Venom's Influence on Bathory

In the beginning, there was Venom. This trio represented the birth of Black Metal (or the broader, yet annoying term, 'Extreme Metal'). Evidence of their influence was apparent, within a few years. The spawn of Venom were spread far and wide, from America (Slayer) to Switzerland (Hellhammer) to Germany (Sodom) and, yes, even to Sweden (Bathory). It would not be correct to say that Venom was the sole influence for all of these bands, yet it is easy to see that they laid the foundation that the others built upon and inspired them to do so. Some, such as Hellhammer and Mayhem, were quite vocal about the importance of Venom. While each band went on to make their own mark in the realm of Black Metal, they never denied those that came before them. Yet, for whatever reason, Bathory's founder and main figure, Quorthon, spent a lifetime denying that Venom had any influence on his work, whatsoever. However, this seems impossible.

First off, Bathory is a band that holds significant importance for me. Quorthon's accomplishments are worthy of the utmost respect and admiration. The man was a musical genius and created classics that have stood the test of time. The old Bathory albums, more or less, defined Black Metal for future generations and the Viking-era material created an entirely different sub-genre of Metal. Ultimately, while each band had their share of highs and lows, Bathory reached heights that Venom dared not even attempt. Nonetheless, it is very difficult to believe any claims that Bathory was not influenced by Venom. The question remains, was Venom part of the foundation on which Bathory built its legacy?

Obviously, many noticed the similarities right from the outset. Some derided his work as Venom worship or called Bathory a simple clone band, which was not the case at all. Unfortunately, it would see that the negative criticism led Quorthon to try his best to distance himself from Venom, as much as possible. It is understandable, to some degree, but it does not change the facts. But what are the facts?

In an interview from 1987, Quorthon had this to say, when confronted about the Venom issue:

"I don't think there are any similarities musically between Venom and Bathory at all. But I do think Black Metal - which I heard for the first time 3 months after we formed Bathory - is one of the best albums ever made because it has genuine feeling. At that time there was no speed or thrash around, so Venom were very unique, even though they wimped out later on and spoiled the whole thing. I mean At War With Satan and Possessed are shit compared to Black Metal."

Earlier in the same interview, when asked when the band was formed, he said March 1983. Okay, three months after March 1983 would have been June 1983. So, here, in an interview from 1987, he is saying that he heard Venom for the first time, before recording the first Bathory album. It wasn't until June 1984 until the band entered the studio to record the self-titled debut. This was a full year after hearing Venom for the first time and deciding that Black Metal was one of the best albums ever made.

In this 1988 interview, Quorthon seems to have slipped up and actually admitted the influence, when he was asked directly:

"Well, I listened to Motörhead and Venom. Venom call us dickheads you know, but that doesn't bother us, 'cos we're bigger. The comparison comes from the fact that there are 3 of us, 2 have black hair and one is blond, and we wear leather and chains."

In 1994, another interviewer attempted to call Quorthon out on this matter, citing that the self-titled debut album was a rip-off of Venom. The response given was somewhat vague, yet possibly exposed part of the deeper reason for this denial:

"Not true at all! It was coincidence. I never really listened to Venom before we recorded our debut record. If you speak to true Black Metal fans, they'll cite ourselves and Venom as influences. They don't regard Bathory as having ripped off Venom at all. We are equally as important to the scene."

Quorthon says that he never really listened to Venom before the recording of the album. This could be taken in several ways, the most obvious being that he was aware of Venom and, maybe, was trying to imply that he didn't listen to them all that much. As in, perhaps, he gave the albums a few spins or something to that effect.

But the true motivation may lie in the comment that followed, regarding how the fans see Bathory as equally important to the Black Metal scene. To admit that Venom had a strong influence on Bathory would be to, somehow, limit its importance. Indeed, Bathory was incredibly important for Black Metal. Quorthon took what Venom had done and perfected it. There's no shame in that, just like there's no shame in the fact that Venom, openly, admit to having been influenced by the dark atmosphere of early Black Sabbath, the speed of Motörhead and the attitude of Punk Rock. But, as Quorthon has said in the past, it was only a coincidence that they shared the same influences. He's quick to point out Black Sabbath and Motörhead, as well as Punk bands like GBH and The Exploited, as influencing and inspiring the early Bathory albums. Somehow, though, it would seem that he was unaware of Venom's existence. Yet the timeline for this 'discovery' keeps changing.

In this 1996 interview, when asked about his knowledge of the underground scene in the early days, he had this to say:

"We had no idea there were so many bands. It was us, Sodom and Celtic Frost, previously Hellhammer. So I went to a record store were I knew a guy who worked and he said, "Here's a band who sounds exactly like you". He had been with us in the rehearsal place, and he put on an album and it was Venom. I was like, what the fuck, are there other bands who play that kind of music too?"

This was, supposedly, around the time between the release of Scandinavian Metal Attack and the recording of Bathory's debut album. Again, acknowledgment of Venom's existence prior to writing and recording the first album. Also, in this same interview, he discusses the artwork for the first record, and lets another bit of information slip out:

"It was a week at the most before the cover was due to be printed, [...] they said we had to make a group photo, a nice cover, front and back [...] in a book I had there was this Baphomet pentagram, but Venom had already done that on their first album, so I thought why not copy this and draw a pair of horns to make it look a bit different."

This contradicts what he wrote, a few years later, as he was working on a book that would present the history of Bathory. The material has since been published on the official Bathory website.:

"Both Venom and Bathory independently borrowed the goat and the pentagram from the paraphernalia and symbolism of the Satanic cult and literature."

So, which is it? Quorthon either knew of the Venom cover, prior to the release of the first Bathory record, or he only heard them later on and discovered that they, coincidentally, used similar imagery. In any event, it was already established that Quorthon knew quite a bit about Venom, before the first Bathory record was released. Yet, in 2001, his story changed again:

"The fanzines and magazines back in the early 80's had a field day when reviewing our first album. The only thing that came to their mind was Venom and so we'd be called Venom clones for years, when in fact we couldn't see or hear any resemblance at all once we actually got to hear Venom."

While not coming right out and saying it, this is a strong implication that the members of Bathory (of which there were three, at the time) had never even heard Venom, prior to the release of the first record. It is presented as if, by recording and releasing their first album, only then were they connected with the underground scene and then became aware of all the other bands that were doing similar things:

"It wasn't until we had our first album out in the summer of `84 and fanzines would contact us and ask for an interview, that we all of a sudden realized there were tons of other young bands around the world doing basically the same thing as us."

Throughout the years, those in the Bathory camp were very defensive on this issue. This is from the official website:

"Around the time the second album The Return of the Darkness and Evil was released, a theory frequently referred to as the "Venom-clones" theory began to shape a lot of people's notion of this brand new act from Stockholm. Probably due to the fact there was very little else to compare with at the time, Bathory - along with probably most other extreme metal acts of the early 80's - would be regarded as an act influenced by Venom exclusively."

Notice that last part, "infuenced by Venom exclusively". Again, the author does not deny that there was an influence, yet only goes so far as to say that Venom was not the only influence. The author continued:

"The fact that Bathory had only just heard about this Newcastle act when interviews for the debut album were conducted in late 1984 and early 1985, was a fact that seemed all the more pointless to defend in the maelstrom of disbelief that would begin to shape much of the media climate in the mid 80's."

Of course, it was quite difficult to believe, when the story kept changing. In one interview, Quorthon said that he heard Venom a few months after Bathory was formed, prior to the recording of the first album. Later, he says that he heard them in-between the first and second Bathory records, because a friend came by their rehearsal space and let him check out this similar band. Then, the story became this:

"I know for a fact I heard a Venom album first time just after the release of the first Bathory album. It was because of our debut album released [...] through Tyfon Records, that Neat Records recognized Tyfon to be a potential distributor of Neat albums in Scandinavia. Hence a promotion package was delivered including [...] the first and second Venom album. I picked all of those Neat albums up at the office one day and had a listen. It must have been in early December 1984. I can’t remember what I thought about it. But it certainly didn’t effect the Bathory material at that time, with the exception I might have been encouraged to deepen the Satanic element more than had been the case with our debut."

So, here, we have a vague admission that Venom had some influence on Bathory's lyrics. Yet, still, Quorthon vehemently denied any musical inspiration:

"If you listen to GBH tracks [...], it’s just so obvious where early Bathory came from in terms of rhythm, song construction and energy. [...] the base for early Bathory was primarily Oi-punk and not something that came out of Newcastle. Not that this is an attempt to make an excuse, or trying to turn no back on anything, or re-writing history here, it's a fact: Bathorys roots were closer to Oi-punk than anything else. Mix the sound and style of Motörhead with the gloom and darkness of Black Sabbath, and let that rest on a solid base of GBH. What you get is something that's raw, primitive, noisy and intense early Bathory."

Of course, for any Venom fan (or merely anyone to have ever read or listened to an interview with Cronos, himself), it's obvious that Quorthon has listed off several of the very bands that influenced Venom, right from the start. It could be a brilliant deception, to avoid admitting the influence of a particular band by simply citing their influences as your own and claiming it was all a big coincidence. Now, I am not asserting that this was the case, here. Traces of Motörhead and GBH are very clear in the early work of Bathory, but the fact remains that Quorthon goes out of his way to deny the influence of another important band, Venom.

