On Black Metal Elitism (May 2011)

There has long been a struggle, within the realm of Metal, between those that wanted to keep things underground and those who sought to reach as wide of an audience as possible. This has been especially true with Black Metal. In maintaining relative obscurity, many felt that this would ensure a certain level of purity. Only the most dedicated musicians and fans would be involved, leaving casual listeners to their trends. In a sense, it was an attempt to keep this art form away from those that would cheapen or corrupt it. However, as with most meaningful movements, it was impossible to prevent outsiders from infiltrating and diluting the Black Metal scene.

As Death Metal experienced a surge in popularity, in the early 90s, this attitude was reinforced as many did not wish to see the same thing happen to Black Metal. It was often noted how one could easily see normal people walking around with shirts from such bands as Morbid Angel, Napalm Death, Obituary, Entombed and so on. As well as reaching a wider audience, most of these bands had also forsaken their previous styles and evolved into something more acceptable, in sound and appearance. Part of the movement known as the Second Wave was that it was very anti-trend and was in part a rebellion against what had transpired with Death Metal. If Death Metal bands were going for a slick, modern production for their albums, Black Metal bands would hearken back to the 80s and deliver records that sounded ugly and primitive. Instead of using artists to make elaborate paintings for their album covers, some opted for obscure photographs. The mentality had become so extreme, in some cases, that any band that made a dime off of their work were considered to be sellouts.

Mayhem guitarist, Euronymous, once expressed that his band was suffering because of these underground values. He also stated that only those that truly deserved to be included should even have access to their music. One outlandish idea called for interested fans to send in a photo of themselves and a letter that told some info, before being allowed to buy records from Euronymous. Of course, this type of mindset would have killed the entire movement dead in its tracks. Money was needed, to keep things going, so it was deemed a necessary evil to allow casual fans to purchase such albums. Later on, he cited how Venom did things on a large scale and were not beholden to any such underground code. He decided that the important thing would be to make as much money as possible and spread the evil far and wide.

Other than simply using posers for their money, the argument can be made that many of these people simply don't know any better, since they have not been exposed to the right music. Given the opportunity, they could become just as dedicated as the next person. Keeping Black Metal as such an exclusive and secretive art would prevent many that would be rightfully drawn to its black flame. With the rise of the internet it was no longer a possibility to keep things private or maintain a cult following. While this has helped expose people to something special that they might not have otherwise discovered, it has also greatly cheapened it.

These days, any trendy band can come along and hear a few songs, then mimic something enough to get signed by some small underground label and to then water down the scene even more. To be fair, it is not only the fault of the internet when it comes to the current state of Black Metal. Many of the musicians played a role in expanding the audience beyond what it should have been, mostly through the activities of several figures in the Norwegian scene, in the early-to-mid 90s. Once it had garnered so much attention, the mindless sheep began to flock to it based more on the controversy than for the actual musical appeal. In turn, they started their own bands in order to rip off this sound and try to be a part of something that they hardly even understood. This diluted the meaning even more.

So the question is whether or not this should be preserved for the few or if bands should attempt to spread the darkness by reaching as many people as possible. In this age, there is no such thing as Black Metal for the elite. Despite those that carry such an attitude, the fact remains that any 12-year old kid with internet access can download all of the classic albums in the span of a few hours and transform himself into a self-proclaimed expert by the end of the weekend. So in attempting to keep things small and avoid attaining any level of success or notoriety, only the bands and true fans are hurt in the long run. Posers have always plagued any artistic movement and Black Metal is no different. Attempting to limit the audience will only exclude those who could have potentially understood it for what it truly is, and gone on to contribute in some way or another.

On Necro Production (Mar. 2011)

Necro production is a lo-fi style of recording that dates back to the underground releases of the 1980s, particularly from the First Wave of Black Metal. The classic albums and demos from Venom, Bathory, Hellhammer and others were done in a very primitive and raw manner, mainly because this was the best that they could manage to do at the time. In most cases, it had nothing to do with wanting to sound so unpolished, but just as a result of the financial circumstances. Whether or not it was intended, this added a lot to the overall character of these releases.

In the early 1990s, when the Second Wave of Black Metal was exploding, many bands were opting for an old school sound and this was not limited to just the style of playing. Bands like Darkthrone and Emperor embraced the lo-fi style of production, on purpose, partially as a way to distance themselves from the slick, overproduced Death Metal albums of that time period, as well as paying homage to the First Wave bands. Bands recorded their material on low budgets and utilized four-track recorders and whatever equipment that they could come across. In the case of Darkthrone, they had a clean, well-produced sound on their debut album, when they were still playing Death Metal. However, each subsequent release saw them going for a more raw and necro sound, culminating with 1994's Transilvanian Hunger. This album remains the epitome of the style, though others have managed to sound "worse", only Darkthrone were able to achieve this sound and to utilize it properly, without going too far and rendering the music ineffective. Burzum is another well-known example, as Varg Vikernes used cheap and inadequate equipment for the recording of Filosofem, which resulted in extremely fuzzy guitars and distorted vocals. While these bands used such techniques to great effect, others have misinterpreted the meaning behind this and created somewhat of a problem.

