Lords of Chaos / Black Metal Discussion
onetet
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I know this has been done here before, but a search didn't come up w/ anything, so heartfelt apologies.So I just (10 years later) got around to reading the Lords of Chaos book about Norwegian death metal. 
I found the book fascinating, especially the notion that the whole scene essentially evolved from a cultural misunderstanding of bored teenagers -- i.e. Norwegian youths seeing Venom as actually "evil" due to their (now-tame) Satanic imagery and wanting to outdo Venom in that respect, even though in reality Venom was just another rock and roll band that just wanted to party, drink, and get laid. But from these beginnings a sometimes deadly grim scene that more earnestly chased "evil" evolved.I read the book seeing a lot of parallels to the development of other scenes, particularly the DC/Dischord scene and how a few key personalities egging each other on can really bring out the best and worst peaks of people -- and in the process create a scene worthy of international attention. Along the same lines, I found myself thinking of the notion of "straight edge," and how a strange hardline moral movement evolved from one song tossed off by a teenager in the early 80s who has since renounced the whole scene, not to mention some of the lyrics in the song (Ian MacKaye does, after all, drink now -- and, presumably, fuck). I've dabbled in some black metal listening, with the Ukranian bank Drudkh impressing me the most musically. Which black metal bands do you appreciate the most for their music (as opposed to for their evil deeds)?Also, for people who've read the book... apparently one of the two authors is himself a very extreme right-winger. My friend, who's more knowledgeable about metal, says this: "Michael Moynihan has a noise/industrial project called Blood Axis.It is not so great and definitely gives off a neo-nazi vibe. If I am correct, I think he sort of runs in the same sort of circles that boyd rice (NON) runs in and there is definitely a underlying Neo-nazi vibe."Hearing things along these lines, I was bracing myself for some racist/fascist elements to the book. Instead, I was impressed by how much all sides got to have their say. Thoughts?
I found the book fascinating, especially the notion that the whole scene essentially evolved from a cultural misunderstanding of bored teenagers -- i.e. Norwegian youths seeing Venom as actually "evil" due to their (now-tame) Satanic imagery and wanting to outdo Venom in that respect, even though in reality Venom was just another rock and roll band that just wanted to party, drink, and get laid. But from these beginnings a sometimes deadly grim scene that more earnestly chased "evil" evolved.I read the book seeing a lot of parallels to the development of other scenes, particularly the DC/Dischord scene and how a few key personalities egging each other on can really bring out the best and worst peaks of people -- and in the process create a scene worthy of international attention. Along the same lines, I found myself thinking of the notion of "straight edge," and how a strange hardline moral movement evolved from one song tossed off by a teenager in the early 80s who has since renounced the whole scene, not to mention some of the lyrics in the song (Ian MacKaye does, after all, drink now -- and, presumably, fuck). I've dabbled in some black metal listening, with the Ukranian bank Drudkh impressing me the most musically. Which black metal bands do you appreciate the most for their music (as opposed to for their evil deeds)?Also, for people who've read the book... apparently one of the two authors is himself a very extreme right-winger. My friend, who's more knowledgeable about metal, says this: "Michael Moynihan has a noise/industrial project called Blood Axis.It is not so great and definitely gives off a neo-nazi vibe. If I am correct, I think he sort of runs in the same sort of circles that boyd rice (NON) runs in and there is definitely a underlying Neo-nazi vibe."Hearing things along these lines, I was bracing myself for some racist/fascist elements to the book. Instead, I was impressed by how much all sides got to have their say. Thoughts?
Comments
I like me some Black Metal, and Scandinavia gots the best: Darkthrone, Immortal, Emperor...
When you listen to these groups, are you taking them seriously, listening ironically, or some mixture of the two?
I think with extreme genres I prefer to hear artists and sounds that actually unnerve me... and with black metal it can be a fine line.
I like it strictly on musical levels, I like metal and these groups make some damn fine metal music,...the ideas behind a bunch of it are a bunch of silly shit...
Also, Ian Mackaye is still a non-smoker/drinker/drug user. Don't know where you have heard otherwise.