It would not be entirely impossible to fathom that he had not heard Venom until later on, but his own story changed too many times to be believed. One might say that, as time passed, the memories faded and the story was altered. However, this is not the kind of thing that Quorthon would forget. Any time that it was brought up, he became very passionate about it and spoke of this 'discovery' in detail... It's just that the details were rarely the same.

Early on, the claim was that he first heard Venom a few months after the formation of Bathory, in the summer of 1983, prior to the first record and even before Scandinavian Metal Attack. Later, he claims that a friend brought the album by their rehearsal place and gave him a listen, in late 1984/early 1985, before the recording of The Return... Then, the story changes and states that he came across the first two Venom albums in the offices of Tyfon records, again in-between the first two Bathory records, and gave them a listen then. He insists that he wasn't all that impressed, though may have been inspired to write darker lyrics, based on the lyrics of Venom. More on that later.

While claiming in later years that the Venom albums made no real impression on him, he had earlier stated (in 1987) that Black Metal was one of the best albums ever, following that up by expressing disappointment in At War With Satan and Possessed. So, at different points, he seems unsure about when he first discovered Venom. He's also not clear about whether or not he liked them, though several interviews he would go on to lament the downfall of Venom, among other 80's bands.

So, what has been established at this point? Quorthon's story regarding how and when he discovered Venom is very inconsistent, as is his opinion on the music. Still, does this truly prove that Venom had a strong influence on Bathory? It would seem to imply that there was an effort to downplay, or totally deny, that Venom held any significance for him as a songwriter and musician. The sound was the result of a coincidental sharing of musical influences between the two bands and nothing more, according to Quorthon. The most he would admit was that there may have been some lyrical inspiration, in early 1985. Then how would he explain this?:

"I gasp for air
I scream for sight
and fight against torment and dread
Calling the vengeance
I tear at the lid and
promise to raise from the dead"

- Bathory, 1984

And the original source for this:

"My lungs gasp for air, my eyes scream for sight
I promise the rise of my body this night"

"I tear at the lid, my fingers they bleed"

- Venom, 1982

For someone that, supposedly, didn't hear Venom until '84/'85 (according to one version of the story), he sure had some true connection with the same spirit or force that inspired Cronos when he penned those lyrics two years earlier. Or, it could be that Bathory was inspired by Venom? Are we really to believe that Quorthon didn't lift song titles from Venom, for the first Bathory record? It's a mere coincidence that in 1982, Venom recorded songs titled "Raise the Dead" and "Sacrifice", and then Bathory did the same in 1984, with no knowledge that these titles had already been used? Not one coincidence, but two, so far. But of the third ripped-off song title, there is no question. The first two could be said to be somewhat generic and not completely impossible for each band to have come up with, independently, despite the lyrical plagiarism evident in the Bathory songs. But the most damning evidence is "In Conspiracy With Satan" which was, of course, inspired by Venom's "In League With Satan".

So, in conclusion, the evidence seems to be against Quorthon, in this matter. Now, am I accusing him of completely ripping off Venom and then denying it for years? No. It is plainly obvious that Motörhead, GBH, Black Sabbath, the oi-punk bands and Venom were all influences on the early sound of Bathory, in one way or another. The problem may have been that people automatically assumed that the band was a 100% Venom clone, when that wasn't true. The quick answer to this is to just deny ever hearing Venom until after the first album, thus eliminating any possible influence and trying to rid himself of this tag as being a Venom clone. Bathory was incredibly important for the Black Metal scene and to be labeled as a simple clone band would have been detrimental to the band's legacy, in Quorthon's eyes.

The point of this article is not to cast Quorthon as a liar or to damage his character in any way. First off, he is no longer alive to defend himself, so this would be terribly inappropriate. More often than not, he always proved himself to be very sincere and open when speaking to the media, or addressing the Bathory Hordes. It would appear that he was a very honest and genuine man, but this one 'controversy' always lingered. I would have been very interested to hear an explanation for all of these inconsistencies and coincidences, as there are just too many to fathom.

Is it completely out of the realm of possibility that two separate bands came along, a few years apart, and were both influenced by the same types of music and then mixed these influences together with their own ideas and came up with similar results? The answer is, of course, no. However, the circumstantial evidence at least creates reasonable doubt as to the extent of the similarities, ranging from image, song titles, album art, music, lyrics and vocal approach.

It isn't a bad thing to be inspired by Venom. Countless bands were. Many of them went on to be influential in their own rights, such as Slayer, Hellhammer and so on. Bathory took what Venom created and perfected it, and Quorthon should have been proud of that achievement. In the long run, Bathory was proven to be the more influential of the two bands, shaping the sound of Black Metal and creating sort of a template for those that followed. Whether or not any of the seeds for this came from Venom, it was Quorthon's brilliance that brought it into existence and nothing can ever erase that.

The Silent Conquest

Europe is being invaded and conquered, without a single bullet being fired in its defense.

Each year, more and more immigrants 'invade' Europe, bringing with them only problems for Europeans.

Europe is not a large continent, by any means. To begin with, there simply is not room enough for such an influx of immigrants. Even worse, the majority of them only make matters worse. Europe is welcoming the dregs of society, rather than the cream of the crop. They seek a higher quality of life than that of their home countries, yet all they manage to do is to lower the quality of life for all Europeans. Crime rates rise, political dissension increases and the uneducated and unskilled immigrants become a burden on the social welfare systems that are in place throughout Europe.

And yet no one does anything about it.

In the wake of WWII, no government leader wants to be placed alongside Hitler and Nazi Germany. There is an atmosphere of guilt, largely due to the liberal media; the same media that uses propaganda to push the idea of a multicultural world and the doctrine of race-mixing that will, silently, lead to the genocide of European/white man.

One of the goals of Adolf Hitler's regime was to create a strong homeland for his people and to eliminate the alien influence of the Jews, among others. He was certainly a visionary as he wrote, in Mein Kampf, "What we must fight for is to safeguard the existence and reproduction of our race and our people, the sustenance of our children and the purity of our blood, the freedom and independence of the fatherland, so that our people may mature for the fulfillment of the mission allotted it... Every thought and every idea, every doctrine and all knowledge, must serve this purpose. And everything must be examined from this point of view and used or rejected according to its utility." Unfortunately, his war was a failure and every idea associated with National Socialism was deemed wicked and evil. From eugenics to the preservation of one's own race and homeland. It all became taboo and led to the creation of a hideous ideology known as political correctness. This is the silent killer.

No one wants to seem racist or hateful, for what others would think of them. Somehow, the idea of being proud of your own race was tied in with hating other races; however, this is only true for Europeans/whites. Others are free to say and do whatever they wish. Furthermore, Europeans are not allowed to defend themselves. It is the same for all of those of European descent, the world over.

If a white man assaults another white man, in self-defense, it is a fairly simple matter. But, if the attacker is a black or Jewish man, then the white man that defended himself would be investigated as a potential criminal, as it is considered a 'hate crime' for someone of European descent to assault someone of another race, for whatever reason. While it is true that Europeans dominated the world for some centuries, often utilizing force and cruelty, this does not justify the current policies that are driving our race to extinction.

Not only are Europeans apathetic with regard to their own dismal fate, but they act as martyrs. They are taught that their ancestors were evil for dominating the world for so long, so now they are timid and weak. They don't want to seem wicked, so they turn into doormats. European states actually tolerate and cater to Muslims, who complain that the freedom of speech enjoyed in the West is against their beliefs; yet they chose to enter lands where they were not wanted. Whether you are a Muslim immigrant in Europe or a New Yorker relocating to China, when you go to a new place it is your responsibility to adapt to the new surroundings, not everyone else's obligation to accommodate you!

The sons of Odin/Wotan are weak and corrupt. Many adhere to the fictional Judeo-Christian mythology, which begins the process of poisoning the mind and indoctrination, thus influencing them at their very core. This is compounded by the propaganda spewed by the media, which is eventually accepted as fact. In truth, most Europeans/whites don't realize that they are on the losing end of a genocidal war that will claim their race and, in time, erase their achievements (some of the greatest achievements of the human race) from history.

The nations of Europe allow the immigrants to pour in and to ruin everything that they touch. Once inside, they begin influencing political opinion, the crime rates rise, and they also out-produce the European population. In time, this will lead to the people of Europe dying out and the continent will, silently, be inherited by the outsiders that were rotting the various nations from the inside.

This grim fate is well known, yet no one will lift a finger to even try to prevent it. How is it that it has become "wrong" to defend your borders against unwanted intruders? What happened to the Europe of old, banishing unwelcome groups from their realms? If the Jews, Muslims and Africans want to call us racists, let them do so from their own lands.

