Written by Got Mayhem? on 04.05.2010 at 04:51

Bah, I find it hard to believe that people can take the lyrics of any genre or music so seriously. I listen to music because I like the sound of it, period. I'll listen to Deathspell Omega and then go listen to Antestor or something. The message may be interesting, but at the end of the day it's all just words to me. I play guitar, not professionally but I do play, and I will always make one thing clear: I play music for me. I don't play for someone elses entertainment, I always play for my own. If I stop enjoying what I'm doing I won't continue at the expense of myself for the gain of others. To me that is what 'selling out' means. So ignore the lyrics if you have to and just blast merrily along.

I can't resist this one. Actually, on a different forum I've began to frequent there was a thread in their "Song Writing & Composition" forum, that talked about the importance of lyrics vs. the music itself. While I wanted to profess that lyrics were more important, I could not deny the fact that the music itself overrode the lyrics - to be more specific, if the lyrics were brilliant but the music was shit, it wouldn't be as good as a band with brilliant music and generic lyrics.
That's not to say the lyrics or message isn't important and that's actually a strong component in bm; the message. For some of us who only speak one language (or know very little of a second language) there is surely a lot we miss in content from European and Scandinavian bands but, it's what the band stands for which is most important. Which brings an interesting point to surface, and although I'm inclined to think it works best for bm, I'm sure this applies for any genre of music where the listener is of an unfamiliar tongue. The beauty of bm is the atmosphere it holds, regardless of the tongue you can feel the raw emotion bound within the sonic assault, hatred, despair, agony and so on, and so forth.
I suppose my point is, lyrical content in bm is important because, each band stands for some thing different, be it your clichè Satanism, a more "Orthodox" brand of black spirituality, war against other religion(s), depression and self-loathing or what have you. It's also good to know if you happen to find a band that has content you'd normally oppose, which for some would be "unblack metal" or "white metal".
Some people may very much enjoy or embrace a variety of bm sub genres but, reject nsbm due to it's lyrical content or the members association and, vice versa for others ie: I stopped listening to WItTR because of their theme and what they say they stand for, not their music and, I can say their music on it's own is talented. In that respect, lyrics/message are important.

Got Mayhem?, as a musician myself I very much agree with your stand point on creating music for the self.

First of all BM is the most expressive and varied sub-genre. If the four horsemen i.e Plague, famine, war and death, ever made music then it would definitely be Black Metal. All that I look for in music can be found in BM that includes atmosphere, emotions and musicianship.

Written by Bitter Dawn on 04.05.2010 at 11:03

Written by Got Mayhem? on 04.05.2010 at 04:51

Bah, I find it hard to believe that people can take the lyrics of any genre or music so seriously. I listen to music because I like the sound of it, period. I'll listen to Deathspell Omega and then go listen to Antestor or something. The message may be interesting, but at the end of the day it's all just words to me. I play guitar, not professionally but I do play, and I will always make one thing clear: I play music for me. I don't play for someone elses entertainment, I always play for my own. If I stop enjoying what I'm doing I won't continue at the expense of myself for the gain of others. To me that is what 'selling out' means. So ignore the lyrics if you have to and just blast merrily along.

I can't resist this one. Actually, on a different forum I've began to frequent there was a thread in their "Song Writing & Composition" forum, that talked about the importance of lyrics vs. the music itself. While I wanted to profess that lyrics were more important, I could not deny the fact that the music itself overrode the lyrics - to be more specific, if the lyrics were brilliant but the music was shit, it wouldn't be as good as a band with brilliant music and generic lyrics.
That's not to say the lyrics or message isn't important and that's actually a strong component in bm; the message. For some of us who only speak one language (or know very little of a second language) there is surely a lot we miss in content from European and Scandinavian bands but, it's what the band stands for which is most important. Which brings an interesting point to surface, and although I'm inclined to think it works best for bm, I'm sure this applies for any genre of music where the listener is of an unfamiliar tongue. The beauty of bm is the atmosphere it holds, regardless of the tongue you can feel the raw emotion bound within the sonic assault, hatred, despair, agony and so on, and so forth.
I suppose my point is, lyrical content in bm is important because, each band stands for some thing different, be it your clichè Satanism, a more "Orthodox" brand of black spirituality, war against other religion(s), depression and self-loathing or what have you. It's also good to know if you happen to find a band that has content you'd normally oppose, which for some would be "unblack metal" or "white metal".
Some people may very much enjoy or embrace a variety of bm sub genres but, reject nsbm due to it's lyrical content or the members association and, vice versa for others ie: I stopped listening to WItTR because of their theme and what they say they stand for, not their music and, I can say their music on it's own is talented. In that respect, lyrics/message are important.

