I can’t quite remember when exactly I discovered black metal. I had been in the metal scene for a while listening to prog metal from bands such as Ne Obliviscaris and Xanathochroid, and I gradually shifted towards the heavier side of metal in Death Metal. I was and still am a major Spawn of Possession and Angelmaker fan. However, one thing that this heavier side of metal lacked in my eyes was emotional depth. Behind the blistering blastbeats and gut-curdling screams, it is hard to find any emotional backbone besides the expression of pure, unadulterated rage.
Thankfully, rage is an emotion that does not quite resonate with me; however, this meant that I had little emotional resonance with the music I was listening to. And then, I discovered black metal.
Black metal is an attempt to add such an emotional backbone to death metal.
An era of turmoil : Second Wave
The second wave of black metal is marked by stauch anti-christian imagery and senseless violence within the scene. Through the antics of the members of the band Mayhem, black metal earned a twisted place in the eye of the public. This is not the black metal I speak of.
Mayhem somewhat permanently tainted the public perception of the genre, even within heavy metal circles. Their antics have made it quite difficult for the scene to ever obtain even a morsel of mainstream success.
The second wave style represents the baseline of black metal which further subgenres build upon. For something to even be considered “black metal,” it must at least take some inspiration from this distinct era.
Third Wave
There are various flavors of black metal with complex emotional storylines:
- DSBM - Depressive Black Metal
- ABM - Atmospheric Black Metal
- Pacifist Black Metal
Depressive Black Metal (DSBM)
The first of these, DSBM, is precisely what it sounds like. However, for me at least, the depressive side of the music is somewhat uplifting. Its a hard feeling to explain.
Modern classics in this genre include Leviathan’s debut studio album The Tenth Sub Level of Suicide, Thy Light’s Suici.De.Pression, and Silencer’s Death - Pierce Me.
There is a large number of truly brilliant one person projects in this subgenre, including Leviathan as mentioned above. Noisey did a great 3-part interview series covering Leviathan, Striborg, and Xasthur, all one man DSBM projects.
Atmospheric Black Metal
Atomospheric black metal displays its emotion through a slow burn. Songs are often significantly longer in this subgenre. Some say that this music is meant to be listened to outside in the snow. My recommendation for this corner of black metal is the Russian band Путь (/putʲ/, meaning “path”).
Pacifist Black Metal
Pacifist black metal is my favorite of the bunch. The majority of bands under this genre are World War I remembrance bands (e.b. Kanonenfieber, Minenwerfer, 1914) . There is a palpable sense of regret in this music, at times somewhat crushing. To see what I’m talking about, listen to Der Blutharsch by Minenwerfer (first 17 minutes of the album below) in a single sitting. I can guarantee a religious experience.
This subgenre is chalk full of poignant imagery, from the depiction of an Austrian mountaineer soldier on the hills of the Alps in Minenwerfer’s Alpenpässe to an anti-war propaganda poster by the Social Democratic Party of Hungary from around 1918 in Kanonenfieber’s Menschenmühle, pacifist black metal understands its own importance in serving as a reminder for all those listening: never again.