One can look to Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings for a simple analogy. The forces of the west are scattered and unfocused. Our leaders have betrayed us; i.e. Saruman siding with Mordor and gathering swarthy armies to destroy Middle-Earth. The time for dissension is over. Unless the leaders of Europe come together to protect their homeland, we will be eradicated from the face of the earth. Not only that, but the accomplishments of our civilization will be forgotten. The Orcs would no more preserve the beauty of Rivendell than the Muslims will maintain the art, literature, architecture or philosophy of Europe. The invaders have only one thing in mind and that is to eliminate us and our culture, completely. They haven't the military might to do it by force; nonetheless, thanks to decades of pacifism, all they have to do is sit and wait.

The Islamization of Europe is not occurring overnight, but it is happening. The European nations are dying and the populations in them are turning into hostile Muslim populations. The worst thing about this all is that it is being allowed to happen. If we (Europeans and those of European descent) had a more positive relationship to our blood, our race, our culture, our homeland and to our ancient beliefs, we would not be destroying this with modern 'civilization' (id est pacifism, apathy, capitalism, materialism, pollution, multiculturalism/race mixing, Judeo-Christianity, urbanization, globalization, Americanization, et cetera). As Varg Vikernes once stated, "The 'nazi ghost' has scared millions of Europeans from caring about their blood and homeland for sixty years now, and it is about time we banish this ghost and again start to think and care about the things that (whether we like it or not) are important to us." At the current rate, we will be completely forgotten in a matter of a few generations. Our achievements will be attributed to the Muslims, Africans and Asians that seem poised to inherit Europe and we will forever be written out of history. The legacy of our people will be stolen or simply forgotten.

In the words of Odin:
"Cattle die, kindred die,
Every man is mortal:
But I know one thing that never dies,
The glory of the great dead"

But, at the rate things are going, who will be left to remember such glorious deeds?

Whether we want it or not, this war is upon us. Now, we can either take action or die quietly, having the satisfaction of not offending the "poor" invaders that have come to destroy us, our culture and our land. And that is exactly what they intend to do. Many of their forefathers were not able to create a civilization on the same level as that of Europe. Rather than create their own and earn it, they wish to steal what is ours; that which was forged by the blood and tears of our ancestors. The deeds and great works of our people will soon belong to the Dark Menace.

This alien presence should be repelled and banished from Europe. After WWII, the Soviets shifted massive populations of people from one country to another, especially in the case of Germans living in Eastern European countries. A similar process should take place, in the near future. Then, some sort of barrier could be erected to prevent them from returning. Harsh policies should be instituted, banning immigration of all but the very best, and even then in limited numbers. A top scientist from India or China should be welcome, but as a visitor only. Low-level, uneducated criminals from Africa or Islamic extremists have absolutely no place in Europe, period.

And that brings up another significant point. The immigrants are, largely, made up of garbage that was rejected by their own kind. Our homelands become infested with even more simple-minded idiots that spend their days reproducing, committing crimes and leeching off of the government, abusing the social welfare system. Then, of course, the aid is no longer available when hardworking, law-abiding citizens need it. The situation may be a bit different, were it not the lowest scum from each country being cast off and welcomed in by the pacifist governments of Europe and North America.

And it's not a matter of claiming one race to be superior to another. What it boils down to is that the majority (but not the entirety) of all immigrants represent the most inferior members of their particular race. Of course, each race is contaminated with low level gene trash that should have been aborted, and the European/white race is no exception. All races would benefit, greatly, from cleansing their ranks and allowing only high quality individuals to survive and procreate.

Once we eliminate the alien presence and secure our borders, then we can begin the process of cleansing our own kind, for the influence of the Jews, Muslims, Africans, et cetera has long corrupted the minds of weaker individuals. While extermination may be deemed too cruel or barbaric by some, we can at least sterilize them so that when they die, their inferior genes are not passed on. Only through maintaining and preserving only the strongest, most intelligent and most beautiful of our own race can we ensure that future generations will ascend to a higher level of being. And those descendants will need a safe homeland in which to thrive.

That is the most important thing. It has nothing to do with superiority/inferiority, or dominating the world by enslaving or killing off entire populations. It's about each race having the right to a homeland for their people, where they can be among their own kind and not have their culture undermined and corrupted by unwanted outsiders.

Let the Muslims fight over different pieces of their precious desert. Let the Africans have their jungles. Let them all have the United States, for it is nothing but a great toilet, anyway. Europe is our home, and we should defend it with our very lives.

How ironic that the race that once dominated the world will soon fade into oblivion without so much as a feeble whimper.

On Nature and Humanity

When making the terrible mistake of engaging in conversation with those of feeble intellect, it is common to run across the pathetic human opinion that animals are beneath us. People have actually convinced themselves that we are superior to every other animal on the planet. Notice, I said "other". Despite the foolish beliefs held by Christians (and similar moronic groups), humans are not divine entities. We are animals, just like the mighty mongoose. Indeed, we may have nicer toys, but this doesn't make us superior. When it comes down to it, we're not even the most intelligent creatures on the planet.

What other animals have created such a hell on earth for themselves, via the invention of civilization? Sure, there exist a variety of social structures among the various life forms that inhabit the planet, but how many ants do you see shaking down other insects for 25% interest on a loan? The primary concerns of most other organisms are what we consider to be quite basic; food, shelter, procreation. If a lion can get up and have a nice meal, shag his mate and have a dry place to sleep in the case of rain, he's had a bang-up day. As for humanity, we've simply made things far too complicated to ever achieve anything less than pure misery. We can hide it well (some better than others), but it can't be avoided.

There's no need to take my word for it. Science is all one needs to determine the obvious fact that animals are superior to people. Biologically it can be proven that animals are superior to mankind. Animals have stronger and more alert senses than humans. Throughout the history of civilization and across various cultures, humans have always viewed themselves as superior over nature and animals. This can be shown through their treatment of nature and animals. Humans have no regard for the world around them or the other creatures with which they share this environment. It can be said that the ultimate goal of humanity is to exert control over all nature. This is a sad and arrogant concept. Despite all of the technological advances of mankind, one good earthquake is enough to serve as a reminder that we are not as in control as we would like to think. The fact of the matter is that humans live in denial that they are, indeed, animals and that they are not much different from those creates living in the forest. The most striking difference is that, biologically speaking, humans are really the inferior animal. This false notion of superiority comes through the arrogance brought on by technological advancements. Take away the cars, cell phones and computers and you're left with practically nothing. Really, all it would take is the elimination of electricity to level the playing field, to a degree. The human world is so dependent on this one thing that all of civilization would crash in its absence. Then, humans would get back to what they're best at.

Rape, torture, murder... These are the things at which people excel. You don't see animals torturing one another for the hell of it. You also won't hear of a full-grown bear abducting a newborn cub and raping it. Even jackals won't attack a pregnant jackal for the sake of stealing her unborn child to sell on the black market. That's what people are good for. People deceive one another, out of greed or malice. If an animal pulls one over on another animal, it's probably because they're looking out for themselves and their prime objectives of food, shelter or self-preservation. Most animals will do their best to keep themselves out of trouble, unless it concerns one of these issues. Animals don't kill unless it's necessary. What about humans? They have no problem killing for sport. Even fundamentalist Christian scum that value all human life, no matter how worthless, care little for the fate of other animals. I've heard, with my own ears, a Christian claiming that animals were only put here, by their fictional Jewish god, to serve mankind. They're here to provide food and slave labor. This is a most disgusting notion.

But it's part of human nature to deny reality and to elevate themselves to some important role in the grand scheme of things. That's one reason so many foolish religious groups see fit to claim that they are better than everyone else because they worship a different false deity than the rest. Most people feel superior to the rest of humanity, so it is no surprise that they view themselves as superior to nature and animals. This total disregard for other animals, and nature as a whole, is the leading cause of many problems that the world is facing today. It's fine for humans to abuse one another. For all I care, the entire human race can drop dead tomorrow, myself included. Yet it angers me to see how people treat animals. I'm not just speaking about the fact that we're destroying their natural habitats and then slaughtering them when they happen to stray into someone's back yard. I'm also talking about animal cruelty. How many of you have seen one of these programs on television where they go to rescue a pet from an abusive owner? That's right, people have these animals in captivity and then torture them. Some starve their pets near death or beat them, without remorse. Others train their dogs to fight, so they can make money off of the blood of man's best friend. In this twisted society, you can get locked away for so much as looking at someone the wrong way, but it's much more acceptable to torture and kill defenseless animals. That is how many people view the matter. These pieces of garbage should be fed their own entrails and then set on fire.

Until someone with half a brain is able to take power and annihilate most of humanity, it will be necessary somehow to convince humans to overcome their inherent nature and to respect animals and nature. These viewpoints by humans are a basis for the degradation of nature. These viewpoints must first be overcome if humans are to not degrade nature. It seems incredibly stupid that people could truly believe the filth that spews from their mouths; the mere thought that we are above the other animals is ridiculous. Returning to a biological point of view, let us take a quick look at the five senses.

