In Opposition to Live Musical Performances (Dec. 2012)

Concerts are irritating endeavours. From the performance to the venue to the audience, there are too many variables in play to offer decent odds for having an enjoyable time. The primary purpose is for the band to give live renderings of their songs in an effort to build up a fanbase through increased exposure or simply for the appreciation of the fans that they have already acquired. A lot of people feel that experiencing such a thing is far more significant than just listening to the music on CD, as they actually get to see the band playing the music and for an exchange of energy between the musicians and the crowd. Under the right conditions, this could be an opportunity for something positive and memorable, yet in many cases it results in disappointment. Several bands realize this and refuse to play live, though they are often criticized by this by those that are not fully aware of the reasoning behind it.

First, the atmosphere is something that is overlooked by a lot of bands. Say what you will about the behaviour and attitudes of the band members, but a group like Watain seems to put a lot of effort into the overall presentation. Whether or not they are serious about their professed beliefs, the live show gives off the feeling that it is all genuine and they go a long way to help generate the right kind of vibe. That does not necessarily mean that every band has to use blood and rotten meat in their shows. However, aesthetics play a much larger role in the creation of the proper atmosphere than a lot of bands seem to realize. In the case of Watain, it makes perfect sense to use candles and rotting flesh and fire and so on, with even the stench of death adding to the feeling. Many musicians get lazy or think that their mere presence is enough, but that isn't so. If a band plays music that is even remotely dark, then flashing neon green lights are probably not going to help the audience get into the right mental state. As well, the number of bands that get on stage in sweat pants, sports jerseys or any other normal and casual-looking clothing really show that they don't get it. The point is not that dressing a certain way makes you a true Metalhead or not, but if you are on stage then you should at least look the part. Lawyers don't show up to meetings with their weekend clothing and nor should Metal bands, especially those playing Black or Death Metal. That does not mean that you must have some sort of choreographed moves and synchronized headbanging, but at least replace the Garfield t-shirt with the pizza stains with something black. While the music is ultimately the most important thing, aesthetics and presentation cannot be ignored.

The next thing that is likely to ruin a show is a shoddy performance from the band. This could result from any number of things, some voluntary and others involuntary. Sometimes, bands just are not willing or capable of pulling off what they did in the studio in a live setting. In these cases, they should either rehearse more or stick to playing songs that don't require any studio trickery. A lot of times, musicians will just get too intoxicated to properly perform, ending up in a sloppy show for those in attendance. The primary culprit is frequently the vocalist, which can often ruin everything else. Over the years, from Megadeth and Metallica to Cannibal Corpse and Deicide to Watain and even Mayhem, there have been plenty of times where the vocalists were in no condition to give their best and put on a rotten show with worn-out throats because they failed to take proper care of themselves. Or even more irritating is when they appear to forget lines or decide to change up the vocal patterns for whatever reason. This leads to the next point.

People show up at gigs in hopes of hearing their favourite songs performed as they know them from the albums. When the band alters the pace of a song, playing it faster or slower than the original, it ruins the atmosphere more times than not. For one, a lot of bands like to see the crowd headbanging or singing along and this becomes more difficult when a familiar song is turned into something hardly recognizable. If you want to take an already fast song and speed it up a little, that it no big deal. But it is a mistake to take a song that is supposed to be fast and intense and slowing it down so that idiots in the crowd have a better opportunity to mosh. The same goes for speeding up a slower song and robbing it of most of its impact. The time to edit the songs is in the rehearsal room or in the studio before they get recorded for an album. Once you're on stage, stick to the script and just play the songs as they are meant to be heard. Nevertheless, when a band is in top shape and putting forth full effort to do their best to play precisely and to offer a decent show, things still go to hell, more often than not. The main reason for this has nothing to do with the bands themselves, rather it has more to do with the audience.

