You never knew you loved... Unblack Metal hits wrong chord for un-followers
Certain branches of metal have long suffered controversy and criticism by people who find their darkness distasteful. Frequent themes of Satanism and antitheism, stage shows that emphasize blood and violence, and occasional associations with such extreme acts as church burning have all left a bad taste in certain conservative mouths.
And yet there is a branch of Black Metal that many metal artists themselves seem to find distasteful. What is it that bothers them so much? Jesus.
Unblack Metal is the juncture where Black Metal meets Christianity. Lyrics range from direct biblical quotes to Christian perspectives on life events. Despite the core message, individual tracks are often no less explicitly violent and gory than conventional Black Metal acts. A Cruel Verse by Frost Like Ashes includes a scene where daughters are raped and pregnant women murdered. This genre (also known as Holy Unblack Metal, a play on the phrase Unholy Black Metal, Darkthrone's slogan) has been slowly rising for over 20 years. Its reception among Black Metal bands has been mixed, ranging from indifference at best to murderous rage at worst. Horde mastermind Jayson Sherlock remained anonymous after his album Hellig Usvart resulted in death threats.
One of the major arguments facing Unblack Metal is the degree to which it is antithetical to the most common themes of its parent genre. Several artists have come out to counter that a genre should be more about the sound than the ethos.
Crimson Moonlight vocalist Simon Rosen doesn't actually recognize the term “Unblack Metal,” choosing to consider his group Black Metal despite their Christian themes, and arguing that a genre in the hands of a Satanist or a Christian is like a knife in the hands of a murderer or a surgeon.
Unblack Metal remains a small genre, with bands fully admitting that it is difficult to find other musicians interested in marrying its style and ethos. That said, there are still a number of bands to choose from:
Crimson Moonlight: Intended to be a single, quick project, this Swedish band has gone on for more than a decade and become a major player in Unblack Metal. Check out Where The Darkness Cannot Reach off their 1998 album Eternal Emperor.
Horde: This band is in many ways singular, often in a literal sense. The band has released one album, played one show, and in fact has only one member, Australian Jayson Sherlock. Listen to Invert the Inverted Cross from Hellig Usvart, released in 1994.
Frost Like Ashes: Since Unblack Metal's origin and primary fan base are Scandinavian, this American band is a bit of an anomaly. They are known for their stylistic diversity even within single tracks, which can be heard on Of Spirit And Power from 2005's Tophet.
And yet there is a branch of Black Metal that many metal artists themselves seem to find distasteful. What is it that bothers them so much? Jesus.
Unblack Metal is the juncture where Black Metal meets Christianity. Lyrics range from direct biblical quotes to Christian perspectives on life events. Despite the core message, individual tracks are often no less explicitly violent and gory than conventional Black Metal acts. A Cruel Verse by Frost Like Ashes includes a scene where daughters are raped and pregnant women murdered. This genre (also known as Holy Unblack Metal, a play on the phrase Unholy Black Metal, Darkthrone's slogan) has been slowly rising for over 20 years. Its reception among Black Metal bands has been mixed, ranging from indifference at best to murderous rage at worst. Horde mastermind Jayson Sherlock remained anonymous after his album Hellig Usvart resulted in death threats.
One of the major arguments facing Unblack Metal is the degree to which it is antithetical to the most common themes of its parent genre. Several artists have come out to counter that a genre should be more about the sound than the ethos.
Crimson Moonlight vocalist Simon Rosen doesn't actually recognize the term “Unblack Metal,” choosing to consider his group Black Metal despite their Christian themes, and arguing that a genre in the hands of a Satanist or a Christian is like a knife in the hands of a murderer or a surgeon.
Unblack Metal remains a small genre, with bands fully admitting that it is difficult to find other musicians interested in marrying its style and ethos. That said, there are still a number of bands to choose from:
Crimson Moonlight: Intended to be a single, quick project, this Swedish band has gone on for more than a decade and become a major player in Unblack Metal. Check out Where The Darkness Cannot Reach off their 1998 album Eternal Emperor.
Horde: This band is in many ways singular, often in a literal sense. The band has released one album, played one show, and in fact has only one member, Australian Jayson Sherlock. Listen to Invert the Inverted Cross from Hellig Usvart, released in 1994.
Frost Like Ashes: Since Unblack Metal's origin and primary fan base are Scandinavian, this American band is a bit of an anomaly. They are known for their stylistic diversity even within single tracks, which can be heard on Of Spirit And Power from 2005's Tophet.