Think about sight amongst humans and animals in terms of sight clarity, distance, nocturnal vision, infrared, eye structure, and evolving to not rely on sight. With regard to hearing, lok at it in terms of pitch, distance or range of hearing, ear structure and hearing clarity in all directions. Even the most feeble-minded can recognize the differences regarding how strong the sense of smell is, distance of picking up a smell, and nose structure. Though some might discount this, taste can also be considered in terms of sensitivity towards hot and cold, tasting bad or possibly dangerous food. Touch can be looked at in terms of sensitivity, sensing vibration, etc. It doesn't take a scholar to ponder these things and to realize that we are the inferior ones. Another thing to think about it the ability of animals to communicate, using various different methods such as all the senses. How do humans compare? They don't. Even when we are speaking the same language, we typically fail at getting our point across. History is clear proof of this. Despite these weaknesses, people still disregard other forms of life than their own.

How often have you read reports of an animal getting murdered because it dared to cross some meaningless property line? Humans enter the hunting ground of another creature and set up shop, only to shoot the poor things because they get hold of some livestock; i.e. cost the landowner some money. No one blinks an eye. But if an animal bites a person, everyone is in an uproar and no one is satisfied until the 'evil beast' has been put to death. Yet no one understands that animals aren't evil. It's not even something that they are capable of.

Evil is a concept invented by man. However, going along with this idea, it is evident that the only true evil in this world is within man, himself. We are flawed creatures, but creatures, nonetheless. Some would say that we're no better than the other animals. I say we're far beneath them. What do we have that sets us apart from the rest? Opposable thumbs? Is that it? We seem pretty keen on our ability to write and speak. In actuality, we're fairly useless. Everything that we do is meaningless. It's sad that we have such weapons and so on, otherwise we'd have been extinct long ago. We have no claws or teeth suitable for defending ourselves. Without the thumbs and the large brains (that we don't even harness to its full potential) we'd have been lunch meat for some other animals a long time ago.

It's time for people to open their eyes and learn their role in this world. It certainly is not that of master of all things. Perhaps, if humans showed a little more concern for the rest of the animals and stopped placing so much value on every insignificant human life, the world wouldn't be such a miserable place.

On the Growing Threat of Music Piracy

Back in the early 1980s, the BPI (British Phonograph Industry) came up with the slogan, “Home Taping Is Killing Music”. Of course, making cassette copies was not a big deal, whatsoever. Aside from the labels themselves, few likely believed that is was a true danger to the music industry. In particular, tape trading was one of the key elements in the underground Metal scene. Whether it was bands trading their own demo tapes to other bands, or fans making copies for friends in order to expose them to new music, home taping was hardly an evil thing in the eyes of the musicians.

Today, the problem has grown. Technology has evolved, and the danger has grown at a significant rate. Music piracy is something that everyone should be concerned about, from the labels to the bands and, yes, even to the fans. Innocent home taping has now been replaced by downloading, which is the most common form of theft. And make no mistake about it, downloading is a form of stealing. Unfortunately, most people see it as their “right” to be able to access music for free. They will argue, vehemently, and defend this practice. Of course, they will also complain when a computer error causes them to “lose” their collection.

First off, downloading an album is not the same as owning it. Sadly, many know very little about this. For those that have grown up in this age, the concept of going out and buying a CD seems archaic. They'll scream from the rooftops, “Why pay for something when you can have it for free?”, yet they don't realize that everyone involved is being cheated.

Those who engage in this practice are robbing themselves of quite a bit. Imagine being told of a band that you would probably enjoy. You get a brief description, enough to pique your interest, and maybe the recommendation to seek out a particular album. It takes root in your mind, and your interest grows. Eventually, you find a way to hear a song from that very record, whether you called a radio DJ a dozen times, in the middle of the night, or happened to catch it while in the car with someone. Now, you've got a little taste, and you're dying to get your hands on this album. You go to all of the record shops, but no luck. Maybe you end up having to special order it, or you happen across it in a catalog. Whatever lengths you had to go to, it was all worth it when you finally had the album in your hands. That was all part of the experience. An album isn't merely the music, itself. Otherwise, no one would put forth the effort into designing the packaging, getting the right cover art and choosing the right band photos. The aesthetics play a role in the presentation of the music, as well. And then there are the lyrics and liner notes. In the old days, occasionally, one would discover even more bands through the “thanks list” of a band that you already like, assuming that they may associate with similar groups. There are many different aspects to the whole process. Spending money on something that matters to you and, in turn, supporting the music that you care about is another integral part of this. Because you invested time and money into acquiring the album, you're much more likely to truly explore it and to get the most out of it. People have a tendency to take things for granted, when they get them for free.

A good point that some would bring up is that, after going through so much trouble, they would often get stuck with something that didn't live up to their expectations. For them, downloading is a way to preview the album before making the decision of whether or not to purchase it. I could see some value in this kind of approach, yet far too many download the music and never think twice about buying the CD. The concept is quite simple: If you like it, seek it out. If you don't like it enough to buy it, then it should get deleted. I mean, if it's not worth paying for then it's not worth listening to. By the same token, if it's worth listening to then it's worth dropping some cash on. A lot of people whine that they wouldn't have as much music as they do if they had to actually pay for it. Tough shit. Part of having a respectable music collection is knowing how long it took you to amass such a collection of records, cassettes and CDs. I can look at my music collection and know that I've been building on this since childhood. I can pick up a certain album and remember where I bought it and when. I can recall whether I listened to it for the first time on my stereo at home, if I took it to a friend's house or if I couldn't wait and had to listen to it in the car as soon as I came out of the store. What do you get when you download something? Nothing. No memories. No sentimental value. Just a bunch of files on your computer. And, chances are, since it comes so easy and conveniently, it doesn't mean as much. Furthermore, you are less likely to really spend a lot of time getting familiar with each album, since you're rapidly downloading as much as your PC will allow. See, when you have to actually pay for your music, you get to take time to explore each album, since you won't be able to afford another for a week or maybe a month. The whole process is different.

Have I downloaded music? Yes, I have. By late 2006/early 2007, I began downloading rare and hard-to-find stuff that I'd never be able to get my hands on, without being robbed on eBay. In cases such as this, I fully support whatever form of piracy that you choose to utilize. When it comes to something that is out of print, such as a demo or something along those lines, do what you must. To be honest, I got to the point where I was previewing albums as well, but something crossed my mind. This method was lacking something. It just wasn't the same. I hated the idea of my first time experiencing an album being in some false manner, such as listening on the PC.

Still, some will say that downloading isn't so much different from home taping. I used to do a lot of that, when I was younger. In my view, it isn't the same. Having something on a tape was a step down in sound, not just the lack of packaging. Downloading offers the ability to have the same quality (though not always) and the music can then be burned to a CD that possess all the capabilities of the genuine article. It can be used to make even more copies, without losing anything in sound quality. Back when we traded tapes, if you then chose to share that with someone and recorded onto another tape, the sound quality got worse and worse. By the time you had a fifth or sixth generation copy, Iron Maiden's Somewhere In Time could end up with the same production quality as Hellhammer's Satanic Rites. You got to check the music out, but it wasn't a very good substitute and it made you want to go get the album to get the full experience.

To continue along with this, one has to wonder how so many people try to impress others with their knowledge, or possession, of obscure bands. Years ago, this may have been something worthy of respect. Now, it's meaningless. When someone can hear of a band and then download their whole discography two minutes later, it kind of nullifies any sort of credibility that one might achieve by either knowing of an obscure band or "owning" a rare release. In the past, it was a big deal that someone was able to track down and obtain such an album, but everything is instantaneous now, so this is completely irrelevant.

There are tons more that have a 'collection' of hundreds or even thousands of albums that they never intend to buy. Some will complain that they could never afford so many albums, otherwise. I starved myself when I was a teenager to have money for albums, but I managed to get what I needed. Anyone that tells me that some 15 year old kid really needs to get into Metal and then download 500 albums in the span of the week is missing out on something, just like that kid will by not learning to appreciate the music by having to seek it out and pay for it. When it's all just a click away, it loses a lot of meaning. And this doesn't even touch on the fact that those who download with no intention of buying are robbing the bands, in a sense, and not doing their part to support the music that they supposedly care for.

Oddly, I've noticed that a lot of music thieves feel no guilt because they assume that they are only robbing the record labels. They claim that they still support the bands by going to gigs and buying t-shirts. Think about that for a moment. It is not only conceivable, but probable, that if the downloading of an album is of a large enough scale that the popularity of a band/album will be skewed and the label will see no need to heavily promote the band, based on the perceived poor fan response. If they choose to not properly promote a band that doesn't appear to be moving many records, this means less tours (if any). Why send them on tour to promote an album or to market merchandise when their research tells them that no one cares about the band? In that case, none of those that intended to support their favourite groups, by going out to see them play live and buy a few t-shirts and stickers, will get that chance. In time, if the problem is severe enough, you may just hinder some bands from even being able to make music anymore. If a label sees that they're losing money on a particular band, there's less of a chance that they'll care to finance another record when they can only expect it to be a "failure" as well.

In time, this can progress to the point where the underground labels lose their distribution and then vanish. Not only are bands unable to record more albums (unless they can afford to record and release them on their own), but even their back catalogs will be at risk, with no more underground labels to reissue them and no distributors willing to bother with it. That means less CDs, cassettes and vinyl for those of us that actually care to collect it all. As for you music thieves, if no one can get the albums and rip them into their pc so that you can download everything, where do you think it will come from?