People are stupid. Naturally, there are exceptions, but the masses are empty and worthless and would be better off utilized as landfill. A lot of people see concerts as a chance to go out and socialize, with no thought to what band is even playing. They are simply there to be seen, to whore around or just looking for an excuse to go out and get drunk. This is the worst offense, as these inebriated mouth-breathers ruin the atmosphere for everyone else, as they are typically engaged in some sort of idiot behaviour. They start fights, make a lot of obnoxious noise, stumble into people as they wander through the venue and generally annoy the hell out of everyone else. The worst is when these subhumans engage in moshing or crowd surfing, among other activities. There is no point in moshing in the first place. It is some sort of primitive and savage custom that is best left to the jungle-dwellers. Anyone that engages in this behaviour needs to be taken out into the alley and shot, point blank. Too many ridiculous people go to gigs for the sole purpose of thrashing around and slamming into each other and this really is not the place for it. Rarely do they ever demonstrate any connection, whatsoever, to the bands that are playing. It often turns out that these losers are hardcore kids that don't even listen to Metal. They just need some noise to add to their tribal mating dances, showing up to ruin the concert for those in attendance that actually paid to see the bands play. The same goes for crowd surfing, particularly those morons that choose to do so from the back and end up just climbing on others and kicking them in the head in their attempt to get up and going. The only amusing part of this is when the imbeciles get dropped on their heads by those that want no part in the whole thing.

That brings up another point. So many of the people are shows are obnoxious as hell and take give no consideration to those around them, in any way. Everyone is enclosed in a small space, trying to get a decent view of the band and pay attention to what they're doing, so anyone with intelligence would think that this would all be taken into account. But that doesn't keep the guy that is standing practically on top of your feet from headbanging wildly and giving you a taste of his shampoo... or lack thereof. It certainly doesn't prevent the other morons from stumbling into you, falling on you or the moshing idiots from slamming into you at the speed of a minor automobile collision. No one wants some drunken dumbass slamming into them every ten seconds, nor do guys in the crowd want to have to take their attention away from the band in order to focus on protecting their girlfriend from being smashed to pieces. In other words, there are still people that spend their money on tickets and go to shows because they want to experience the live performance by the band, rather than going there to be assaulted by strangers. The least these moshers could do is to avoid those that are clearly not participating in their idiocy. Otherwise, there is no need for the dirty looks or fights when someone gets tired of having a sweaty guy slamming into him and decides to shove him twenty feet in the other direction. It's typical of people, these days, to show no concern for those around them as they do whatever they want but to then get offended when someone infringes on their 'right' to negatively affect others. Who are the people that pay their money to attend a gig and to them ignore the band in favour of the aforementioned behaviour? Why even shell out the cash for a show if you intend on spending the whole time slamming into other sweaty men? You'd be better off going to some sort of gay bar and getting the hell away from those that want to enjoy the show, altogether.

Finally, even when the bands are on top of their game and the audience is relatively well-behaved, there are some things that ruin a show right from the start. It may be a personal preference, but there is no reason for so many of the biggest festivals needing to take place during the spring and summer. Nothing ruins the feel of a Black Metal band's set quite like baking in the sun, being drenched in your own sweat and being ready to pass out at any moment. Obviously, not too many people are going to want to arrange to play in the mountains during the middle of winter. Nonetheless, it seems that autumn would be the ideal time for such things. The weather is cool, but not too cold, and it certainly suits the atmosphere that a large number of Metal bands are going for better than the sweltering heat of the summer. Festivals, in general are irritating anyway and would probably still be incredibly lame even if they were moved to a less miserable time of the year. Everything is insanely overpriced, there are too many people and promoters try to cram way too much into the time and space that is available, sometimes. The tickets, themselves, often sell out before the full line-up is even posted so, by the time you realize that you're interested in going, it's either sold out or the only remaining tickets will cost you an arm and a leg.

Most Metal is quite misanthropic and solitary at heart, anyway. In all likelihood, the very best way to experience the music as it was meant to be is to make your own atmosphere. Turn off the lights and tv and computer and just light some candles and soak in nothing but the music, or maybe even read along with the lyrics and look through the booklet to appreciate the efforts that went into its initial presentation. Dealing with Jewish concert promoters and vendors that do all they can to rip you off, as well as the many annoying people that show up to gigs is only going to ruin everything. Even if the concert goes well, chances are that when you try speaking to one of your favourite musicians, you'll only find out that half of them are drug addicts and scumbags. One way or another, there are just too many chances for the whole thing to be ruined and it is all much more of a hassle than it is worth. Sometimes, a pleasant experience sneaks by, but those occasions are rare.

