2 more questions:

1.) Are the Casper Brotzman Massacre considered Black Metal? I saw them open for Helmet years ago. The didn't have any make-up or shin guards, but they were sporting some pentagram medallions on their black silk shirts.
They rock. Definitely.


2.) What do you call bands like Assuck or Dissacociate who have those speed metal riffs and grumbly vocals but are more into the punk rock aesthetic than Satan?

There is some good Black Metal.

Give me a couple hours to shake off this hangover and go into work. When I come home, I'll give you some recommendations.

= Justin

todd_v wrote:

johnnyshape wrote: Black metal traces its roots to a terrible pentagrammed look-at-me album called 'Black Metal' by a terrible British band called Venom,

I remember that album. When I was 14 I could really relate to that song "Red Light Fever". At the time I also needed a woman oh so bad.

That song's actually on "Welcome To Hell," which is a much superior album, despite the fact that I am wearing my Venom "Black Metal" shirt as I type this.

I like a great deal of Black Metal, but it's a serious folly to take any of it seriously.

Bathory are considered the first "true" Black metal band, and "Blood Fire Death" is one hell of an album. Just don't get the Kraze version with the shitty artwork and mastering.

todd_v wrote:
2.) What do you call bands like Assuck or Dissacociate who have those speed metal riffs and grumbly vocals but are more into the punk rock aesthetic than Satan?

Crust. Or Grind(core).

If you don't like the first Venom record, maybe you just don't like rock and roll. I mean, maybe you do, but you MIGHT NOT. I'd think it over.

Justin from Queens wrote:There is some good Black Metal.

Give me a couple hours to shake off this hangover and go into work. When I come home, I'll give you some recommendations.

= Justin

Allow me, Mr Queens.

This dissing of Black Metal is as childish as the genre's politics. Darkthrone have made some fantastic records. Particularly "A Blaze in the Northern Sky". Yeah there's some daftness going on. However, Burzum and Mayhem have also made interesting and valuable records.

And I'll tell you this for free... we wouldn't have any Burning Witch or Sunn)))O Blah Blah Blah if it wasn't for black metal.

Easy target, admittedly, but do your research and be surprised.

if you think metal is all beer-drinking idiocy and style over substance, listen to the first voivod record and tell me those riffs weren't written by folks more clever than yourself.

aaron wrote:if you think metal is all beer-drinking idiocy and style over substance, listen to the first voivod record and tell me those riffs weren't written by folks more clever than yourself.

clever enough for Pajo to wear a Voivod shirt when Slint played the Metro a few weeks back!

they definitely did some brilliant shit in the 80's. and yet they still looked like this...



i don't think i would ever characterize them as "black metal" though. more tech-metal. and the phrase "sci-fi" is often dropped in describing them.

Oddly enough, I just finished reading Lords of Chaos which is all about those wacky Norwegians slicing each other up.

The latest Mayhem LP is actually pretty good.

Okay, Black Metal.

Agreed with most of the sentiment on here about how seriously to take it and all that stuff. But some Black Metal is mind bending. Really weird, over the top, lots of "wait, what the fuck are they doing here?" moments. I haven't bought as much of this over the past few years, but here's a few to get you started. I've included my patented HFWO rating (High Frequency Wash Out) measuring how much this record is a pile of treble noise-

Satyricon - Nemesis Divina (HFWO - 3)
A good sampler of a bunch of Black Metal elements (some keyboards, lotsa blast beasts, some scary politics, etc.). Has some great moments of real power. I've already talked on this board about how much I like the "DIEEEEE" on the first song. Start with this one. Their last record before going Voivod (which they actually do pretty good).

Immortal - Blizzard Beasts (HFWO - 1.5)
Super fast and fucked up. Odd stops and starts all over the place, and the great vision of a world that could exist out there somewhere - Frost demons, ravens summoned by guitar solos and the like. I like this band.

Gorgoroth - Twilight of the Gods (In Conspiracy with Satan) (HFWO - 5)
These guys are pretty evil, but the album is a wash of noise that has its moments. Actually a little melodic, despite their clear hate for you and everyone who you ever went to school with.

1349 - Liberation (HFWO - 11)
The guitars on this one obviously were patched direct into the tape machine, so it kinda sounds like shit. But there's plenty of rocking going on. And man, does this guy drum fast. I actually think Frost from Satyricon is the drummer.

Anaal Nathrakh - The Codex Necro (HFWO - 7)
Two guys and a drum machine, but they mix lots of the rock in to this. These guys are interesting, because they actually have a liberal humanist/hippy Christian message in their music and how they present their band. Oh, who am I kidding? They hate everything just like the rest of this group and have the riffs to prove it.

I prefer the more heavy/rock side of black metal, but you could go for epic (Emperor or maybe Enslaved), atmospheric (Darkthrone or Ulver's "Nattens Madrigal" or, as noted, Burzum the Mega-Ass) or be all wimpy and get some Opeth.

Note that this is probably the same list I would have given you two or three years ago - I'm not up on the latest. You can always check out the Black Metal cognoscenti at Aquarius Records. Just don't let them talk you into buying any Leviathan. It's bad.

Hope this helps,

= Justin

PS - TMH, shrink that goddam photo!