Often, the cry will be heard that the band members won't starve to death if they sell a few less CDs. That's not the point. Ask yourself this: would it be alright if people stole from you, so long as you weren't in critical financial condition? It's the principle of the matter, though few people have principles these days.

On the Modern Black Metal Scene

When I think about the current state of the modern Black Metal scene, I am filled with disgust. Surely, this kind of music isn't the only one that has these (or similar) problems, but it is the one that I am most familiar with, thus, the one I intend to critique. This isn't necessarily going to be very objective and I don't expect this to change anything. There's no deep motivation for writing this, just a simple desire. Maybe it will open some eyes to what seems to be a growing problem. More likely, it will simply be some form of catharsis. The groups of people that I am taking aim at are not all the same, yet many share the same characteristics. I will do my best to separate them and to bring a little clarity to this rant. I want to take a look at several issues that seem to plague the modern Black Metal scene and analyze them, to a degree.

Disrespect for, or Ignorance of, the First Wave

In the beginning, there was Venom. They took the style of Motörhead and punk rock, along with the atmosphere of early Black Sabbath and made something that was quite unique, at the time. From the start, they laid down the framework for a new sub-genre of Metal. Actually, they were quite influential for a few different ones, also including Death and Thrash Metal, but the focus of this piece is Black Metal. It was all there, right from the first song of their debut album; the hellish sound, the fast pace, the chaotic feeling, the substandard production, the harsh vocals, the occult imagery and lyrics. One could go on for quite some time, outlining just how important Venom was for underground Metal, in general. For one reason or another (perhaps their open admission that they weren't all that serious about their Satanic image), Venom gets written off, even by a lot of fans that do care about the old bands. They seem to think that Bathory and Hellhammer represent the true beginning of Black Metal.

Let's look at Hellhammer, for a moment. Despite being a complete scumbag, Tom Warrior never tried to deny the huge influence that Venom had on his decision to form a band. The story is pretty common, regarding Tom and Steve Warrior, hanging out in 81 or 82, listening to Venom and playing with the speed, slowing down the play-back of "In League With Satan". Now, this Swiss outfit was sloppy as Hell, but they were doing their best to pay homage to Venom and it is safe to say that Satanic Rites and Apocalyptic Raids would not exist without this influence. Furthermore, Morbid Tales and To Mega Therion were only possible because of the work done under the Hellhammer name. Of course, we can go down the line and speak of the bands that were influenced by Hellhammer and Celtic Frost, such as Obituary and Darkthrone, for example. And, of course, without the sound that Darkthrone established on their first few albums, a good number of current bands never would have come into existence. And it can all be traced back to Venom.

Bathory was another band that was highly inspired by Venom, despite how many times Quorthon denied it in the early days. Bathory was responsible for taking what Venom had started and really perfecting it. Bathory would go on to record classic albums that influenced Darkthrone (probably moreso than Hellhammer did), Immortal and countless other Black Metal bands, as well as Viking Metal acts that owed a great deal to the later Bathory albums. Yet there would have been no sound to perfect had Venom not created it in the first place. But this isn't being written for the sole purpose of promoting Venom. All of the underground bands, throughout the 80s, added something to this growing sub-genre. One cannot neglect the contributions of others, such as Sodom, Mercyful Fate, Possessed, Kreator, Destruction, Mefisto, Sarcofago, Tormentor, Samael and so on.

How many times have you run across someone that boasts of how big a Black Metal fanatic they are, only to have them scoff when you bring up bands such as Venom and Mercyful Fate? Sure, everyone knows to name-drop Hellhammer and Bathory. Whether or not they actually care enough to listen to albums such as The Return... or Satanic Rites is another matter. They mention them because, in interviews that they read of bands that they actually do like, some musician claimed an influence from them. So these people respect them in a very shallow manner, if at all. A lot of younger people seem to be the worst know-it-alls when it comes to this. They have no interest in or respect for the bands that laid the foundation for this music. In the rare cases that they do mention them, it's only to pay lip service to bands that they know are respected by others, so they give false praise to them just to hide their ignorance.

Another older band that kind of belongs to both the First Wave and the Second would be Mayhem. This was another band that was heavily inspired by Venom. As the first extreme Metal band in Norway, Mayhem would go on to become very influential, without even managing to release a lot of music. The tale has been told a million times, so it's no secret that Euronymous was a central figure of the Norwegian scene, in its infancy. Thanks to the reputation of Mayhem, he was in a position to influence a lot of musicians that were very open to suggestion. This time period saw a lot of Death Metal bands converting to Black Metal, embracing not only the ideology of this music but also the aesthetics. This was all taken from the First Wave bands such as Hellhammer and Sarcofago. Though Bathory has more of an influence on the sound of the early Norwegian scene and Mayhem gave it is ideology, it all stems back to Venom. However, less specifically, it all owes a great deal to the 80s Black Metal bands.

Black Metal was not invented in Norway. The Norwegian bands are not the only ones that matter and in no way should anyone think that all a band has to do is hail from that country to automatically be considered great. However, as overrated as a lot of the bands are, some were truly special. If you listen to modern Black Metal, ranging from Watain to Clandestine Blaze to Deathspell Omega to Katharsis and so on, it would be impossible not to hear influences from bands such as Mayhem, Darkthrone and Burzum. The Norwegian scene, whether because of the quality of the music or the media coverage, was very influential and a lot of people like to re-write history and downplay their importance. How many bands base their sound off of Transilvanian Hunger, alone? How about old Emperor? Tons. Just listen to the early Graveland albums. People seem very impressed with Deathspell Omega, for example. If you listen to their earliest releases, what you'll hear is nothing more than a tribute to old Darkthrone. The same is true of a lot of other bands, like Craft, Clandestine Blaze, Horna, Satanic Warmaster, Armagedda, etc. After being influenced by others in the Norwegian scene and shifting away from Death Metal, Darkthrone established a sound of their own by fusing their own ideas with strong influences from 80s bands, most notably Hellhammer and Bathory. Without those old bands, they wouldn't have sounded the way they did. And if they never rose up, the legions of imitators wouldn't have existed either. With all of that said, the focus needs to be brought back to the fact that the whole scene in Norway wouldn't have existed without the 80s bands. So, for those that are obsessed with Norwegian Black Metal, or those that are into bands that exist only because of the Norwegian bands, it seems ridiculous to disrespect or disregard the First Wave bands. Some seem put off because they've heard faster, darker, heavier and more extreme bands, without realizing that it had to start somewhere. For others, it is the opposite; they can't get into the old bands because it is too harsh and not nearly melodic enough. The bottom line is that these bands built the foundation that everything else currently stands on, and it is about time they get a little more respect. I don't mean the common practice of mentioning them out of some sort of obligation but, rather, actually exploring these old albums and learning where all of this came from.

The Definition of Black Metal

This is a tricky subject. Growing up during the 80s, around a lot of rockers and metalheads (and reading a lot of the magazines), I was fortunate enough to begin studying music at an early age. To tell the truth, I was obsessed with it. While reading through these magazines or listening to these people talk, it was common to hear Slayer, Mercyful Fate and Possessed labeled as Black Metal. What really constituted Black Metal, back then? A certain image played a part, which all of these acts shared (along with other bands, like Venom, Bathory and Hellhammer) but it was mostly about lyrical content as well as the overall atmosphere and presentation. Dark, Satanic and occult lyrics branded you as Black Metal and albums such as Show No Mercy, Don't Break the Oath and Seven Churches filled all of the requirements. Hell, if anything, Slayer was nothing more than a heavier, faster version of Venom, with better musicianship. How much more Black Metal can it get when Satan is mentioned in every song? Even to take a lesson from the Norwegians (more on that in a moment), reading through interviews with the likes of Euronymous, Dead, Varg, Fenriz and so on, from the early 90s, will show that they had a firm belief that it was lyrical content that determined whether or not it was Black Metal.

The Norwegians are brought up because many seem to think that they invented Black Metal and have the final say on the subject. Surely, they did a lot to resurrect it and to give it its sound and aesthetic (though highly influenced by the 80s bands) but it takes more than simply being Norwegian to be Black Metal. Listen to the early albums from Immortal, Satyricon and Enslaved, for example. They had the look and the general sound of Norwegian Black Metal; i.e. the tremolo guitar riffing, the blast beats, the screeching vocals, etc. But they would be the first to tell you that they didn't play Black Metal because their lyrics weren't Satanic. Immortal said that they played "Holocaust Metal". Satyricon called their brand of music "Medieval Metal" and Enslaved claimed to play "Viking Metal", though it sounded nothing like Bathory's Hammerheart album. For them, the lyrical content was as important, if not more so, than the sound. They even cited Deicide as Black Metal, simply because of the Satanic content of the lyrics. They called it 'commercial Black Metal', but Black Metal nonetheless.