While the musicians in Darkthrone and Burzum were quite skilled and knew what they were doing and how to achieve the desired results, those who followed showed a total lack of understanding and simply tried to copy the necro sound for the wrong reasons. In some cases, bands simply felt that this was the only way to do things and worked under the incorrect assumption that all of their albums had to have a demo-quality production job, or else it was "overproduced" and they would be deemed sellouts. Of course, this is ridiculous and it is not necessary for Black Metal albums to be of such low quality that no one can decipher any of the riffs. There are also countless bands that only go for a low-quality necro sound because it hides their flaws and makes it more difficult for listeners to tell just how bad they are. Too many bands using this type of production gives the impression that Black Metal is talentless noise and that the musicians are clueless and incapable of creating meaningful music, which is not true.

The necro sound does have its positive side, however. It helps to maintain a connection to the roots of Black Metal. Whereas Death Metal bands continued jumping on the most modern technology and lost all sense of atmosphere, many Black Metal musicians are conscious of traditions and strive to keep the old spirit alive, while still moving forward in some sense. They realized that the old ways were better and chose not to abandon them, for the evil known as progress. Of course, this reveals another difference between the two in that Black Metal is more past-oriented. It is important to uphold the traditions and to not stray too far outside the established boundaries of the sound. It is because of this that in 2011 we are still able to come across releases that sound as if they are from 1985. Meanwhile, the majority of Death Metal bands have absolutely no connection to their roots. That is not to say that there are not tons of modern Black Metal bands that have embraced the overproduced recording style and also lost touch with the true spirit of the music. One does not have to look far to see such evidence. However, those bands that remain the most pure have a sound that embodies the old school feeling and rejects the modern ways. Fewer bands (that matter) are aiming for a truly necro sound, these days, as it is finally seeping into their brains that one can still make a decent record without purposely sabotaging the material to the point where it can hardly be heard. However, they still manage to keep more to the raw, lo-fi side of the spectrum, being aware of the dangers of soulless modernity.

On Returning to Roots (Feb. 2011)

How many times has a respected Metal band completely evolved into something else or abandoned that which built their fan base in the first place? Too many times, musicians get bored with what they are doing and succumb to the desire to experiment. As it relates to Metal, this is most often met with resistance. That is not to say that there are not open-minded people within the Metal community, for there certainly are. However, Metal fans are a rather conservative breed and dislike when they feel that a band has betrayed them. The bands know this as well, and will sometimes play on this as a way to market a new album by claiming that it is a “return to their roots”. Unfortunately, this seems to mean something different to each group.

The first example to look at would be Dismember. This Swedish Death Metal band made a couple of classic albums and then slightly fell into foreign territory, making the more melodic and traditional-sounding Massive Killing Capacity. The album really was not bad at all, yet there was some backlash and the band took a bit of a break after that. Once they regrouped, they returned to their roots with 1997's Death Metal and have maintained their normal style ever since, with success.This proves that it is possible to make a misstep and to then go back and find your path. But this is not always the case.

Take a band like My Dying Bride, for instance. They slowly evolved into something else, after their first few albums. Instead of playing Death/Doom, they played a strange mix of Gothic/Romantic sounding music that had ties to traditional Doom Metal, but also to something else entirely. By 1998, they had completely forsaken Metal, altogether. The following year, they decided to go back to their roots and to bring back the style of music that they had pioneered in the early 1990s. It was not quite the same, but the effort was admirable, nonetheless. However, after a couple records, they began to stray back into more experimental areas and so the “return” was only temporary and was not entirely successful.

Then, you have bands like Hypocrisy that tried to make a return to the old days, more as a gimmick than anything else, but totally failed to capture that magic or to even maintain that effort throughout the whole album (2000's Into the Abyss). Taking this a little further, one can look at Metallica and wonder how the hell they had the nerve to claim that they were returning to their roots, when it is painfully obvious that they have absolutely no understanding of how they used to operate. It is difficult to believe that a band can lose touch with themselves to such a degree that they are unable to even come close to creating something that is remotely similar to their classic material, as if they simply cannot grasp what they accomplished in the past.

And, finally, one can look to the almighty Darkthrone and rejoice in that they have such a deep knowledge and understanding of Metal that, when they want to take their sound more old school, they completely bypass their own earliest efforts, such as A Blaze in the Northern Sky and Under A Funeral Moon, and go back to the roots of Black Metal. Few others have shown such comprehension of how Metal is supposed to be, and it will be a sad day when those two decide to stop making music.

In the end, most bands should follow the example set by Carcass. Once you are going too far beyond what your band is supposed to be, simply close up shop and start under a new name. It might be risky, sales-wise, but it is the only appropriate thing to do, with any respect to the music itself.