On the Taming of Evil in Black Metal (Dec. 2012)

In the 1980s, Black Metal was a term that denoted any band that was using Satanic or occult themes in their lyrics. Most of the time, the overall aesthetics of the band and their albums matched this. Some bands, such as Bathory, Slayer and Possessed were likely just using this image to come off as extreme. With Venom, it almost seemed like a tongue-in-cheek 'fuck off' to the establishment, more than anything else. Then there was Mercyful Fate, a band that appeared to be taking the occult matters very seriously. In any event, these old bands were adhering to the traditional Rock and Metal attitude of rebelling against the norm. Throughout the '80s, more bands came along to join the Satanic legions, with the likes of Sodom, Hellhammer, Poison, Tormentor and others joining the crusade against Christianity. As the decade wore on, many bands dropped the Satanic lyrics and imagery, which was taken by many as a sign that they were not serious about it. It would be up to the next generation of Black Metal bands to take things to a new level.

In the grim lands of Norway, a scene was developing that was centered around the band Mayhem. As Euronymous and his band mates turned from the gore-inspired themes of their youth to the dark and Satanic approach that would culminate on De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas, many of the younger musicians were influenced by this and followed suit. Not content to simply wear cod-pieces and use choreographed moves and pyro, Mayhem did their best to create a morbid atmosphere on stage with the use of rotten pig heads, as Dead cut himself and bled all over the place. Of course, Dead's subsequent suicide was used by Euronymous to further add to the mystique surrounding Mayhem. Some felt that his reaction to, and exploitation of, this death was rather tasteless, but he was determined to show just how serious his band was, compared to those that came before. Concepts of darkness, evil and death were not just lyrical themes; they were a way of life. This ideology crept into many other members of the Norwegian scene, who were not only resurrecting the old Black Metal style, but were adding their own black magic and creating something new. However, the significance of the musical developments in Scandinavia will forever be overshadowed by the extracurricular activities that followed the release of such albums as Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism, Wrath of the Tyrant, Burzum and A Blaze in the Northern Sky. Several of these musicians went on to commit various crimes, most notably murder and church burning. This took things to an unprecedented level. Whereas Venom and Mercyful Fate sang the praises of Hell and Satan, these guys were taking an active part in the war against the oppressive Judeo-Christian establishment, going so far as to burn down historic churches that they felt had no business being built on Norwegian soil. It seemed as if many of them were living in their own world, unbound by the rules that most people take for granted. This was quite evident by the time Varg Vikernes murdered Euronymous. Things were quite out of hand. Churches continued to burn, on and off, and the murders even spread to Sweden, as Jon Nödtveidt of Dissection got himself mixed up with a scumbag that led him down the path toward a prison stay. Clearly, the second generation of Black Metal bands had made a definitive statement that they were more dedicated to Satan, the occult and the destruction of Christianity. However, their behaviour often led to their own personal destruction. Those that followed were aware of the countless downfalls of living such an extreme lifestyle, and most of them backed away from the edge that many had leapt from. Yet they still wanted to be taken just as seriously, if not moreso, than their predecessors.