This demonstrates two things. First, that lyrical content was one of the determining factors in whether or not something belonged to this sub-genre, thus indicating that the early albums from Slayer, Mercyful Fate, Possessed and Sodom were, indeed, Black Metal and shouldn't be doubted simply because they don't sound like Darkthrone. Another thing to note is that labels can become subjective to the point of insanity. There comes a point between "Medieval Metal" and "Midnight Stroll By the Lake Near the Forest Metal" where someone has to draw a line. The narrower the categories, the more subjective it becomes as something can fit into several different sub-genres. In this case, the point is that some need to have more of an open mind and realize that bands represent different things to different people. The Norwegians did a lot for Black Metal, but they don't have the final say in how its defined. It's done a little differently in Sweden and in the Czech Republic and in Greece and so on and each scene has its own sound. The beauty of the First Wave was that there were so many bands, including Venom, Slayer and Mercyful Fate that had similar themes and some of the same influences, yet they all had distinct sounds. It is completely asinine for some kid to come along and say that Mercyful Fate wasn't Black Metal, because it doesn't sound like the Second Wave stuff. Ironically, though they seem to worship the likes of Euronymous or Fenriz, they missed the point that both made on numerous occasions, regarding the definition of Black Metal. In the end, there's never going to be a true consensus (or, rather, younger people will continue to neglect the facts), so the 'debate' will rage on.

Internet/Bedroom Bands

In this current age, it is common for a few kids to get together, make some atrocious music (recorded on their PC) and to then set up a MySpace page to showcase this nonsense. A lot of these people are the ones guilty of knowing nothing of where this music comes from, yet having the nerve to try making their own. To really understand this music, as it exists today, one must understand its origins. This is especially true for the musicians. Naturally, a couple guys hear Nargaroth for the first time and, a week later, they're experts that are ready to record their own album. They can't bear to listen to a record like Transilvanian Hunger, and they certainly don't give a damn about Welcome To Hell. I experienced this, firsthand, from a "band" that asked me to do vocals for them.

Eventually, I learned that they had only formed a few months before I met them. Up until then, they were playing some awful form of progressive Death Metal. Upon meeting me, they were inspired to switch their style and play Black Metal. The band was terrible, so any kind of change would probably have been beneficial. The drummer and bassist (somehow, the 'brains' behind this group) were barely out of diapers. The guitarist was a few years older than me, but his main background was in Thrash and so on. The problem was, and this is something that is very typical these days, none of them knew the first thing about Black Metal. Once I was told of their new direction, I gave them several recommendations to get them started, and wished them luck, thinking they may get some feeble grasp on things within a year or two. Instead of going out and getting the albums and truly studying them and understanding what Black Metal was, the one kid simply downloaded a handful of songs and then began to imitate what he heard, without so much as listening to a single album all the way through! They called me back and asked me to rehearse with them and, sadly, I had to witness this atrocity for myself. I saw as they pieced together a few songs, right in front of me, by listening to bits and pieces of random songs (at least sticking to some of the bands I had recommended, such as Bathory and Mayhem) and created some truly horrible shit and had the nerve to expect me to be impressed by this. Realizing what brain-dead idiots I had the misfortune of getting mixed up with, I soon distanced myself and left them to their own devices. I later heard they jumped on yet another trend, shortly thereafter.

This wasn't an isolated case, by any means. There are countless bands, legitimate or otherwise, that hear a few seconds of a Black Metal song and deem themselves experts, ready to make their own and show everyone how it's done. Yet they know nothing. They don't bother to study the music, to go back and see how it began or to really understand why it even exists. They just want to make something 'extreme', so they copy whatever mediocre stuff they download and record their own horrid filth. There is no meaning to it, beyond mimicking what they've heard. This isn't just limited to the internet bands; this includes a lot of bands that are actually signed to small labels and so on. They churn out senseless garbage that adds nothing to the music and is 100% imitation of what has already come before. Was the influence of Bathory and Hellhammer obvious on the old Darkthrone records? Yes, but they also incorporated their own style and blended it together in such as a way as to create something different. If newer bands, whether real or just bedroom projects, would take the time to learn about the history of this music, as well as focus more on creating something with depth and meaning, then maybe there wouldn't be so many grouchy older fans (such as myself) that stereotype 99% of new music as garbage because it's such a waste of time to sift through all the trash to get to anything that might be worthwhile. It appears that they don't know where the music came from or why, they just know that they need to copy it to feel cool or to be accepted in some manner. That's one reason why so many bands exist today that are completely worthless. Their music has no meaning because they don't even understand what they're playing or why. As time goes on, each new generation seems to only be looking to the ones that directly preceded them, failing to look to the beginning as well as to delve into the things that influenced the first ones. The essence becomes more and more diluted, thus the empty and meaningless trash that so quickly multiplies yet has no impact.

"Born-again Nordics"

Scandinavia has a long and rich history. Jordanes called it the "womb of nations". The area of southern Sweden and northern Germany is the birthplace of Germanic culture and history shows that this has been very important in the development of Europe and the development of the world. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, it was the Germanic tribes the reshaped Europe to their liking. From the Goths that descended from Scandinavia and set up kingdoms in Italy and Spain to the countless other Germanic people that established England and the Franks who went into Gaul and laid the foundation for France, or of the Germanic tribes that established the Holy Roman Empire and ruled for centuries until finally forming modern-day Germany, Germanic culture has had a lasting effect on the world. From the earliest Viking raids in the 8th century, along the coast of England to the Danelaw or the establishment of Normandy (from which the Normans would later invade England in 1066) or Kievan Rus (which became Russia and, later, the Soviet Union) the effects of Scandinavian exploration have been felt far and wide. They served as the imperial (Varangian) guard for the Byzantines, established trade routes through their skill an ship-building and navigation and they managed to discover Iceland, Greenland and Vinland (North America). They discovered North America several centuries before Columbus and their great sagas were preserved for later generations to study. Even as late as the 18th century, the Swedish Empire was one of the great powers of Europe.

This doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of the achievements of the Scandinavian people, which go far beyond music, and it doesn't begin to describe the natural beauty of the landscape. Photographs don't do Norway and Sweden any justice as you really have to be there; to go through the forests of Sweden and the mountains of Norway to truly understand how special it is. I have seen all of this for myself and I highly recommend that those interested in traveling to Europe make the time to visit the countries in the north.

What does this have to do with the music? Well, it appears all too common in discussions online and in person that a lot of music fans have these strange ideas about Norway, in particular. They talk about wanting to go there and they're always incredibly impressed to hear that I have been. That would be great, but it's usually for the wrong reasons. Their only interest in Norway or Sweden rests in the music that has come from those countries. They care nothing for the history or the natural beauty or even the pleasant climate. Much like potheads that want to move to Amsterdam, these people have some idealized view of Norway and talk about how bad they want to go there. It is as if they think the streets run red with the blood of Christians and Black Metal is always emanating from the rooftops. But this isn't the worst of it.

There are these people that I have described as "born-again Nordics" that seem to get into the music and, suddenly, discover their Scandinavian bloodline. Funny, how a week before this they were Irish. They go on their MySpace page and put a lot of images of Thor's hammer (or even get a tattoo) and talk about the ways of "their" people and how proud they are of their ancestry, which they usually describe as "Viking" rather than Swedish, Norwegian or Danish. Unfortunately, I encountered one of these losers, recently.

This anonymous person contacted me and began speaking about music (especially Watain), but seemed to be trying too hard to impress me. My suspicions led me to give a closer look to her page, and learned quite a bit from the excessive blog posts, as she was one of those to spill her guts for the whole world to see. Looking back through the entries, the story unfolded. She had just gotten into Black Metal about six months earlier and prior to getting into this, she was a full-fledged Goth kid. It's not that there's anything wrong with changing one's musical taste after being exposed to something new and/or better. But it was all of the ridiculous nonsense that went with it that I found repulsive. Oddly enough, right around the time that she discovered Black Metal, she started writing blogs about how no one understood her "Viking ancestry" and how proud she was to have "Viking blood" running through her veins. It's similar to how I used to hear white, suburban, wanna-be thugs talking about how they had some black in them, as a way to legitimize their interest in rap and the anti-culture that goes along with it. Having pride in one's self or one's heritage is one thing, but having pride in a false heritage is utterly foolish. I like Japanese wrestling, but I don't go around telling people that I'm part Japanese. This is another thing that I've seen running rampant, especially thanks to the internet. But it gets even more ridiculous than that.

There seems to be a lot of Hispanic people, on MySpace that, surprisingly, have a lot of Nordic or Germanic pride. They upload photos of themselves that have been altered to the point where they look white and then add images of Odin or Thor to their pages and glorify their false Nordic ancestry. I'm not saying that none of them have a drop of Germanic/Nordic blood, but be realistic. Even if you have some distant relative, several generations removed, that was from Germany or Sweden, for example, this still looks inane to be celebrating a culture that you aren't a part of. This goes even further to include many dark-skinned Hispanics (obviously, with a lot of Native American blood) that are into NSBM and talk about white pride. They only thing white about them is the alterations done to their photos. How stupid would I look to walk into a Black Panthers meeting and raise my fist 'against the man' and to call them 'brother'? It would be insanity. I can no more have African or Brazilian pride than these people can have white pride. It is a sign of these hypocritical times that some people are so fervent about their beliefs and a pride that is based on utter lies. If you're going to have pride in yourself and your culture, then make sure it is genuine and not some false pride in what you wish you were a part of. There's no need to claim Nordic blood to listen to Norwegian Black Metal. Mayhem's current vocalist is from Hungary and the new line-up of Gorgoroth includes an American bassist. Even the bands, themselves, aren't so picky so there is no cause to lie about your bloodline to gain some sort of credibility nor is it right to show false interest in Norse mythology when you have not studied it and care little for the subject. Again, just because a band that you like glorifies something, it doesn't mean that you must act like you care when you really don't.