On the Myth of Metal's Demise (Jan. 2011)

There are a lot of myths that can be found in the realm of Metal. One of the more popular ones is this: “grunge came along and killed Metal in the early 1990s, Pantera was the band that kept Metal alive during the so-called Dark Ages, and then Metal was finally reborn nearly a decade later.” This is all so utterly ridiculous and filled with errors that will be exposed and disproved. Here, I shall dispel the myth that Metal ever “died”, as well as the associated nonsense that Alternative Rock had anything to do with it or that Pantera were the saviours of all that was Metal. These things simply are not true.

Several Metal bands managed to break through and achieve some measure of mainstream success, in the 70s and 80s, yet these were in the minority. For every band like Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and Metallica that attained some level of success, there were hundreds of others that were still toiling in relative obscurity. Metal has always, largely, been an underground movement. Anyone with any real knowledge understands that the best quality material will always be found in the underground, where it belongs. There is also a bit of confusion, when it comes to the mainstream, about what Metal really is. The media always liked to mislabel bands, for one reason or another, leading to a general sense of confusion for those that were new to the music. At any rate, even those bands that were able to get videos on MTV and a little bit of radio play, that did not necessarily mean that they were a huge success, nor did losing that exposure kill the bands. Legitimate Metal bands did receive more exposure during a certain period, with Thrash taking the lead for most of the 80s, but this movement went into a state of decline that I've covered in a previous article. The bottom line is that Metal is not a product of the mainstream and does not live or die by the whims of the masses.

The next point to make, one that some are intelligent enough to realize, is that the supposed “victims” of Alternative Rock were not actually Metal bands, but rather the Glam Rock posers that had long been associated with Metal, for whatever reason. Bands like Motley Crue, Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, Guns 'n' Roses (and all of the many imitators) were the ones that really suffered. By the late 80s, there were hundreds of bands that all looked and sounded alike; i.e. they had gotten into their mother's make-up and then done their best to imitate what was popular at the time. Most of the more well-known Rock bands had recorded fairly successful ballads, so there came a huge wave of bands that were trying to recreate that same success for themselves. However, the entire “movement” was incredibly diluted and it was obvious that these losers were all just hopping on the bandwagon to make money to be squandered on alcohol, drugs and hookers. The thing is that it had worn out its welcome and run its course, like any other trend, long before bands like Nirvana or Alice in Chains ever appeared. Mainstream popular music is a curious thing in that there are so few things that are considered classics; rather, things are cool for a while and then they become fodder for jokes. The fact that various forms of corporate Rock were in a serious state of decline and that “grunge” was on the rise was more of a coincidence. It is rather simple to see that when people get bored with one thing, they look around for something else to amuse themselves. The term “Alternative Rock” denotes that they were doing something different than what one could find on an album from the likes of Poison, Warrant or Slaughter. As those useless bands were on their way out, others came to fill the vacuum. So Alternative Rock did not “kill” anything, least of all Metal. It is quite disgusting that certain idiots could never differentiate between this garbage and actual Metal.

While it is true that Thrash was in a state of decline by this point, the underground was thriving throughout this entire period. Classic Death Metal albums were being released from healthy scenes all over the U.S. And Europe. As that sub-genre became stagnant, the Second Wave of Black Metal exploded onto the scene and continued to carry on the old ways. Time and time again, ignorant people comment that “the 90s were a terrible time for Metal”, which could not be further from the truth. And these same imbeciles will also talk about the “great and mighty Pantera” and how they “saved Metal”. That is the propaganda that has been spewed by members of the band and those affiliated with them, such as Scott Ian of Anthrax. There are so many things wrong with this that it induces a migraine, just trying to comprehend the idiocy of such a statement.

Pantera were a group of posers, period. They jumped from one bandwagon to another, whenever it suited them. Through the 80s, they played a weak and limpwristed brand of cock Rock that they later tried to play down or deny. Eventually, they were inspired by bands like Metallica and Slayer to play something heavier, but even their very best efforts were mediocre by comparison. Then, when Metal was not considered cool anymore, in the mainstream, they followed the trends in both sound and image. They traded their leather and denim for flannel and shorts, while Phil Anselmo took on the appearance of a wannabe thug. His entire persona matched his new look, and he seemed obsessed with trying to come off as some sort of tough guy. Their lyrics went from traditional Metal topics that they had previously covered to the same type of thing that was running rampant in the mainstream; lyrics included themes of drug addiction, child abuse, seeking attention and respect. This was same kind of angsty nonsense that was already dominating the radio around that time. They were not “waving the flag of true Metal”, as they later liked to claim; they had jumped on yet another bandwagon and aimed their music at the same crowd that was listening to Alternative Rock and rap. Their catchy, groove-oriented riffs were designed to appeal to the masses and the simplistic song structures were meant for simple minds. If anything, they were detrimental to Metal, inspiring countless “nu-Metal” and “Metal-core” bands that came later, further confusing people about what real Metal was and forcing true metalheads to be lumped in with this poser scum. It is quite a joke that they dared write a song that had anything to do with the “underground in America”, as it is something that they had nothing to do with. By the time their popularity was waning, Phil decided to embrace it by cultivating a new persona, growing his hair out and wearing Venom and Darkthrone t-shirts. It was around this time that he started trying to associate himself with actual Metal and began promoting the idea that Pantera had been keeping Metal alive. It was a calculated lie that was meant to re-write history and help his transition to the next phase of his existence.