The way the racist statements were presented struck me as much the same way as they would be in a book with a progressive/liberal perspective: the comments' own stupidity generally spoke for itself, with occassional tags like "hate-filled comment" and so on to remind the reader that the author supposedly doesn't share the speaker's views. They book does present Christian viewpoints and quotes officials associated with burned churches as well as victims, although it's not clear to me which interviews were conducted for the book and which were just quoted from newspapers.
I heard otherwise from Ian MacKaye. He drinks, or at least did at one point. Still no smoking or drug use as far as I know, however.
and have been meaning to read this. I'll have to cop now
Anyway this book is a fun read although it's got a bit of the sensationalist, written-by-an-outsider kinda vibe to it.
If anyone wants to talk about black metal I'm definitely down, anyone got a spare of Funeral Mist- Salvation?
My metalhead friend was suggesting the author was actually a black-metal insider. Not true? I know that Varg and a few others have claimed they were misrepresented in the book, but a)some of the material is unflattering, to say the least, and b)feuding between black metal personalities wouldn't be, shall we say, unprecedented.
I really like the chilly sounds of Drudkh (Ukraine). Opeth and Agalloch have also interested me, and while I know none of these groups are seminal black metal per se, so far none of the OG Norwegian bands have fully caught my ears. I agree the Ulver guys sounded intriguing and I want to explore their music more.
I've seen him drinking after a show in Florence, Italy. Unless he puts apple juice in beer bottles. That was like '99.
I did some artwork for a big metal zine there at the time, was given a copy of Mayhem's first LP when it came out (now a top grip item), etc.
I wouldn't go so far as to call Moynihan, Rice, Parfrey, etc. ouright racists. Social Darwinist leanings maybe.
The imagery is comical though. These kids will either end up having to knock it on the head when they move out of their mom's place, and get a job, or eat each other's flesh on the internet.
Vive la difference though.
The last Wolves In The Throne Room - Diadium of the 12 Stars was INCREDIBLE... very wide swatch of influences / sounds from evil pastoral medieval pagan shit to washed out shoegazer drone bliss.. and loads of scary bits too.
check out Striborg... Velvet Cacoon (great back story), Monarch! etc etc...
The book definitely gave one a sense of the banality of Oystein, although to be fair much of that perspective came from other black metallers criticizing him, particularly Varg. But it was discussed that his parents paid the rent on his record store, that he was a closet Kraftwerk fan, that once you got to know him better he was basically a record geek/D+D dude, etc etc.
It also discusses how royalties allegedly owed Burzum were probably the real reason behind the murder, and that Varg essentially developed ideological reasons for the murder after the fact, just as Oystein had opportunistically used Dead's suicide for maximum PR impact.
I've checked out Striborg's 2007 album (blanking on the name) and appreciate the fuzzed-out, staticy approach to sounding sinister.
Wolves in the Throne Room I know... I have Diadem and one other, but I guess I'm out of sequence -- I thought their newest album was called Two Hunters?
What's the story on Velvet Cacoon? Never heard of them.
http://www.vbs.tv/player.php?bctid=769427891&bccl=NDEyODIxMzEzX19NVVNJQw
Velvet cacoon..i dont want to spoil it.. dl a record or tow..dig em..then research the legend
The whole Black Metal scene is more a teenager thing I guess. I've been to a few live shows back in the early 90s. Don't ask me for any names I've forgotten all of them the next day. Been to those shows because of a buddy of mine who took great pleasure in stuff like that. Most memorable one was a show under the titel "fuck christ tour" which took place in christmas week of '93 I guess. I saw the spectacle in some catholic Bavarian town. It was an early evening thing. As far as I can recall mostly all scandinavian bands, I remember one guy waving the Norwegian flag while the other was spitting fire, all in full face make up. When the whole thing was over, all those 14 years old kiddies went to buy a "fuck christ" tour shirt that had a pretty graphic b/w picture of jesus being sodomized by satan after having been ripped off the cross. Kiddies then proceeded towards the exit where they were picked up by their parents and driven home in their BMW or Mercedes Benz to have christmas dinner with the rest of the family.
Them I dig, "Ashes Against The Grain" is one of the best recent metal records I've heard.
Yeah, I love that record. I don't know very much about the NW US metal scene, but some great music's coming out of there lately and I'd like to learn more. The parallels between Oregon and Norway as far as weather and terrain are interesting in respect to both nurturing black metal sounds.
What would a non-graphic picture of this action look like?
I'm thinkin'...