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Comment by YeGoblynQueenne

7 years ago

That's death metal though. Other forms of extreme metal can have lyrics that, far from toying with splatter-gore themes for the shock value, express terminally anti-social politics.

I'm thinking of black. Sometimes I'm just happy that a few of the bands I listen to sing in Swedish or Norwegian etc that I don't understand, so that I can't tell what they're singing about. Although the imagery can often give a bit of a hint, rather.

To make it absolutely clear in case people don't know what I'm talking about: there is a clear trend of black bands that are downright neonazis. By no means all, or even I think a majority, but they are right there.

18 comments

YeGoblynQueenne

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cviilgan  7 years ago

I'd just like to point out that, as someone who mainly listens to black metal, I do not share these opinions.

Concerning the lyrics, I generally categorize them into two groups (with non-empty cut set):

* Intellectual lyrics, which criticize some part of society or human behaviour, or they deal with personal issues (e.g. http://www.darklyrics.com/lyrics/todtgelichter/angst.html#1)

* Theme lyrics, which try to fit a core concept of the bands music, like satanism or some war/Third Reich theme (e.g. Graphic http://www.darklyrics.com/lyrics/behemoth/thesatanist.html#1 Graphic). Also, note that a having a certain theme does not automatically imply endorsing it.

Usually, the music as well as the lyrics are cold and cynical, which can make their actual meaning hard to place or even ambivalent at times.

Concerning the neonazis: Personally, I do not see a trend towards the worse, but there are a few sketchy bands out there (the ones I know of are usually older, from the 90s or so).

Oh, P.S.: while the black metal fans may be not as teddybear-y as death metal fans, we are usually quite a nice bunch :)

  • idDriven  7 years ago

    Endorsing Satanism isn't necessarily a bad thing. If you read The Satanic Bible by Anton LaVey it can represent a logical construct that rejects blind theology.

  • YeGoblynQueenne  7 years ago

    >> Also, note that a having a certain theme does not automatically imply endorsing it.

    That's true- often it's done for the shock value.

    But that's a bit of a controversy there, rising on the horizon. Personally, I don't want to be the one to say that it's all a performance and all that stuff about uncompromising self-expression and antisocial-ness, is just, you know, posing.

    When it comes to the fans (who are also the musicians, usually), I've seen my fair share of total dickheads and absolute darlings, and lots of folks in the middle so eh. Let's not generalise either way.

    Edit: Btw, with "intellectual lyrics" you're talking about a new generation of bands, including Misþyrming and Mgła. They are still a little rare, I find. Or I just like more traditional stuff and I'm missing all the serious lyrics :0 Please point to more stuff like that you link above, thanks.

  • Kuraj  7 years ago

    What do you think of Mgła?

    • cviilgan  7 years ago

      A lot of people in the scene seem to like them alright, but I never took to them. The lyrics don't appeal to me, and I mostly find their music too bland. Hence, if you'd ask me about the nazism allegations, I could not tell. I've also never met the guys nor have I been at a concert (you often get a good grasp whether the guys are idiots there).

      Love the name though :)

c3534l  7 years ago

Black metal is way sillier than death metal. In the early days, sure, there were a group of people who took the imagery of metal seriously or at least tried to. But black metal is so theatric and cartoonish these days. It'd be like being afraid Count Chocula will inspire a generation of cannibals.

  • stcredzero  7 years ago

    It'd be like being afraid Count Chocula will inspire a generation of cannibals.

    Years ago, there were the fundamentalist types who would've thought that the vampire/occult theme was a cutesy backdoor into pulling kids into satanic occult stuff. Same sort of people who tried to stigmatize D&D and video games. Same sort of people who wanted to censor books, music, movies, etc.

    In 2019, we have a new kind of fundamentalist running around trying to de-platform wrongthink. I see them as just the 2019 version of the same people.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QbTRiiZmPo

    • BadassFractal  7 years ago

      Oh hey, as someone who's been on the "wrong" side of both the "Right's" 80s/90s family values moral panic (D&D, Marilyn Manson, violent videogames etc.) and the "Left's" progressive moral panic, I also can relate to that connection. The pendulum keeps swinging, yet either way we are being preached to as being immoral and in need of repenting.

      Either for sinfulness or privilege, which serve the same purpose in their ideological frameworks.

      1 reply →

    • KozmoNau7  7 years ago

      In a lot of cases, it's not just "wrongthink", the people are actually genuinely far right extremists.

      Take the Asgardsrei festival in Ukraine for instance. It is literally run by neo-nazis, with the far-right Azov Battalion acting as guards, avowed racist/fascist bands on the stage, and a whole day of militia workshops and talks by known neo-nazis.

      So yes, it is real. It's a small scene, and most black metallers hate their guts, but it shouldn't be ignored.

      1 reply →

shocks  7 years ago

Black metal has troubled origins, but honestly it's just a parody/joke now. Black metal these days is to the world what heavy metal was 30 years ago, when Dee Snider had to appear before the US senate because of the "Parents Music Resource Center" to defend Twisted Sisters lyrics because "think of the children!".

I don't really see any difference between your comment and claiming death metal listeners are violent. It's not true. Black metal doesn't make someone a neo-nazi. Neo-nazis are already neo-nazis.