As for some of the bands that he began to champion, among them was Darkthrone. Now, looking at Darkthrone, one can see a band that truly has done a lot to keep the true spirit of Metal alive and well. Actually, this is something that was really done by Black Metal, as a whole, during the 90s. As Thrash and Death Metal took a nosedive in the early 90s, Black Metal kept the old feeling alive and carried it forward. What Death Metal ended up developing into is something hardly related to where it began. On the other hand, it is simple to see the clear development of Black Metal from Venom, Bathory and Hellhammer on through Darkthrone, Mayhem, and beyond. In turn, they influenced legions more. And one thing about Black Metal, that doesn't really exist as much in other forms of Metal, is the reverence for those that came before and the adherence to tradition. Of course, many bands experiment with their sound, but there are tons of others that remain pure and refuse to go beyond certain established boundaries. These are the bands that kept Metal alive, and continue to do so.

Getting back to Darkthrone, there is a band that jumped off of the Death Metal bandwagon and reached back to something older and darker. While Phil Anselmo was jumping around like a jungle ape and rapping half of his lyrics, Darkthrone was taking the sounds of Bathory and Hellhammer, mixed with their own brilliant vision, and creating something cold and dark; something so powerful that it inspired thousands all over the world. Even in recent years, as they developed their sound, they reached deeper into the past and began to incorporate more old school influences in their sound, keeping alive a style of real Metal that is more often forgotten or ignored. They have always shunned the masses and done what they wanted to, regardless of the money that they could have made by giving in and doing what was expected of them. They are repaid with scorn and derision for not recording the same album 15 times over, while posers like Pantera get some level of respect for something that they neither did nor needed to be done.

Metal never died, period. Just because bands like Metallica and Megadeth wimped out, that meant nothing in the grand scheme of things. Even the Glam posers did not fully die, since they still linger on in one form or another. Alternative Rock did not “kill” anything, and ended up burning out even quicker than the previous trend, only to be replaced by another worthless form of popular music. As for the “rebirth of Metal”, most of those bands are not Metal to begin with, and whether or not a handful of watered-down garbage gets widespread recognition really means nothing for the movement as a whole. Finally, regarding the “great saviours and anti-trend warriors” Pantera, they saved nothing. They simply managed to jump from one trend to another in an effort to remain relevant and cash in as long as possible. Bands like Darkthrone have done more with one album to maintain the spirit of Metal than Pantera ever accomplished in their entire career.

On the Abominable Overpopulation of Mankind (Dec. 2010)

The current world population is far beyond anything that the human race could ever possibly hope to manage. It is wreaking havoc on the balance of nature, destroying forests, having detrimental effects on the climate, sending countless animal species down the path of extinction and making life more miserable for most of our own kind as well. There are a number of potential solutions, but time is not working in our favour.

At the moment, the human population is rapidly approaching 6.9 billion. For many, the sheer size of this number is difficult to even comprehend. To put this in a better context, one should look to the past. In prehistoric times, it is estimated that the mankind only increased by a couple million, every thousand years or so. Around year 1 of the common era, there were roughly 300 million people alive, by most estimates. One thousand years later, that number increased to around 310 million. That puts it above the previous averages, yet still within an easily maintained level. However, with the passage of yet another thousand years, the human population jumped beyond six billion. Within half a century, a few more billion will be arriving. How this can be viewed as anything other than pure madness, I do not know. Our species has truly gone beyond the point of no return.

The causes are many, including the transition from a nomadic to a sedentary lifestyle, agriculture and, most importantly, the industrial revolution. Thanks to mass production, medical and technological advancements and higher standards of living, the average lifespan increased, as did the number of offspring produced. Simply put, less people were dying and more were being born, which has resulted in the horrific parasitic human plague that is currently suffocating the earth and making existence miserable for all living things.

Nature is the main victim. Roughly forty percent of the earth's land is used for agriculture, just to feed our kind. Humans also need room to live, work and create more useless garbage. For these reasons, among others, forests are cleared out and the natural habitat of countless creatures is destroyed. Animal species are going extinct at an alarming rate. With all of the fossil fuels being burned, the high levels of pollution are affecting the climate, which is changing in an unnatural way. Feeble-minded Christians say that the earth was put here for humans, and that it is our right to dominate it and multiply as much as possible. It is foolish thinking like this that has contributed to the current state of affairs. Possibly the worst thing, however, is that the world is run by capitalists. More so than at any other point in our history, the entire purpose of civilization seems to revolve around money. Despite the horrible effects on nature and humanity itself, the corporate powers will maintain things as they are, as long as they can continue making a profit. Similarly, they need as many living people as possible, because each life is another potential customer. This was recognized when concerns of overpopulation were first voiced, in the 19th century, and it was mercantilism that stressed that larger populations meant larger markets. In the process of maintaining the giant shopping mall that this world has turned into, and all of the brainless consumers that populate it, the earth is becoming a darker place.