And so it came to pass that the modern era of Black Metal became filled with musicians that profess to take everything quite seriously; however, while wishing to appear extreme and to be respected in the Black Metal scene, they want no part of the troubles that come along with killing people and burning down houses of worship. As with most people that fear taking actual action, they take the moral high road and claim to be wiser and more mature than the bands that had influenced them. They are very cautious, but desperately want to be taken seriously and have no desire to return to the ways of the '80s, when it looked like most were just using Satanism as a cool and rebellious image. It is understandable that they want to feel as if they are taking things to yet another level. In their case, it is more spiritual. At least, that's what they say. The strange thing is that a lot of these bands that belong to the 'Orthodox' Black Metal camp come off as quite feeble-minded and laughable. The same goes for many associated 'Satanic' organizations, such as the Temple of the Black Light. These people seem as if they spend all of their free time studying scripture, rather than listening to old Bathory records. Their lyrics reflect a severe devotion to the Book of Lies, also known as the bible. Whereas the preceding generations of Black Metal musicians had a firm grip on reality in the sense that they recognized Judeo-Christian mythology as the nonsense that it is and wrote about destroying it, modern bands are true believers in the Great Lie. Erik Danielsson of Watain has stated in interviews that he believes in god and that faith is important for his religious beliefs, going on to remark that he has nothing to say to those that would try to tell him that none of this exists. He is also quoted as stating that religion means everything to him and that those who want to see the destruction of the church are humanists, basically trying his best to rehash some of the views espoused by Euronymous, years earlier. In other words, it is the same as trying to explain to a Christian that Jesus never existed and was nothing more than an amalgamation of pre-existing mythological characters and the fact that anyone that believes in the reality of Judeo-Christian mythology is brainwashed and / or mentally deficient. This breed of theistic Satanists almost seem to be working to the opposite effect of those that came before them; i.e. necessitating the existence and legitimacy of god based on their spiritual stance. Unfortunately, many of today's Black Metal musicians spend more time studying theology than history, and they are willingly brainwashing themselves into believing in one of the greatest hoaxes to ever plague mankind. As a result, they are spreading this filth to their followers.

It is a sad thing that so many humans are afflicted with herd mentality. Most people want so desperately to be part of something, no matter what it is, just so they won't be alone. All too often, Heavy Metal in general has been looked upon as some sort of boys' club or a refuge for rejects. Those that think for themselves or analyze things with a critical mind are more and more in the minority while the sheep continue to follow their misguided shepherds. This is quite prevalent within the Black Metal scene. As if it is not bad enough that we have all of these idiot bands that try to give legitimacy to the bible with how they constantly refer to it as anything other than a work of fiction; the majority of their fans are just as weak-minded as they are. In what can be looked at as a form of idol-worship, many fans these days take on the beliefs of the bands that they listen to. That is not to say that all of them really believe, since it is quite common for people to put on an image that has nothing to do with their true thoughts. Still, a great number of these morons really seem to soak up anything that their 'masters' say. How many people were running around in the underground preaching chaos and talking about this 218 business before Dissection returned, or Watain's subsequent adoption of these themes? Practically no one. But as soon as their favourite bands started spouting off about it, suddenly, the Black Metal scene was filled with new bands and legions of sheep that were obsessed with this. There then came a noticeable shift in what these fans were spending their money on. Less and less were they buying the actual albums or t-shirts or even bullet belts and spikes. Increasingly, they began spending all of their spare cash on occult books and religious texts in general. It all may come down to some huge conspiracy to raise book sales for Jewish occult authors. To further demonstrate the Jewishness of all of this, think of the founder of the Temple of the Black Light. 'Vlad' was a Dissection fanboy and hanger-on that possessed no musical talent of his own and whose only attempt at creating something was a sad imitation of old Abruptum. Yet somehow he managed to weasel into the scene and brainwash Jon to the extent that he was involved in a senseless murder that ruined his life and cost him several years where he could have been making albums with Dissection, as well as convincing him to sign over the rights to Dissection's music, prior to his death. This is not Satanic behaviour. It's purely Jewish. Of course, like many, it looks as if the organization that he spawned just picks and chooses random things from various mythologies, creating their own 

Eventually, the bands and fans alike should realize that training to become a biblical scholar does not make you more evil than the next person, nor does writing lyrics that come off as twisted bible verses make you more intelligent than the older bands that wrote about raping nuns and killing priests. This shift is one reason why the original vocalist for Deathspell Omega left the band, as he saw the writing on the wall. Putting all of this faith into the Great Lie of Judeo-Christian mythology is a sign of mental weakness. If these bands want to one-up those that came before them, without risking jail-time by setting fire to churches or killing people, then the only other option is to actually put some effort toward making worthwhile music. Very few modern bands are even bothering with this aspect of it, preferring to use various gimmicks to try to set themselves apart from the older bands, when it is clear that their music is vastly inferior, in most cases. Even bands that have made decent music lose some respect when they go on talking about their theistic Satanism and how well versed they are in Jewish nonsense. All they are doing is making themselves look ridiculous and contributing to this growing trend. It is sometimes good to understand and know your enemy, but these people would do well to put down the bibles and spend more time with their guitars.