Black Metal In General. [Warning, May Offend Some People, Most Likely Not]

[Amorphous]

[color=crimson][size=1] [b]VERY BIG ANNOYING BOLD FACE WARNING;[/b]This Genre of Music... is quite, heavy and some of the lyrics are offensive to people.. just trust me on that even though you can't understand what most of them are saying and I'm not sure of how this topic will effect people being here. OH AND I don't want a discussion on what religion is right and wrong or how bad satanism is in this thread at all. Otherwise I'll have it immediately closed because it's not what it's here for. This is just for people who listen to Black Metal in general and for them to express their veiws on their favorite bands that have sprouted from this genre of music. [/size][/color]

[quote]Black metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music. Black metal generally consists of heavily distorted, extremely fast guitar playing, screamed vocals, and fast drumming. The genre makes extensive use of repetition, with some songs being quite simple musically. An abraded, very low-fidelity recording style is common to the early albums associated with the genre. Also common are overtly Satanic lyrics which blaspheme against Christianity, as well as other occult themes. A distinct feature of the early bands' image was the use of corpse paint, a special kind of black and white make-up which emphasized their demonic appearance. There has been some concordance in recent years between the black metal sub culture and right-wing nationalist movements in some countries.

The progenitors of modern black metal are bands like Celtic Frost, Mercyful Fate, Bathory, and Venom. The movement can be seen in its mature form with the recordings of Bathory in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Black metal congealed in its current form through the influence of Norwegian bands such as Darkthrone, Carpathian Forest, Burzum, Mayhem, Immortal and Emperor, who began with the earlier style and introduced elements from mainstream heavy metal, classical music and hardcore punk and popularized the style to a growing underground audience. Their influence is most apparent in the satanic imagery, blasphemous lyrics and occult themes.[/quote]

[size=1][color=crimson]First of all, I'd like to de-spell a few myths on this particular genre of music. A lot of these bands are considered satanic and blasphemous to the Christian religion. But it's not true for many of the bands that reside in the Scandinavian countries. Most actually sing of their own Nordic Religions and I use Nordic in wide spread generality and thus it's why we have sub-genres like Viking and Pagan Metal. Now there are some that sing about Satanism and such, but that's why we have so many people believing that this genre is made up of these types of bands alone and they try to make themselves known for mostly shock value. But these bands in general that sing of Satanism are just not worth listening to at all. I can also think of some bands that just really make fun of the Christian religion. Example "Cradle of Filth"; Not in the their lyrics but just in general. Dani Filth the lead singer of Cradle of Filth I believe, believes in ?The Powers That Be.? I can?t say that for sure, but he?s not a Satanist. The occult themes in general though are not left out in black metal lyrics.

Anyways the whole genre of music is quite complex and has over the years broken down into many Sub Genres. My favorites include, Viking Metal;[/color][/size] [quote]Viking metal is a sub-genre of Black metal music. Some leaders in the genre are Enslaved, Vintersorg, Otyg, Borknagar, Amon Amarth, Bathory, Einherjer, Mithotyn, Thyrfing, Ensiferum, Falkenbach and Finntroll. The lyrical content of the songs usually talks about Norse Mythology, Paganism, Vikings, and Christian oppression of the Norse Pagan religion. Arrangements are usually more complex than the somewhat simple early black metal that originated in Norway in the early 1990s, incorporating extensive acoustic and folk passages[/quote] [color=crimson][size=1]Symphonic Black Metal;[/size][/color] [quote]Symphonic Black Metal has the same components as Melodic Black Metal but a lot more orchestral pieces, mostly during the entire length of the song, mixed with the Black Metal element. This sub-genre of Black Metal has gained much criticism from Black Metal purists who argue that it is a watered down version of the real thing. The two albums which defined the sub-genre are generally agreed upon to be Cradle of Filth's Cruelty And The Beast and Emperor's In The Nightside Eclipse.[/quote] [color=crimson][size=1]Troll Metal;[/size][/color] [quote]There are three important bands: Mortiis, Finntroll, and Arckanum. Whilst serving as a good genre for these bands to expand their musical style, they usually try to stay close to their usual lyrics. It is for the aforementioned reason that the three major bands sound so different: Mortiis, with a Medieval Ambient sound (no longer as current); Arckanum, with a pretty simple Black Metal sound, only with Trollish lyrics; and Finntroll with a Black Metal/Polka mix.[/quote]
[color=crimson][size=1]Folk Metal;[/color][/size] [quote]Folk metal is a sub-genre of black metal and is, quite simply, folk music mixed with black metal. The two biggest bands in this sub-genre are Skyclad and Waylander (also pioneers of an other sub-genre of black metal, Celtic metal).[/quote] [color=crimson][size=1]and Pagan Metal. Which I really don't have a definition for But a band to check out is Graveland. (Note; this band is blasphemous to Christian Religion in some ways >>)

Now as for my favorite black metal bands, there is a long list and I don't really feel like describing to as why I like each one. But here is a list in general of what I listen too. Burzum, Cradle of Filth, Finntroll, Bal-Sagoth, Vintersorg, Graveland, Bathory, Emperor, Darkthrone, and so on. It just ranges in so much different sub-genres that I couldn't possibly name all the bands I listen too, I just know a lot of them are good.

So What I am asking the Public, is, or at least people who listen to black metal, what is your favorite bands and why?[/color][/size]

[Jake of Bodom]

Folk and Viking metal are just as rooted in Death Metal as they are in Black Metal. Amon Amarth (Viking) or Finntroll (Folk) for example, are both heavily influenced by Death Metal, and in Amon Amarth's case, more so than Black Metal.

Anyway, my favorite Black metal style is Symphonic Black Metal.

My favorite black metal bands are: Old Man's Child, Naglfar, Dimmu Borgir, Enslaved, and Cradle of Filth (although their Black Metal-ness is questionable... they seem to have a heavier Goth Metal influence than Black Metal).

I know none of those bands are "tr00" or "cvlt" Black Metal, but "tr00" and "cvlt" black metal seems so pompous to me... you have to follow a very strict set of rules to be "tr00" or "cvlt", and this usually ends up with bands that sound like crap. They take pride in poor sound production (a hardcore badge of "tr00-ness"), and the best way to secure "cvlt-ness" or "tr00-ness" is to a) have a memeber of your band commit murder, or b) burn a church. Now this was back when black metal truly began in Norway, so I don't know how the rules go now. Trivia: in the first 3 years of Black Metal's conception, more than 520 churches were burnt to the ground in Norway - all by Black Metal bands.

That's a lot of churches.