Metal Reviews

Vote in the poll, and tell me why bm is or isnt dead.

Maybe for the tr00 metal Warri0rz. Windir had a couple come out past that date. False.


Edit - Actually, now that I think about it a ton of crap has come out since then. Is that supposed to be the year when you had to be tr00 to like black metal? I'm confused by the year selection.

I think the year he chose is intended to include '96, but not so much '97. I can't really go down a list of releases off the top of my head, but it's a reasonable date, though there are a couple other dates that could be presented as well, I think.

I voted false, but in a way, I think you can argue for it being true. In terms of what the Norwegian scene of the early 90's was all about, I think it was dead by then, yes. If you're willing to allow for black metal to grow or "evolve" or continue, then I think it's still going today. I think, however, that there are few bands who are really trying to make something somewhat original, genuine, and of quality (though they're spread out across the globe now instead of being clustered in one area). There are too many clones and bands who really don't subscribe to the "spirit of black metal", and that has really diluted and undermined the whole thing.

-Tyrion

True, I think after Nargaroth's Rasluka II, Burzum's Hvis, Ulver's early works, Darkthrone's and Ildjarn's outputs and some of the more abstract black metal, there have been a few bands that did interesting things, but not to cause the scene to shift in any direction. Almost all black metal is still based upon the classics so heavily that their music can't be considered to have any kind of progression. Ofcourse there are exceptions like Darkspace, Thy Catafalque and Gire, Ved Buens Ende, enfin, you know them, but as these are exceptions, the "scene" is kinda dead.

Haha, yeah, cuz darkthrone are the epitome of progression?

.:crast:.

Yeah, exactly. They're the exceptions now instead of the standard. And as I said earlier, they're spread across the globe now, probably with almost no contact with one another which is quite a contrast to how it once was. Still because of bands like those Misha mentioned, and a few others I can think of, I lean to false. A few exceptions is enough for me, as I pretty much dismiss all the rehash anyway. As a whole though it looks like it will keep dying more than it will ever revive.

-Tyrion

false... can't see why... There's black metal out there, there's more evil, necro and tr000 bla bla than the old norwigian bands... (and lot's of black metal classics has been made since 97)depends on the what kind of ideology you have of course.
Some believe that 97 is the year where bm became even more mainstream and therefore killed the essense of black metal (staying underground), but that's just stupid.. that happened already in 93 when Varg went to the newspapers to make someone buy his music, yet many look back at this violent period with some sort of pride and nostalgy

and i don't see the scene as dead just because it only evolves at a slow pace. Two points: It's hard to be taking seriosly with corpse paint if you black avant-garde black metal with happy jazz elements. And let's just face the fact that most ppl who seeks this kind of music is attracted/fascinated by the evil atmosphere surrounding it, or call it what you want. And does happy jazz contribute to this atmosphere? no it doesn't. Would ppl who's into corpse paint and raw music listen to it, no they wouldn't - except a few perhaps. And would ppl who's into happy jazz alluva sudden think "hey, i'll incoorperate this into black metal, despite i hate that kind of music.. weee!!"
Last point is there alot of black metal out there that has evolved, unfortunately many of them are pure shit and nobody's ever heard of them because they're too lazy to find new music, so they'll just sit on forums talking about how they do not exist.. no offence .. i'm not any better myself.. and i don't care that much for black metal with all sorts of crazy shit in it, unless it has something to do with folk, ambient and that kind of stuff

in that context, black metal is not any more dead than the other metal genres. I'd even say it's the metal genre that has evolved the most. But the fans are the ones who evolves the least, and i have nothing against it. And if black metal evolves too much it would be nothing more than any other genre in the mainstream that dies after a few years, just as disco or techno/dance that died when it wasn't trendy anymore... lovely

Thy Catafalque and Gire is not black metal and has little to do with it, other than being sort sort of metal mixed with other genres.
haven't heard Ved Buens Ende or enfin.. but didn't VBE change into something that wasn't black at all?

If you see progression on a purely musical level as the most important point in black metal then i quess your reasoning makes sense.

Hehe, you probably know I don't like Dark Throne, and my claims that Tormentor's Elizabeth Bathory song was basically a blueprint for Dark Throne, but they had a style that was/is copied by legions of bands and even though they were not progressive, they were original if you take the Hungarian band out of the equation.

Yeah, the problem is that those bands are not part of the scene, because true black metal just is not about progression.

I think Darkthrone are shite,

.:crast:.

I voted false, because it's just, just still alive, with one or two half-decent bands like Taake and 1349 keeping it breathing. I also think USBM is keeping it going too, as I like Absu and Xasthur

Deathspell Omega and Negura Bunget...
So false.

But that's part of my point, there really isn't a scene today. No, black metal was never really about progression, but it was never about sounding just like everyone else either.

So again, if we're looking at it as a scene, then yes, I agree that it's pretty much dead (or certainly dormant at the very least). If we're talking about black metal music, there's still some quality stuff out there being made today (that is black metal), and to me that's more important. And I don't think you (Misha) have completely sworn off Mystic Forest or would claim they're not black metal...



Meh, if those are the only bands you're going to cite as just barely keeping black metal alive, I think you should look harder...

And I think it's interesting how so many people here were heaping praises on a band like DsO a year or so ago, and now we have a thread like this where no one has mentioned them. (and wouldn't you know it, while I was posting, Dago happened to mention them. ) ... And Drudkh anyone?

-Tyrion

i personally don't think 1349 keep the scene alive any more than all the other bands...

but in the end it's all a matter of taste... there's still 20-30 bands out there i like a lot, and new bands come along while others on list fate away into the mass of bands sounding the same, but like i said, it's also a matter of taste

Not to mention;
Nokturnal Mortum, Graveland, Anaal Nathrakh, Blut Aus Nord, Forgotten Tomb, Temnozor, Funeral Mist... just to name a few.

The Norwegian scene has been dead since then, yes. Or maybe a better word would be 'stagnant'. There's a simple reason for this: the major bands have either split or are making very different music, which is very confusing for the vber kvlt and vber dvmb bm kiddies there. Hence no future generations of bands there.

I think we all know what Misha's opinion would be here, and I wasn't surprised at what Tyrion (more mild though) had to say either. Both seem like quite intelligent fellows and have legitmate reasons but I totally disagree.

Negura Bunget are at the top of the genre right now as far as I'm concerned.

But many others like Nokturnal Mortum, Forgotten Tomb, Katharsis, Darkestrah, Darkspace, Lunar Aurora, Nocternity---even Shining, Leviathan and Taake are still doing interesting things. And I always love Xasthur, unoriginal as it might be. I still like DsO and love Drudkh.

I intended for it to include releases from 1996 but not 1997 onwards.