The sad truth is that most people do not care about things unless they are directly affected. So to continue speaking of the environmental concerns or the dying animal species would only resonate with a very small percentage. What humans care about most is their own quality of life. The fact of the matter is that the standard of living is getting lower for average people and this will only continue in the decades to come. While the earth itself is not in real danger, its habitability will become less stable, as things progress. This has led a lot of people to consider the option of colonizing space. Rather than clean up after itself, humanity would prefer to give up and leave. The truth is that there is another solution.

The current system must collapse and be replaced by a new one. The human race is beyond salvation, as it currently exists. The answer lies in sacrifice. Death is the only solution. Mass murder on a scale previously unknown in the entire history of human civilization is what is needed. Before mankind can rise, it must first crash and burn to a state of near-extinction. No one wants to hear this, of course. The truth hurts. For all those who act as if they are so concerned with the fate of the planet or the future of our species, they should look deep within themselves and understand that sometimes a great sacrifice must be made. Abandon all ridiculous notions of the importance of every human life as well as the religious nonsense that has helped to propagate this falsehood.

The concept that all life is sacred and precious, also known as the sanctity of life, is a weak and pathetic Christian idea. Naturally, they only apply this to themselves, not animals or even other people, if it conflicts with their goals. Human life is only sacred when it benefits them. To support this, it is important to bring up the fact that suicide was condoned in the early Christian era, with certain sects jumping off of cliffs in large numbers, wishing to hasten the afterlife and to seek the rewards that their false mythology had promised them. With dwindling numbers and shrinking collection plates, the Catholic church decided that suicide was a punishable sin. This was also around the same time that they began sending missionaries to convert those outside of the Roman world. Just as the capitalists need a large population in order to bleed them dry, Christians need a large flock of sheep to help them perpetuate the Great Lie.

It is time for people to grow up and abandon childish ideas such as religion or hope. The survival of our species depends on whether or not we can embrace the reality of our situation and to find practical solutions. Mass killings may not be the popular method, but it is absolutely necessary. Civilization is already going to collapse. It is not a matter of if, but rather when it will happen. However, what we can do is ensure sort of a “controlled demolition”, in order to make it as painless as possible. Instead of the whole of humanity being engulfed in chaos, we can be cold and calculating and ensure that mankind is able to rise and to transcend the mediocrity that is has long wallowed in.

While I am not attempting to write a comprehensive treatment on the subject, a few suggestions are offered for the consideration of those who would undertake such an endeavour.

- The advanced nations of the world should take the lead in instituting massive depopulation programs. In theory, all citizens would submit to a series of genetic and intelligence-based tests which would determine whether or not they are fit to remain alive. In ancient Greece, and even within the Germanic tribes of northern Europe, it was common practice to inspect children at birth and to discard the defective ones. Thanks to the pathetic Judeo-Christian system of values, we are encouraged to accept all forms of weakness and frailty within our ranks. Allowing defective individuals to live not only subjects them to unnecessary misery, but it also enables them to corrupt the gene pool with their inferior DNA. As for intelligence testing, all people of below-average intelligence would be eliminated. We have long seen the effects of allowing mediocrity to flourish. Ideally, if someone possessed above-average intelligence, but poor genetics, they would be sterilized but allowed to live. Of course, there should be a broad range of examinations that one would have to pass before being deemed worthy of survival. I would not recommend even wasting the time to assess the condition of most criminals, as it would be easier to just flush them.

- Of course, the rest of the world would provide greater difficulty. Areas such as the middle east, Africa, Latin America and southeast Asia possess the world's lowest IQs and highest growing populations. The average IQ in most African nations, for example, is below 70. That officially deems them mentally retarded. How much money and other resources has been pumped into that continent to help preserve useless lives that are never going to amount to anything anyway? Why send food to the jungles when people on your own streets are starving? So they can have the energy to wage their pointless wars and kill your peace officers in the process? Even an imbecile should be able to see the opportunity to kill two birds with one stone, here.

- Africa would best be dealt with by means of a weapon that could eliminate human life while leaving animals, nature and even the existing structures unharmed. Once they are gone, there will be an entire continent full of useful resources and one billion less mouths to feed.

- India, the Middle East, Latin America and southeast Asia are a little more tricky, as they are considered of average intelligence, but on the low end of the spectrum. They also represent a large part of the growing population. With the sheer number of humans in the world, there is no reason to settle for average, or those bordering on retardation. Through proper testing, it would be possible to depopulate these areas at an astounding rate.