Got Mayhem?, as a musician myself I very much agree with your stand point on creating music for the self.

I agree, the message of a band can be very important. But for me it cannot be so important that I decide to not listen to a band. However, I'm not going to go out and buy an album from a serious NSBM band because that would be supporting a cause that I don't agree with. There is no harm in listening to the music but in my eyes you are supporting that particular NS message if you give money to the band. At the same time I don't have a problem buying an album from a band with Satanic or anti-Christian lyrics. This is just because that particular theme doesn't carry as much weight for me. On the other hand, I'll buy a Christian metal album if the music is good.

So I guess that the Lyrics matter but they aren't the end all be all in my eyes.

Back in late 90's when I didn't have a computer and all I did was play, listen to and write music my cousin came over to my house with a tape he recorded from a Metal show on Cable TV. One clip came on called Mourning Palace by Dimmu Borgir. The beautiful orchestral elements mixed in with such awfully tortured Satanic lyrics appealed to my mentality and beliefs. I had never heard of Black Metal until that point and I was a wee lad. I absorbed many bands like Emperor and Dissection and Burzum after that.

It wasn't until a few years later in 2001 when I studied music at Tafe that I met two Black metal gurus (lol) who told me about the history of Black Metal and the aesthetic. I had already bonded with it because of the Satanic leanings before I had any knowledge of its essence and importance in the fabric of Black metal music. And now that I knew the history the controversy and aesthetic it only further fused my passion for the Dark Lord with this music. To me Satan was an idea that was powerful and real outside the necessity of the existence of the entity. Black Metal was my equivalent to gospel music of the Black Baptists.

All I can say is pure atmosphere. I love mythology, all sorts, whether it be a more native, European one or not. However, Black Metal and it's branches often create an atmosphere that no other genre can. Whether we're talking about "A Blaze in the Northern Sky" by Darkthrone, or "The Mantle" by Agalloch, great Black Metal artists manage to create an atmosphere that is hard to explain, but easy to experience.

What makes me listen to black metal is the fucking riffs, the fucking bass lines, the drums and the vocals. It is also the atmosphere and general feel of the music and the aesthetics which are appealing. GTFO with the pseudo intellectual bullshit.

Written by ForeverDarkWoods on 27.07.2010 at 02:42

What makes me listen to black metal is the fucking riffs, the fucking bass lines, the drums and the vocals. It is also the atmosphere and general feel of the music and the aesthetics which are appealing. GTFO with the pseudo intellectual bullshit.

^^THIS! And also this : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8U8GOEClpU

The guitar's, drums, bass and occasionally the singing. It sounds different, but good different.

I started listening to black metal around the time when Naglfar released "Harvest". My brother's friend let me listen to some of the album. The song, Harvest really caught me cause it was very melodic and set this tone of misanthropic awesomeness that I was looking for at the time. But since then I haven't been listening to much black metal until recently when I started listening to Naglfar again. From their I started listening to bands like Dissection, Abigail Williams, Nazxul, and Enslaved. I do my best to try not to listen to overly religious or political bands on the count of I don't like having beliefs shoved down my throat.

Well, that's pretty much all I can say about my black metal experiences. I hope to have more. Black Metal is a genre that I have overlooked for far too long.

I don't like black metal except one band. And so last night with my friends, while snow was covering the lands, while my friends thought it was a great idea after some beers to go out and make a battle of snow. It's a great idea only if there is IMMORTAL!!!

Written by Mikyz on 04.05.2010 at 21:46

First of all BM is the most expressive and varied sub-genre. If the four horsemen i.e Plague, famine, war and death, ever made music then it would definitely be Black Metal. All that I look for in music can be found in BM that includes atmosphere, emotions and musicianship.

