Black Metal

by Howells, Tom

• ISBN13: 9781907317729
• ISBN10: 1907317724
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-09-18
• Publisher: Black Dog Pub Ltd

Summary

Black Metal: Beyond The Darknessis a contemporary reader on a genre often maligned by the press as overtly concerned with nihilism, destructiveness and an insular obsession with Satanism and aggressive nationalism. In reality, Black Metal is a constantly evolving vehicle for musically and ideologically progressive groups and artists, one that is increasingly forward thinking despite maintaining a purity of expression that is tied to the past. The book aims to look past the infamous second wave of Scandinavian bands such as Mayhem, Burzum and Darkthrone, and their links to the tabloid-baiting spate of suicides, murders, church burnings and controversial right-wing rhetoric which overshadowed the scene's creative output in Norway in the early 1990s, and which is the overwhelming focus of most of the published material on the subject. Though these aspects are necessary to a comprehensive understanding of the form, Black Metal: Beyond The Darkness, follows the style of Krautrock: Cosmic Rock and its Legacy, by providing an overview in an in-depth reader format, bridging the gap between conventional accounts of the scene and the new pan-academic focus on Black Metal as a conduit for socio-cultural expression. Black Metalfeatures a chronological historical overview of the genre's developments; a multitude of band profiles and case studies on classic records; information on seminal record labels, peripheral industry individuals and shops; archival visual material; and a range of essays discussing Black Metal's inherent relationship with radical environmentalism, fine art, sexuality, transcendentalism and theatrics, amongst other topics. Bands featured include: Bathory, Burzum, Mayhem, Gorgoroth, Blut Aus Nord, Xasthur, Wolves In The Throne Room, Darkthrone, Immortal, Hellhammer, Liturgy, Weakling, Ulver, Immortal, Enslaved, 1349, Krallice, Rotting Christ and the associated artists of the French Les Legions Noires movement. With commentary by leading experts in the field Black Metalprovides a unique insight this progressive music genre.