- In the case of east Asia, the average IQ is on the higher end of the spectrum, so it is likely that less people will need to be cleansed in relation to intelligence. However, the DNA testing should clear out a decent number. In a population so huge, there must be plentiful amounts of genetic problems waiting to be discovered. Even if that is not the case, they will be able to spread out and not be so densely packed together once the surrounding areas are cleansed.

- It should be noted that this is not a call to exterminate whole races from the face of the earth. Sub-Saharan Africa would hardly be considered worth the time to administer the test, based on the data that we already possess. However, in all other regions, testing should be conducted and the strongest, most intelligent and most beautiful of each race should be preserved in order to allow the to follow a higher path, in the generations that follow.

- More than likely, much of this would have to come as a result of war. However, if the advanced nations can use reason and logic to realize that there is no other way, and to effectively implement this within their own lands, the rest of the world will fall in line by common sense or by force.

- Following the Great Cleansing, the real work could begin. From then on, the population could be planned and managed through effective eugenics and human civilization could be re-ordered in a more beneficial manner.

- People may object to the ancient practices of discarding useless children, but much of this could be avoided with science. After proving themselves to be financially capable of providing for a child, the potential parents would then undergo a series of tests to ensure the quality of their genetic material. After conception, the fetus would be monitored much as it is today. The difference would be that an abortion would be mandatory if any defects were discovered. After birth, the child would be thoroughly inspected and regularly tested until a certain age, to ensure that they are developing properly. That would inspire a bit more hard work than the hope of a gold star, surely.

Hunters are quick to justify their “sport” by talking about how they are doing their part to control the population of various wild animals, which helps them to avoid becoming too numerous and suffering famine and other problems related to overpopulation. Sadly, people are too selfish and short-sighted to apply the same logic to themselves. History can provide an example of the benefits of a smaller population. Much like in the aftermath of the Black Death, the quality of life for those left behind would be much better. Not only would animals and nature itself benefit greatly, but with only the best still alive, the human race could go on to become even stronger, more intelligent, more beautiful and capable of much more than we could have ever achieved while hindered by the dead weight of nearly seven billion pieces of gene trash. When utilized to its full potential, humanity can accomplish some pretty remarkable things. However, this is nearly impossible with the way things stand. With dwindling resources and growing populations, we are on a path toward war, famine, pestilence and death.

Death is coming, one way or another. We can all go down together, or we can cull the undesirable elements and have half a chance of building a better society, bereft of the type of gene trash that led us down the wrong path to begin with.

On Black Metal and Self-Mutilation (Dec. 2010)

Over the course of the last few years, it has been nearly impossible not to notice the very large number of people, within the Black Metal scene, that engage in self-mutilation. People are, in many cases, shredding their flesh and scarring themselves to varying degrees and then displaying this to the world, often making a strong connection between this and Black Metal. It's a rather peculiar development, and one which I think should not persist. This sort of thing is not a useful contribution to the scene, in any way.

To get right to the point, not all people that cut themselves are sub-human emo trash. The thing is that there is a wide variety of reasons for engaging in this practice. For some, it is a coping mechanism. Obviously, they have been psychologically damaged and this is one of the only methods by which they are able to relieve stress of grief. Others use it as a means to punish themselves for something. Again, this goes back to a mental defect. Some people are simply masochistic and they enjoy the pain or even the sight of their own blood. In certain cases, it can actually be a combination of several factors. Whatever the reason, I am of the opinion that it should be a private activity. If you are miserable and the idea of shredding your flesh with a razor or a shard of broken glass seems appealing and you feel that it will take the edge off or help your mood, go for it. Just keep it to yourself. The problem is, there are also a lot of those who do such a thing merely for the attention that they can gain by doing so.

It is a sign of the pathetic culture that we live in, today, that people would rather go out of their way to garner sympathy or concern rather than spend a few moments to come up with something interesting to say. Of course, in the age of the internet, there are many more channels by which to exploit oneself as an attention whore. Surely, there are a lot of reasons behind it. As previously mentioned, some may have no other way to feel that anyone cares for them, other than slicing their wrist and making sure someone can see it so they receive that all-important sympathy. Others may be trying to emulate some of their favourite musicians, by doing this, or attempting to seem “extreme” to those who view their wounds or scars. Naturally, these days, it is very simple to spread this around. It is common to see the typical goth-girl-turned-Black-Metaller who has an online profile that is filled with dozens of photos of her scarred or bleeding flesh. What is the purpose of this? Attention, of course. Perhaps, too many people admired the cover of the Abyssic Hate L.P. or the countless other sheep that got the idea that you are not “grim or cult” unless you have taken a knife to your arms and legs and made little street maps up and down them. It is my belief that the number of truly disturbed people is far less than the legion of imitators. For every person such as Per Yngve Ohlin who was genuinely melancholic, there are a dozen posers like Niklas Kvarforth who wish only to gain as much attention as possible. Based on the incessant need to display their mutilated flesh to any stranger that happens upon their internet profile, it is quite clear that most of these people are demented attention whores.