Well said. That's pretty much what I think of BM and why I like it so much.

The best way I can describe my affinity for black metal is that it scratches a particular, recurring musical "itch" that I have. Death metal is too blunt to scratch it, power metal is too soft, heavy metal won't reach, etc. Black metal is my go-to genre when that itch arises.

I Enjoy the over all ambiance of the music, the way that it can be used as a canvas for powerful lyrics or storys, The music is powerful and uplifting, what more can i say?

Written by vex_sparks on 01.12.2010 at 11:00

I Enjoy the over all ambiance of the music, the way that it can be used as a canvas for powerful lyrics or storys, The music is powerful and uplifting, what more can i say?

You mention something I find interesting: Black Metal being uplifting music.
I feel exactly the same. I read lots of comments from people (mostly Powermetal fans) complaining about BM being depressive, while PM is uplifting and puts you in a good mood. This is an opinion I really don't understand because the energy, intensity and passion you can find in some BM music cranks me up like no PM could ever do. BM can put me in a good mood when I feel depressed. PM only bores me to death after a few songs and makes me feel more depressed.
Childishly happy and cheesy doesn't mean uplifting, imo.

Primordial introduced me to Black Metal, but Enslaved was what solidified my interest in the genre.

The cold atmosphere, the chilling vocals, and the emotions conveyed in the music are just a few of the reasons why I enjoy black metal.

I don't listen to much BM, but I appreciate the anti-religious lyrics, dark atmosphere and imagery the music portrays.

I once heard Marduk before I even listened to metal in general, and needless to say, my first reaction was 'what the hell is this sick thing, some people actually LISTEN to this?'.

And then years laters, I had an encounter with 'In the Nightside Eclipse' from Emperor and that album changed my perception of this genre forever. 'Into the Infinity of Thoughts' is still one of my favourite BM songs of all time, I just love the atmosphere that chills one to the bone, the haunting keyboards, and the vocals that could cut a massive diamond in half.

Immortal

Like many have said, the dark atmosphere. Great for rainy, dreary days.

Dark atmosphere,savage freedom,beauty of brutality makes black metal perfect choice to listen on long,frosted winter nights.

I enjoy it,i listen it,i play it,i write it.Me=Black Metal.Its just another part of me.

Hope you understood what i've just wrote.

Because its grim, kvlt and tr00.

Written by Zombie on 12.12.2010 at 12:56

Because its grim, kvlt and tr00.

What Kvlt means?

Kvlt = 'cult' but in the 'tr00' (=true) BM language

Written by Zombie on 12.12.2010 at 18:45

Kvlt = 'cult'

Thanks alot, i asked this question in the quick question theard no one knew what it mean

Lol, i guess none here is into black metal

For me it's nothing as pretentious as the childish messages, the camp images, the boring lyrics, or the sinister and cold mystery. Not that I don't like the camp aesthetic, but black metal bands usually have the intellectual sophistication of a 14-year-old. I'm just into music for itself. For me, good music is usually stuff you can play on the background just as well as pay attention to. Black metal meets this criteria better than most metal genres (at least the bands I tend to like). So I disagree about the alleged aggression and in-your-face sensibility of the style. My kind of black metal is atmospheric, hazy and pleasant. Black metal sets a mood, and I like that.

First of all, nothing "makes" me listen to black metal. I choose to listen to it for the beauty of the music itself. I have mixed feelings about black metal, where I tend to avoid bands with an overly hateful image or message. This reason is mainly due to my hopeless belief that we humans need to find ways to be more at peace with one another, but I won't talk about that too much more because I'll end up writing an essay if I keep going. Basically the beauty and atmosphere that some bands create is what I enjoy.

Nothing really makes me want to listen to it as such, but i agree with it suiting the cold dark atmosphere thing. It just feels good to listen to in this kind of atmosphere.

Definitley the atmosphere for me ...... their is a lot of beauty in black metal that some fail to see.

Well, future sure doesn't seem promising for black metal, or any other 'oldschool' genre of metal for that matter.
But you know what they say... Hope dies last.

What made me start listening to black metal? I dunno, really. It all started with Cradle of Filth I guess. I've found myself listening to Immortal soon after.