Dissecting Black Metal: Prologue

One of many musical genres that I enjoy is Black Metal. There's something inherently fascinating about such an extreme type of music and its most dedicated followers and practitioners. It's a genre that pushes the boundaries of music, while still remaining less abstract and artsy than the noise music movement or other forms of extremist exeperimental electronica - If you've ever wondered how far music can be pushed while still being music, the answer may very well be found in Black Metal. But at the same time it's a tremendously conservative genre with constant internal battles over what's "true" [to roots/ideals], and what constitutes "real" Black Metal. All this springs from the fact that Black Metallers are usually extremely idealistic, both aesthetically and ideologically.

Black Metal is satanic music, in the sense that it lyrically deals with topics often centered around satanism and the ideological consequences of adhering to such theological beliefs. This is one of the most interesting parts about the genre, since this focal point gives it the incentive and drive to explore mankinds darkest emotions through music, while at the same time, it's creating huge intellectual obstacles. The more deviant and extreme an ideology or religion is, the harder it is to keep its logic from leaking. And Black Metal, in the sense that it can be viewed as an ideology, is arguably one of the most extreme there is.

So while I follow certain Black Metal bands, buy records and truly embrace the music, I am also put off by the stupidity and immaturity in the scene. I intend to write several pieces on Black Metal over the coming days or weeks, tackling it from different angles as I go along. It will be very scrutinizing, unapologetic and harsh - just like the music itself.