Adopting the Beliefs of Others

Another problem is blindly taking on the proclaimed philosophy or belief system of your favourite musicians. This is one of the most frustrating things to see, as it is always good that people are inspired to read or to go beyond their own boundaries and seek knowledge. Yet most of them are out there looking for the wrong things. This is particularly prevalent in the Orthodox Black Metal movement, where so many fans are spending every last dime on various Jew-authored occult books, and also burying their noses in Judeo-Christian holy books and so on, because some band they like has done the same. This is wrong on a few levels. First of all, half the bands are only using this as the next generation of gimmick to get attention for themselves and to somehow separate from the rest. Secondly, it is ridiculous to just adopt beliefs that you know nothing about, just because someone that you idolize has expressed such views. Parroting off whatever Jewish nonsense that you've read in interviews, trying to sound evil or deep yourself is absolutely stupid. And then of course, all this does is spread Jewish mysticism and idiocy even more. Europeans have been afflicted with the disease of Christianity for over 2000 years and this does not help. Theistic Satanists do nothing but add to the belief that all of this stupid shit is real. It is not. It is nothing more than a Judeo-Christian hoax that has been perpetuated far longer than reason and logic should have allowed. Promoting the spread of this type of Satanism throughout Europe is the same as white nationalists that worship the Jewish god. There must be separation of these things. This Judeo-Christian virus must be eradicated or at least expelled from Europe and anywhere that serves as a home for those of European blood. For those that are buying into this (many of them fans of newer DsO and Watain), you are being blinded by this foul Jewish plague. As for the rest, the ones claiming to be into this but not even purchasing the books and wasting their time on such research, you look twice as foolish for trying to emulate morons. 

NSBM

What can be said about National Socialist Black Metal? The very name seems to be a contradiction. If the lyrics are politically oriented and having nothing to do with darkness, or Satanic/occult themes, then it's not Black Metal. It doesn't matter if it shares sonic similarities. Black Metal is not merely fast tremolo riffs and blasting drums. But this is a common mistake. That's why a lot of young kids can't understand that the first few Slayer albums and Mercyful Fate, Sodom, etc. were all considered Black Metal, based on the Satanic and dark content. It's not defined by the style of playing, though over the years people have gotten into it and only identified the term Black Metal with the second wave sound, for example.

I have always despised the overt mixing of politics and Metal. This stems back to my younger days, finding myself irritated with a lot of the Thrash bands that were doing this. Maybe it is better suited for that style, but these socially conscious themes have nothing to do with the essence of Black Metal (or Death Metal, for that matter). Regarding the ideology itself, I can say that I understand and support some of this. Europe is being silently conquered by the waves of immigrants and there is nothing being done to preserve the European culture. Europeans, and those of European descent, seem to be a dying breed and we are allowing it to happen. That said, I still feel that this really has no place in Black Metal, so this 'NSBM' label is ridiculous. In the end, if I heard a good band from the NSBM scene, I might listen to them anyway. The problem is, I've never really heard one that was very good. All have been quite average or below average, to be honest.

Equally humourous is the idea of "Nazi" bands existing in place like Poland and Russia, though if this is all somehow a mixture of NSBM and Pagan Black Metal (see how all of these divisions become irritatingly unclear), then it may make some sense. However, I'll never understand how or why there are so many non-whites that are so supportive and proud (sometimes even playing!) NSBM or Pagan/Viking/Folk Metal. This goes back to the point made, earlier, regarding people having false pride in things that have nothing to do with them.

Being Drawn to Black Metal for the Wrong Reasons

There is also another phenomenon afflicting the modern Black Metal scene, which can mostly be blamed on the internet. Yes, this tool is very useful and has helped many true Metal fans discover even more bands and keep up with the latest news, as well as keep in contact with like-minded individuals. But it has also made this music more accessible to the wrong kind of people. There have always been two camps regarding this; one side wants to keep this underground so that it is protected and guarded from outsiders that would exploit it and cheapen it and the other side who wants to expose as many people as possible to it, in order to corrupt a greater number of people and to attract those that would be really into it, if only they were exposed to it.

Just like in the mid-90s, there were legions of lonely kids seeking acceptance by wearing flannel shirts and listening to Nirvana or the Hot Topic kids that had the baggy pants and the Marilyn Manson t-shirts, there are countless teenagers that are discovering Black Metal through the internet and using it solely as a means to shock their parents, get attention from others at school and to feel like they are a part of some group.

They live on MySpace, uploading photos that have been distorted and altered to the point where they are no longer recognizable (probably to hide acne-ravaged skin). They make them black and white, lower the brightness levels and then adjust the contrast all to Hell to make it seem more dark and obscure, to 'reflect their inner being'. Or worse, they try the do-it-yourself corpse paint jobs and post those, looking grim with their short hair, Korn t-shirts and baggy pants with all the buckles and such. This is the phase just before they start buying tons of band t-shirts from bands like Burzum and Darkthrone, though they never actually listen to those bands. Albums such as De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas, Hvis Lyset Tar Oss and Under A Funeral Moon are too abstract them them, since they are bereft of all the slick production and catchy hooks of modern mainstream music. That, or they're simply frightened by those bands. They prefer to listen to Cradle of Filth and In Flames, but they have read about the Norwegian Black Metal scene and want so desperately to be considered "true" (what a loathsome word), so they have to have the shirts, anyway. Naturally, they also find some real Metal fan, online, and copy his band list to paste onto their own page. Then they add either occult symbols or images of Norse gods to really spruce things up.

To continue, they use their allowance to buy offensive metal t-shirts and then upload eighty photos, taken from their webcam and sitting in the same spot, with all the different shirts. It doesn't matter if they listen to the bands or not, so long as it looks like they do. It's typically about whatever they perceive as popular, yet rebellious.

A lot of these mental midgets are 'lost, tormented souls, floating through a darkened void and seeking a voice of their own'. No, actually, they're lonely people that spend all of their time on the PC, trying to create some sort of alternate version of themselves to present to other losers that are hiding behind their PC as well. These are the types that are so anguished and depressed because 'Daddy' won't let them have the car keys on Friday night so they have to walk to the game shop to play D&D all night, rather than drive there. These trend whores spend all of their time posturing and posing, trying to put on some image that in no way reflects who they really are. Many seek attention while others just want to fit in. They think that Black Metal is some boys' club, welcoming in any social reject, so long as they pretend to like the music.

Non-musicians Wearing Corpse Paint

Corpse paint is something that has been long abused. It is my belief that it should remain only for the dedicated Black Metal musicians and, even then, only used when it's completely appropriate and the atmosphere calls for it, not used simply as some obligatory gimmick. For example, some symphonic/keyboard band is not likely to be creating the kind of dark feeling that would necessitate something like this, whether it's used for album photos or on stage. In these cases, it's completely out of place. For bands such as Dimmu Borgir or Behemoth, the use of corpse paint is a total joke. There's nothing dark about the pseudo-atmosphere that they create with their ill-disguised pop music. To see it used more properly, refer to old Mayhem and Darkthrone, or the simpler approach used by Sarcofago and others, earlier on. One could mention King Diamond as well, but it would appear that the idea behind his paint was a bit different than, say, Dead's motivation. However, despite the many bands using this only as a sales gimmick, these days, at least they are musicians that are (even loosely) tied to the scene that gave birth to this. There can be debate on who uses corpse paint properly versus those that do not. In the end, it's all subject for debate. Yet in one aspect, there is no debate.

It may seem harmless, but the number of idiots that one encounters online that are posting horrid photos of themselves in corpse paint is ridiculous. I am contacted by these people quite regularly. For me, unless you are King Diamond himself, you need not be making such photos unless you're in a Black Metal band. I don't quite understand the mentality behind it. Particularly, the number of girls that wear corpse paint and try to look evil, when they're most likely sleeping with stuffed animals at night. It's something that, automatically, looks ridiculous on any female, whether you're in a band or not. And, of course, the worst has to be the 16 year old emo loser that discovers some modern, commercial-Black Metal band and then paints himself up to get anoticed. Ah, the corpse paint and short hair, with the Manson t-shirt never fails to impress. Even better when they don't even bother to use paint, but instead choose to fake it in Photoshop or Paint. However, this is all just one step above the ones that actually put it on and go out in public seeking attention. I recall running into some idiot tourists in Oslo, wearing Cradle of Filth t-shirts and wearing corpse paint in the middle of a hot summer afternoon. Could anything look more inappropriate or out of place?