To reiterate an earlier point, if someone honestly feels that they must tear their flesh open and watch the blood come pouring forth, more power to you. But there is a difference between someone who does such a thing in private and the type of person that does so only so that others will take notice. Anyone who is slicing themselves to pieces and posting the photos online for the world to see is desperately and pathetically begging for any and all possible attention. Whether they desire the “credibility” gained by proving how little they care for their personal well-being or if they are after the sympathy that might come from those who would be concerned for them, it is all disingenuous behaviour that has no place within the Black Metal scene.

Such an attitude does not deserve to be associated with Black Metal. Exposing one's weakness for all to see – strangers, no less – seems to completely contradict what Black Metal was intended to stand for. While it may mean different things to different people, to take it so far from its core beliefs is to bastardize it beyond recognition. And this leads to what we have today, an ever-growing mass of gothic-emo weaklings that have hijacked Black Metal aesthetics and even some musical techniques, in order to cloak their whining, attention-seeking trash as something more extreme and rebellious than it really is. The entire concept of seeking attention for its own sake goes better with some other form of music.

On the Superiority of Primordial Creation (Dec. 2010)

In many creative fields, it is often true that the artist's earliest works are usually the best; the ones most worth remembering and those that really set the standard by which the artist would always be compared. In general, this is also accurate when it comes to music. Regardless of genre (or sub-genre), the early material is usually considered to be the best, or the most pure and meaningful. For bands that quickly disappear after a couple albums, such a matter is not cause for concern. However, those that endure for many years (or decades) must face the irrefutable fact that the quality of their music is quite likely to deteriorate; at least in the eyes of their fans. The changes that a band goes through can be caused by many factors: time constraints and label pressure, other outside influences, changing musical landscape, larger budget / perfectionism, stagnation or development of musicians, age, etc.

While not always true, most Metal bands aren't given recording contracts within a few weeks or months of forming. They go through a lengthy process of finding the right members and deciding upon a creative direction, and then gradually honing their craft. They rehearse as much as possible, with only the dream of making a single album motivating them to push forward. They record demo tapes and put a lot of effort into their first songs. Through rehearsals and playing live, they work on the songs, revising them and getting everything just right, as they go along. At this stage, they are struggling to get noticed by fans and labels, in the hopes of securing a deal and releasing a proper album. And that isn't really for the purpose of attaining fame or glory, but simply to make a record of their own and contribute something. In many cases, the bands haven't thought far beyond making that one album, so they pour all of their energy into it. In general, during this phase of a band's existence, the primary thing is creating. If the band happens to attain even a small level of success, things transform rapidly.

Once the band is signed to a label, inevitably, things become different. How much they change really depends on the size of the label. Within the underground, it is much more negligible. However, for those bands that signed to a larger label, a wide variety of new forces begin acting upon them. They may be told, directly, to alter their sound in one way or another, with the goal of appealing to a broader audience and reaching a higher level of success. This same decision could also come from within, as well. To use well-known examples, just think of Slayer and Metallica. After signing with Rick Rubin, Slayer was advised to get rid of the reverb and trim the songs down, thus over-simplifying them and sacrificing a great deal of atmosphere, in order to gain a larger following. The masses like music that is easily digested and doesn't require much attention or thought. A similar thing happened to Metallica, as Bob Rock was brought in to produce their self-titled album. Rather than following the dictates of their inner creativity and passion, they listened to a big-time producer who was looking for radio hits and did a great job in transforming the band into a stadium Rock act. Credibility was traded for mass acceptance.

One must also consider time. In the early part of their career, a band creates songs at their own pace, with months or even years to get them exactly as they want. After signing a recording contract, they begin pumping albums out each year, or every other year. The strange thing is that, early on, the band has more time to create but less time to record. Once signed to a label, they have a larger budget and more studio time, but not as much time to perfect the songs before they go into the studio. So, what the end up doing is writing a lot of the album as they're recording it, and then experimenting with the new technology that is available to them, since most people are nothing more than overgrown children anyway and prefer to play with things, whenever they get the chance. At any rate, another thing to take into consideration would have to be touring. Sometimes, a record must be rushed in order to take advantage of a touring opportunity. This results in a drop in quality, in a lot of cases.

Look at Testament, for example. The songs that made it to The Legacy had been worked on for several years, and they had ample time to perfect them. This yielded, arguably, the best album of their entire career. However, once they were releasing albums on a yearly basis, they became watered-down and more generic. After a couple of lackluster records, they began to get back on track with Souls of Black, but it still lacked the passion and intensity of the first album. And later on, of course, they tried to follow in Metallica's footsteps, with The Ritual. In the end, they succeeded only in alienating their fan base.

