Hey Wrath, I may be way behind here but is it true that Hellwind Inferion is doing the vocals in the new incarnation of EC? I love his work with Desolate Shrine.
As do I. I love the upcoming new
DS material, and his work with Sacrilegious Impalement. He's a long-time friend of mine, and I think it's better that someone I know and honour continues it, when I no longer wanted to do so.
Whoa dude, no need to get all defensive and definitely no need to pull out the "I'm more hardcore than you" card!
I am a fan of black metal and have been since around 1993. I remember when all of the church burnings and murders were happening in the Norwegian scene and kept myself up-to-date via underground zines and mainstream metal magazines. Do I need to pull out my Impaled Nazarene Sadogoat 7", my Emperor/Enslaved split album or heaps of other demo tapes and other things that I am sure I have lying around to prove my "trueness"?
We are just having a friendly debate about black metal and you actually confirmed what we were all talking about with a couple of statements.
I may have been a bit too aggressive when I posted that, as I was drunk at the time, but it still doesn't change how I, and many of us old timers, feel about the subject. And I suspect it's a different viewpoint, no matter the years, if you've been looking at it all from the outside, but I can't really comment on that as I view things from a different perspective. By saying so, I don't mean my perspective is necessarily better, but it's perhaps more insightful?
Yes, the very idea that a band that denies christian religion would actually subscribe to the christian ideological concept of Satan is ludicrous.
Black metal as an ideology is more linked to nihilism than it is to Satanism. The Satanic imagery and lyrics are often used as a way of perverting the christian ideals and ethos. BUT, Satan is still a christian concept and if you think of it that way, then by the very essence of being a satanist, you are giving power and authority to christianity. It's a paradox and I think plenty of black metal bands actually cottoned on to that fact a long time ago. Hence the shift towards nihilism and viking mythology as a thematic concept for many black metal bands.
You DO NOT need to be a satanist or sing about satanic themes to be a black metal band. Being anti-religion is a legitimate theme, being nihilistic is a legitimate theme. Black metal is not only about the lyrics, it is a concept that combines dark music, atmospheres, lyrical themes and imagery into one diverse genre of metal that has grown to encompass bands from all over the world...even from places that don't have any affiliation or subscription to christian ideas of god and satan.
I don't know how this discussion turned heated, but I hope that everyone can take a step back and keep this thread civil. I certainly hope that what I have contributed has not been taken as rude or aggressive. If it has then I apologise, I didn't mean to offend, just wanted to give my thoughts about a genre that I think often straddles the line between parody and serious musical and lyrical content.
What we call Satan essentially derives from several different cultures, of which many predate christianity. Before chistianity came to Finland, there was Tuoni, which is one of the many entities around the world that are synonymous with Satan. Every mythology had their own "Satan", that predated christianity. Which is to say, those entities had nothing to do with christianity, whereas the so called religious black metal bands seem to derive purely from that particular doctrine.
I agree, that there're certain nihilistic tendencies within the idea, and the individuals, but there's also something more than just believing in nothing. Yet, I personally find odd the ideas of "bettering the world" within the genre, not to mention the national socialist aspects.
You're right, that many bands started, and continue to do so, as purely driven by blasphemy, without any deeper ideology behind. But some of those bands, that defined the genre, lived up to its ideals, and I'm not talking about the criminal activities, but living according to their principles; "practise what you preach". Which is why, I personally think you have to be one to become one; you can't just play black metal and be it.
That all being said, perhaps we should just agree to disagree. and drop the subject.