FOR THE LOVE OF METAL
I gotta say, the first black metal album I ever bought was Venom’s Black Metal, and I haven’t purchased many others since. Alas, to call Toronto trio Demontage a black metal band would be applying the word in its traditional sense, the way it was once used to describe Venom and Mercyful Fate.
“The other reason is that people want to tag bands with some political name; especially if you don’t denounce the group they say you are a part of. I won’t denounce any political movements. One, I’m not a part of them and it’s not my place. And two, I believe in free speech and free expression. If someone wants to go out and be a part of a movement even if I don’t agree with it it’s not my place to step in. I’m not an activist, I’m not as politician. I have enough problems of my own and I don’t need to start a war with any specific movement.”
Justin M. Norton in conversation with Krieg founder and main man (and sometime Twilight collaborator) Imperial.
Agnes Vein have well steeped themselves in the lore of Blood Fire Death-era Bathory and latter-day Celtic Frost, but at times, the music also hints at the drone and mood of Jesu. There’s also the strong aftertaste of Primordial in the guitar tone. It’s an eclectic mix, but the influences serve them well and Agnes Vein have managed to distill them down into their own secret formula. I highly recommend Duality to anyone whose ears pricked up at any of the aforementioned inspiration.
This kind of music attracts people that want to explore the dark , the kinds of things within that want to have an outlet and want to be manifested in reality, in your life. Black metal is one way of letting this side manifest.
Justin M. Norton in conversation with Erik Danielsson of Watain on the eve of the release of their new album for Season of Mist, entitled Lawless Darkness.
With a sound rooted more in earlier bands like Bathory and Venom rather than later Norwegian cuts, both Nifelheim and Devil’s Force are blasts of thrashy black metal that stick to a plan and rarely deviate.
Black Breath is the kind of metal that’s devoid of any pretension whatsoever, just five scruffy guys hunkering down and coming up with some of the most bracing, rewarding circa-1985 retro metal you’ll hear these days.
When I first ripped off the packaging of the cd sleeve, I did a brief scan of the promotional artwork and thought to myself ‘oh, just another grim underground black metal band…’ Six beers later, I had the volume cranked.