And that brings up another point. Once a band gets even the slightest taste of mainstream success, they throw creativity overboard in an attempt to cash in. This can be in response to similar bands getting big or it can be limited to their own success; i.e. they get radio play for a song and then attempt to repeat themselves. After Metallica's 1991 self-titled monstrosity, many Thrash bands tried to jump on the bandwagon, slowing down and making much more simplistic music. And if they managed to get the slightest bit of notice for those efforts, then it usually spelled doom for any sincerity that the band had left. Dave Mustaine admitted that he altered his songwriting in hopes of creating radio hits. The spirit of Metal had been consumed by his own greed. The problem with Metal bands trying to be pop stars is that it just doesn't work that way, nine times out of ten. Pop music is not art, but rather a corporate imitation of art. Professional songwriters are tapped into popular culture and they know how to exploit the tastes of the masses, writing simplistic, catchy garbage that will be easily digested. Record companies then find someone to perform those songs, often putting together their own groups for just that purpose. However, Metal was never meant to be for everyone. When Metal bands try to sell out, they usually fall flat on their faces, alienating their fans and going unnoticed by the mainstream.

Another factor to consider has to be that of outside influences of a different kind. This can mean a number of things, including bands trying to take elements of more popular / trendy music and incorporating it into their own style, or making changes in order to “keep up” with others within their particular sub-genre.

As an example of the former, one need look no farther than Anthrax and Slayer. In the mid-to-late 90s, each band transformed into something quite unlike what they had started out as. Anthrax added elements of alternative Rock on Sound of White Noise, and then tried their hardest to emulate Pantera in the years that followed. Slayer took influences from the pathetic and trendy Nu-Metal scene, with bouncy groove-laden riffs interspersed with riffs more typical of the band. In both cases, the end result was laughable and disgusting.

To shift focus to an example of the latter form of submitting to outside influences, one can see this with the deterioration of the Death Metal scene in the 1990s. Many bands were trying to outdo one another in terms of being more “sick” and “brutal” than the next guys, playing as fast as possible, with the vocals getting deeper and the musicians including more random time changes, with the end result being that the atmosphere of the originators was forever lost. Not long after, in the realm of Black Metal, a lot of bands jumped on the symphonic bandwagon (as well as industrial or experimental), to keep up with the times. Once something gets popular, it seems everyone has to join in. Losing sight of your own creativity, making decisions based on what others are doing, will usually have a detrimental effect on what you are doing. Occasionally, it can be a beneficial thing, as it can motivate a band to tighten up their sound and not be shown up by others that they end up playing with, resulting in them putting forth the most effort possible and improving themselves. This is most applicable in the band's early stages. But, more often than not, bands end up joining one herd or another.

As the years go by, inevitably, most musicians become better acquainted with their instruments, songwriting and the recording process. Early on, they may have been learning on the job and, in later years, they reach a point where they might look down on their previous accomplishments and view their old albums as flawed and imperfect. There are two different ways that an artist can approach this. On one hand, they may feel that the very style itself is limiting and boring. They would prefer to add new dimensions to their sound, in the name of artistic progression or musical evolution. Whether they wish to show off their new skills or just expand the boundaries of the band's established style, the end result is the same. On the other hand, the band might choose to stick to their roots, but to make an attempt to perfect their sound. Utilizing modern production techniques and more proficient abilities, they maintain the same style, yet they are always in a state of perfecting their sound and attempting to achieve the ultimate expression of their vision. Unfortunately, modern recording techniques will always fall short in terms of atmosphere and character, when compared to a more primitive and old school approach. So even when trying to remain true to who they are, such bands will come off as a pale shadow of their former selves, churning out stale and rehashed music that shows no overall advancement. So, in a sense, musicians are damned either way.

Of course, one can also look at the age of the musicians. Say, for the sake of argument, that they maintain their traditional style and don't go overboard with modern sounds, the fires of creativity fade away with time. The passion and energy gives way to an emptiness that cannot be avoided. Eventually, bands lose their ability to make worthwhile music. For some, it may take ten or twenty years; for others, it may take two or three. Nothing lasts forever, and there is no escaping the fact that a band (or any other type of artist) will, at some point, fail to live up to the accomplishments of the past.

Many would like to write this off as some sort of “elitist attitude”, as if no one really likes the old albums from a band; those that profess to like the demos and first couple of releases must be trying to impress others, as surely they cannot believe what they're saying. People who recognize this must just be trying to go against the grain, in the minds of these people. However, there may be a reason for this erroneous thinking. In a lot of cases, a band doesn't reach a certain level of popularity until their third of fourth album, at which point their audience grows and more casual fans become aware of them. So, naturally, these types will prefer the material that drew them in, as opposed to those fans who were there from the beginning. Still, one must not have to be there at the start of a band's career to realize that the old stuff is, typically, much better. It's not a matter of trying to seem “cool” by shunning the popular albums and embracing the lesser known ones; it's the simple process of recognizing the energy, creativity and passion that exists in the early stages of a band's existence, as evidenced through their demos and early albums, and realizing that this is no longer present as the years pass by.

In the end, there is no right or wrong. It all boils down to personal opinion, and this is mine.