrics to four of the tracks on Transilvanian Hunger, but quite perplexingly, the lyrics to Over Fjell Og Gjennom Torner were penned by Fenriz. i guess the two of them had a common vision & ideology at that point in time, which is a shame. Transilvanian Hunger was also, incidentally, the album that originally came with the notorious disclaimer "Norsk Arisk Black Metal" ("Norwegian Aryan Black Metal")

by all accounts, the band has grown up a lot since then.

Hunter Hunt Hendrix tends to overthink the black metal psyche in my opinion. my favourite black metal is generally primal, intuitive, and relatively unmeditated.

From the Wiki page for Transilvanian Hunger (specifically regarding the Norsk Arisk Black Mt

More recently, Fenriz disowned these past statements, describing them as "disgusting." He admitted regret and noted that at the time, he was going through a phase of being "angry at several races."

Uh Arisk Black Metal thing, that should read. But probably relevant in discussion of that album.

i don't think you can divorce it from the racism though, as the cthontic power of the icy forest vibes was intimately linked, for them, to this nordic pagan stuff.

― Jawn DWYCK (GOTT PUNCH II HAWKWINDZ), Wednesday, March 4, 2015 7:08 PM (5 minutes ago)

makes sense to me. for many (most) of the 2nd wave norwegian black metal bands, the musical aesthetics were deeply rooted in a vision of oppressed heathen/pagan identity that was, in turn, far too often linked with racist nationalism. that conceptual chain, linking music and imagery to identity and politics, is still very much alive in european black metal.

The word 'blåmenn' is not at all translated correctly in the first link, the second has an explanation of the word. The gist of it is correct, though, and it's stille disgusting.

Same album featuring the "if you don't like it, you're exhibiting obviously Jewish behavior" or something along those lines. And I have also heard Fenriz's later explanations. As 2nd wave BM goes, Darkthrone *are* largely "innocuous", but who the hell knows? I don't live w those guys, no idea what their political/social beliefs are. What I do know is a) that Fenriz in particular was/is kind of a scenester, and obv knew how to drum up attention to his non-touring band, and b) he's distanced himself from pretty much every aspect from his sound of the 90s (including pagan and nationalist themes in Darkthrone and Isengard)

What's wrong with paganism?

Marty: "You play to predominantly, uh, a predominantly white audience. Do you feel your music is racist in any way?"
David: "No, no."
Nigel: "No, not at all."
David: "No. We pro-- We say, we say love your brother. We don't say it, really. But..."
Nigel: "We don't literally say it."
David: "No, we don't say it."
Nigel: "We don't really literally mean it."
David: "No, we don't believe it either."
Nigel: "But, we're not racists."
David: "But, that message should be clear, anyway."
Nigel: "We're anything but racists."

Fenriz used to DJ deep house stuff. Just to add a slight wrinkle into this.

I knew about the 'Jewish behaviour' line (that was never actually printed) and the 'Norsk Arisk Black Metal' line on the back cover but I thought that this was different in that: i) it is a song lyric, i.e. part of the actual music on the recording ii) "the Norse race must slaughter the others/When the ... knock on our doors" seems like a more serious and intense statement than "if any man criticizes this record, he should be patronized for his obviously Jewish behaviour".

I tried getting into black metal a couple years ago. Bought a ton of albums. My favorite was Absu, because those fuckin' drums you know? Then I came across this interview with Proscriptor.

At the present moment, we are currently looking to completely reform the Cythraul Klan of ABSU by recruiting a lead guitarist/vocalist & bassist/vocalist (vice-versa). There are only three regulations to be a prospect to join:

a.) Scotch, Irish, or Germanic descent to bloodline
b.) Grasps a magic(k)al mind
c.) Thinks they can play faster, sufficiently better than King or Hanneman.

If you hold these three characteristics or know somebody who does, send performing abilities on cassette or CDR to the following address:

http://www.mourningtheancient.com/absu.htm

I just threw my hands in the air. I give up with this shit.

ahhh, Absu. The best death metal band in Denton is actually from Dallas. My friend played keys with them for a few months.

a.) Scotch, Irish, or Germanic descent to bloodline

Holy shit. Kind of always thought Protractor was a smarter guy than that.

That is pretty bizarre

Prolapser

delightful Morbsian krieg

Yeah, well I went around scouring other interviews for like confirmation. Any other racial shit. "Was he just being sarcastic or something?" Couldn't find anything else in that vein. But it had tainted the band for me.

The Obsequiae album may be my favourite metal record of the year right now. They've got a wonderful ear for melody and I love the clarity of the mix and the guitar tones. The harp passages are beautiful too. I didn't think I was in a mood for black metal, but there's something about how this comes together that I really like.

What Summoning to get after Old Mornings Dawn?

all of them, but particularly let mortal heroes sing your fame and the ep nightshade forests

Oh I definitely wanted all of them.

Yeah all of them except the first. Oath Bound is probably the best overall, and it has Land of the Dead.

Thanks guys.

Can anyone recommend some recent bm in the vein of early LLN, Dead Reptile Shrine, Urfaust? I'm talking blurry riffs, flat, paper cup drums, shrieky shallow grave vocals. I'm up on new notable bm like Myrkur, Mastery, Mgla, Misþyrming etc. and it's good but not what I'm looking for. Kuunpalvelus and Ancient Records bands are great but not there either. Thanks!

You might have to go back to the 90s for the early LLN sound, I don't know if you can get recordings that technically "bad" these days.

What do you think of this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3lovxk5_ZQ

Yes! Warloghe I know and love. Is anyone doing this now? Finland always kills. True Werwolf, Ride for Revenge, Cosmic Church, Keres. Thanks for the response. I'll keep digging and post any new discoveries here.

It's been a good year for Finnish black metal:

Sacrificium Carmen

Sielunvihollinen <-- kills, esp if you were dissatisfied with the new Horna

Ruho

Aegrus

None of this has anything to do with the LLN sound but I felt like linkbombing anyway.

Is anyone doing this now?

Man, I don't know, but I hope so. I have to admit the only black metal I've heard lately all seems to be, uh, maturing into an epic, cosmic thing with "proper" production. Which is fine but I do miss that feral chaotic vibe and Tascam 4-track sound.

Hey 'loaf have you heard Veles from Poland? Bad politics alert (and Rob Darken keyboard alert) but they definitely have a chaotic maniac vibe on "Black Hateful Metal." It's super jarring when one of the keyboard intros ends and suddenly this poorly recorded basement metal screams in.

Veles hits the spot. So good! Thanks again. I love Graveland but haven't checked in with Darken since. No problem with the heinous politics either. I'm certainly not the sort of dude these knuckleheads would want as a fan. Fuck em. Their shitty, sniveling hate makes for great music.
Sweet links above to the Finnish jams. Ruho I know but the others are new to me. I get a Negative Approach feel from Sielunvihollinen hahaha. All great. Keep it coming. I'm off to listen to Moonblood.

try these

Slægt

Prurient's Dominick Fernow's bm project Ash Pool

Bone Awl

Polish dudes more than a bit inspired by old Graveland, Veles and Infernum.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FrrujoT8Rg

Dude from Horna playing it hateful, slow and evil
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_elflBQmDdw