Posted in: World Music by Pons Asinorum on March 27th, 2010 | 0 Comments
A quick summary of the low-key genre black metal, and why it is dying. My first article/rant.
For those familiar with the genre, it can be considered one of the most aggresive styles of music in existance. Characterized by vicious riffs, low production value, and the growels which come with any variation of metal, the genre seems inert when considering the fanbase. It is a rare occasion when a person admits to liking black metal, and then continues delving further into the genre, and yet equally rare that a listener simply decides to fall out of the scene. For those who are not so fortunate, I personally would recommend listening to any of the following before continuing, as they give an all encompassing look at the various forms of black metal.
Sui Caedere’s Prélude Triste
Burzum’s Dunkelheit
Moonblood’s In a Bloody Night of Fullmoon
Sigh’s Corpsecry – Angelfall
Moving on, as we see the diversity of the genre, and also the trend of the fanbase, why then, is the genre slowly dying? The answer lies within the music listening masses that currently inhabit the planet, along with various bands that have come to the genre attempting to make easier to listen to and also much more available. For those who are now thinking that I am some form of elitist, and that the bands listed are just as mainstream as those that I am condemning, you must consider the influential value of these albums. Moonblood and Burzum alone are undeniably classic, and Sui Caedere and Sigh have put a brilliant new twist on the genre which has recently been stagnant. But this leads to the true point, which is how bands such as Dimmu Borgir and Cradle of Filth have turned black metal into a hipster trend rivaling that of the monster Slipknot. The symphonic elements that have made these two bands immensly popular create easy listening music that appeals to listeners of Nickleback and Cold Play, which cause these people to beleive they are devout followers of the religion that is black metal. There is now an influx of bands who claim to be black metal, with the exact same symphonic elements that Dimmu and Cradle have, which may soon create a siuation of the whole world loving this new “black metal”. This will inevitably destroy that which was once the genre and will create a new and less intelligent form of music that can be only enjoyed for a few weeks. The idiocy that claims to be black metal is destroying that from which it was spawned.