Internet Elitists

So, by now, junior finally got past the point where he was too afraid of listening to Black Metal and has latched on to some mediocre garbage like Nargaroth or Satanic Warmaster. These two, in particular, are favorites of the young Black Metal crowd. They listen to a little bit and proclaim themselves experts on the sub-genre and go on to countless forums, talking down to others and starting arguments about who is more 'true'. It must be mentioned that, at this point, they still don't even own a single Black Metal CD. No, but they've downloaded a handful of albums. Indeed, they download them and then talk about what an extensive metal collection that they have. Chances are, they don't even listen to what they've downloaded more than a few times, unless there's someone around to impress/offend. Oh, and don't forget how they will make sure to tie-in their msn with the media player so everyone knows what they're listening to though, chances are, the media player is on mute and they're listening to pop music on youtube. It wouldn't be right if they weren't trying to impress someone with their obscure taste.

Speaking of which, they'll immediately talk about how bands such as Burzum and Darkthrone are mainstream because (gasp) people have actually heard of them. This won't stop them from wearing the t-shirts and having endless arguments about the murder of Euronymous. They fight back and forth, online (as they'd never have the courage to so much as disagree with someone in person), as if they knew the people involved and like they have so much invested in it. Truth is, the only reason they think these bands are cool is because of all of the media hype that it received, years ago, though they'd never be caught dead listening to the music. Someone else has heard it, so it's tainted for them. They'd rather claim to listen to Carpathian Diabolic Fullmoon Bloodmonger's demo (limited to two copies) because it's obscure and makes them think that they're special. There seems to be a contest going on in their minds about who knows more obscure, unknown bands. It's all about belonging to some group just so that they can then try to make themselves seem above that group as if they are so elite. The world is a harsh, scary place for them so they create their own fictional reality where they are musical experts, out to impress all of their friends. This works best when they are the only Metal fan in their clique, but not so much when they actually interact with real metalheads.

But let's take a few steps back. I said they 'claim' to listen to the most obscure thing possible, yet that is only part of their image. In truth, many don't even like the harsh sounds of underground Metal. They prefer softer albums with slick production and catchy grooves. If they even listen to any form of Metal at all, and not just some sort of pop, it's typically some other harmless nonsense with a lot of synth, no balls and no purpose. These people are scared by the early albums from Mayhem and Beherit. Some write it off as poorly produced noise with no merit. Others claim to like it but never bother to listen to it; it's enough to have the band logos on their MySpace page so no need to listen to it too, right?

One-Man Black Metal Bands

Is anyone else tired of the million or so "bands" that consist of one member? A few people have made it work, but I think most are really stretching it. Everyone thinks they're the next Varg, I suppose. Well, I believe only extremely talented individuals are capable of doing everything themselves and producing anything worthwhile. Then, you have most of these modern "bands" where they simply can't find anyone else to play with so they write and record substandard material that might have had a chance to be good music if they'd had someone to collaborate with when it was being written or simply better musicians to play the music. I notice a lot of this in the USBM scene. I think if a few of these people would give up their nonsense and join together to form a real band, they might have a better shot at rising above the sea of mediocrity. I'll give an example.

Twilight was created by a handful of guys that all had their own one-man projects (for the most part). What they recorded was a pretty decent album that surpassed any of their solo projects in terms of quality. However, once they return to working by themselves, they come up with more sub-par garbage. Another example is I Shalt Become. I like Wanderings, but he could have used a session vocalist, at least. Some of them are a bit comical. I see what he's trying to do, it's just that he's not capable of doing so very well. I can't listen to "Funeral Rain" without thinking there's a train coming around the mountain. Anyone who has this probably knows what I mean.

A lot of times, it seems that these projects feature some guy that has a few interesting ideas on the guitar, but often doesn't have the capability to fully develop these into something really interesting and also has poor drumming skills (or uses a machine) and has awful vocals that need all kinds of effects to try and sound harsh and they still sound lame. I'm pointing a finger at Xasthur and Leviathan as my main examples at this moment. I believe musicians in one man bands need to exceptionally good at what they do in order to make quality music. It's not enough to simply be a good musician. They need to have a rare talent that most do not possess. A good musician can do fine in a full band. They can rely one another's talents and writing abilities. In a one man band you have to be really good at writing music, as well as playing all the instruments and you need to be able to sing well. It's a tall order that most can't fill. I do have respect for those few that can pull this off well, but I truly wish those who are not capable of this would accept reality.

DSBM

"Depressive Suicidal Black Metal"... What a shitty term and what even shittier music. Don't get me wrong. I definitely appreciate a dark and mournful vibe in music, whether it's Black or Doom Metal (the prime areas where such a thing would be found). However, the big mistake is when a band comes along and, usually, it's one of the aforementioned 'one-man bands', since the roots are based in the fact that it's a solitary guy that has no friends and has to play by (with?) himself... The problem is that the band comes along and embraces only one aspect of the overall sound, focusing on the depressive element. If done correctly, creating a somber atmosphere, this could be good. But so rarely is this done well. Usually, it comes off as very lame and something more suitable for a Goth band. Black Metal is supposed to be dark, but not in such a weak, feeble, human way. Save that for Doom or something outside of Metal completely. A band like Burzum or Darkthrone had some melancholic melodies here and there, but they were a part of the greater tapestry of sound. Modern DSBM bands zero in on that one part and then try to make entire songs (hell, entire albums) out of that. And, of course, when there's absolutely no contrast at all, it loses the effect. But that's not even the main problem. It's the continued pussification of Black Metal. More and more, bands come along and think this is the sub-genre for them, so they can write songs about how their girlfriend cheated on them with the milkman or how they had a large zit on prom night. When younger listeners search for depressing music, Black Metal should NOT be the first place they look. Somehow, it's gotten the reputation for being where all the loser goth fags go when they need something a little more underground. That's what Doom Metal should be for. Not every band can be as good as Strid, for example. And anyone that knows that band is aware of the previous incarnation of the band, known as Malfeitor. Strid was simply an extension of that. However, the imitators are usually unable to replicate the same feeling. Nine times out of ten, when someone younger tries to recommend a newer Black Metal band to me, it turns out to be another one of these pathetic DSBM bands. This makes it seem as if the whole sub-genre is going this route; whining faggots crying about their feelings, throwing on some corpse paint and making a shitty album of droning, boring sounds and claiming that it is Black Metal. This is not the legacy of Venom or Bathory.

Mayhem v. Burzum

Spend any time speaking with young Black Metal fans, or even reading through threads on a music forum, and you'll see the conflict between fans of Mayhem and Burzum. This has to be one of the most ridiculous things going on. With Varg's impending release, it will only get worse.

The murder of Euronymous took place in August 1993. This was nearly sixteen years ago. Curiously, most of the people taking part in these debates were either in diapers or not even born yet. Well, perhaps, they were starting kindergarten. Regardless of the specifics, a large majority of those that engage in these futile arguments were completely oblivious to any of this, at the time that it happened.

I'll take this even further by saying that even those who were old enough, to have gone beyond training wheels for their bikes, still didn't care. Black Metal is quite popular, these days, and has been for some time. However, a lot of people have forgotten (or never knew) that it wasn't so acceptable, early on. And I'm talking about the Second Wave, obviously. I'm also taking aim at Americans, for the most part, since they are the ones who populate these forums and such. In America, around 1993, Black Metal fans were in the minority. Their number was far less than one might think. Death Metal was held in higher regard, at the time, with Black Metal often being considered 'weak, faggot music'. It wasn't heavy enough and was quite misunderstood, back then. By the mid-to-late 90s, quite a bit as a result of the media attention, Black Metal became more popular and accepted among these crowds who, then, more fully embraced the sub-genre. Unfortunately, not only did many people begin to embrace Black Metal; too many tried to revise history and claim that they had been into it 'since day one'. These are the sad and pathetic losers who pissed all over Black Metal, when they first heard it in 1998, but then later claimed that they were eagerly anticipating early Norwegian releases, back in 1992. All of this posturing is incredibly lame.

Back to the point at hand; only a very few individuals even have a right to care about the Mayhem/Burzum situation, and that is reserved for those who actually knew the parties involved. If you didn't, personally, know either Varg or Euronymous, then your opinion is irrelevant (though one could argue all opinions to be irrelevant, since no amount of discussion will change what occurred). The fact that people take sides in something that had, long ago, become a closed case is beyond stupidity. One can stretch this a bit, to include those that were fans of these two bands, at the time the murder took place. For those who were hardcore Mayhem fans, already in 1993, it is acceptable that you might have been angry that one of your favourite musicians was killed. Similarly, if you were a die-hard Burzum fan, you have every right to express disappointment that he would no longer be free to make music as he previously was. But for someone who never even heard of either band until 2006, for example, to play 'internet tough guy' with others and argue this subject as if they have some stake in it, when it had already been over and done with many years before they were even aware of it, shows a lack of intelligence that cannot be forgiven.

To summarize this; get over it. It had nothing to do with you, so you have no place getting twisted out of shape about it. Chances are that you read about it, online, long after the fact.

- Noctir (Oct. 2007; revised July 2010)