What Did We Learn In Black Metal History Month?

What we learned this year's Black Metal History month is that Totalselfhatred still rules just in a different way. That Mercyful Fate have the mood and sincerity in their music that helped make black metal what is is today. That the old classic Darkthrone might have been a ground breaking sound, but far from perfect when it comes to song writing. Writing songs that hold up as well over the years as Maiden or Mercyful Fate. Yes, I know Iron Maiden is not black metal, but the genre you are in should not dictate how well you write a song. I won't accept that's good for black metal. Be good no matter what you play. You can vomit up grind core, but make something that is your own and makes people want to hear it again.

I learned while scouring the inner webs for new black metal to cover that death doom seems to be a big trend this year, as there is a ton of it coming out and you just haven't been hit with it yet. That there are still many black metal bands coming out doing something new and interesting and some shitty ones that are just making noise. This can be said for most genres but like punk when it's ok to put out lo-fi product, people think anything works. But there is hope for black metal...we think. That hope might be challenged as bands like Taake allow themselves to be bullied by social justice warriors. While no one wants a Nazi, America continues to be intolerant of accepting the rest of the world doesn't think like they do. The whole melting pot concept for a country is still new in the grand scheme of things and rushing to defend the world might not be a good idea as we are starting to see America heading in the direction of Rome. Of course America run by collective ego refuses to see this instead they continue to run their corporation into the ground. Older countries have learned being neutral and isolating might be the way to go. Dwarin's theory is at work in the world, so why bother saving those better purged of a planer under the plight of over population. In other words to bake a cake you gotta break some eggs. But in order for that to make sense you have to accept other perspectives or it's you who is intolerant.

What does this have to do with black metal? Why did you go off on a rant? If black metal not misanthropic? Is not isolating the key of misanthropy? Here is where we see who is a poseur and who holds to their beliefs. Do we want all the balls to be taken out of metal? If black metal bands are to sing out Satan, then what would Satan do? What would Satan think of Young and In the Way who were Taake's touring mates go accused of sexual misconduct. He if he was an entity might ask...How do you want a metal band to behave? What did Led Zeppelin get accused of ? This is more than likely a groupie who go buyers remorse and had some regrets about getting gang banged by a metal band. Black Metal is about spreading the darkness , which should never be a pretty picture. If you want the world to be a pretty picture, I think we have learned it's not for you.

The Top Ten Metal Albums of 2014 .... so far

Metal Sucks has put out their progress report card for the year, and gods know the sort of  mall metal those guys are pushing, with exception of our friend Grim Kim . So it is time look at whats the best of real metal, according to my Last FM, this is based off of what has been in the heaviest rotation on the ole iPod so here we go.

10- Black Anvil's "Hail Death"

It is losing a little steam with me now , but when it came out this slab of hooky black thrash with the hardcore leanings the band tried to deny got quite a few spins.

http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2014/04/black-anvil-hail-death.html

9- Young and In the Way -  'When Life Comes to Death"-

Not sure if this one will make the purge for the road trip to the beach this week, but it's dark metallic hardcore tinged with black metal, that is darker nastier and heavier than the Black Anvil album, often making me think of what Converge might sound like if they were less spastic and into black metal.

http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2014/05/young-and-in-way-when-life-comes-to.html

8- Hexis-" Abalam"-

This might be the heaviest album of the year. That doesn't mean it's the most well written, but to be as heavy as it is there is something there in the songs to have earned this many listens or I was a lot angrier earlier in the year.
http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2014/01/hexis-abalam.html

7-Kampfar -"Dejevelmakt"

Behemoth might have made it on many lessor lists, this album hit the place for me that Behemoth use to when they were worth half a shit.
http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2014/01/kampfar-djevelmakt.html



6- Cynic -"Kindly Bent to Free Us"

Since coming out of the closet, you have to rethink the meaning of the album title. This almost isn't metal , but it is well written and well played and likely to see a return for the beach trip.

http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2014/02/cynic-kindly-bent-to-free-us.html

5- Alaskan - "Despair Erosion Loss"

The vocals are what hinder this album for me , but there are some great riffs and dynamics other wise that had me returning to it. Not sure if this will make it to the top ten of the year or not.

http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2014/01/alaskan-despair-erosion-loss.html

4-Night Fell- the Living Ever Mourn

So here we get into the following four bands that have the staying power to make the end of the year list. This hits all the right dark spots for me to have staying power.

http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2014/02/night-fell-living-ever-mourn.html

3-Mayhem- Esoteric Warfare

The best "real" black metal album thus far as the two after this one only have elements or used to be black metal. Mayhem keeps it as true as fuck with out sounding shit , nor are they afraid to try new things.

http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2014/05/mayhemesoteric-warfare.html



2- Hail Spirit Noir-"Oi Magoi"

This one was crazy in all the right ways. Taking what a band like Opeth does and black metalling it up a t bit without resorting to all the tired old tricks of the trade.

http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2014/02/hail-spirit-noir-oi-magoi.html

1- Agalloch-"the Serpent and the Sphere"

The mood of this album has earned it a lot of listens and I am a fan of their past work so was eager to hear this one.  

http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2014/05/agallochthe-serpent-and-sphere.html

Young and In the Way: " When Life Comes to Death"

Have these guys always been this black metal? The dissonance as well as the hateful rasp of the vocals find these guys more blackened than hardcore, with very little in terms of break downs to be found. Just when you think they are going back into their old hardcore way they throw some type of creepy melody in. Sure Converge comes from a similar place when it comes to playing dark hard core, in fact dark hard core has become somewhat of a thing in recent years, so the lines in which how dark does hardcore have to get before it becomes black metal find  themselves crossed more often than not here, if not completely burned away.

The album carries it's momentum with me well enough having a firm grasp of their own sound until "Be My Blood" which falls back into the kind of hardcore meets metal clichés bands like Nails have utilized to death in recent years. Sure it's heavy and mean, but I want to hear the songwriting these guys have just shown me they are capable of. It might be I just prefer the more black metal side of the band as "Self Inflicted" charges in a hits with an almost d-beat gallop that satisfies me. It also has a clean and creepy interlude to provide a wider sense of dynamics.

Sometimes the hardcore thing plays to their favor, when it is more metallic in its intent that the stiff punk beat."We Are Nothing" is a good case in point. The guitars stay dark and ugly with a creepy dissonance that rings out, even though I would not call the riff black metal, though it is not something that would seem out of place on an Inquisition album. They are better at churning than trying to out race themselves, like what they do on "Final Dose", which fast for the sake of fast bores me, no matter the genre. It is like one of those fast forward spastic classics that Converge launches into from time to time.

Toward the middle of the album the tug of war between the hardcore straight forward approach and the more sonic black metals is waged. In the stomping gallop of  "Weep in My Dust" it seems the black metal side is going to win out despite some of the furious Converge like riffage.  The mean streak in "Take My Hand" makes the song work as it comes from a much more sinister place that they need to dig more from.

Some times the delicate balance of what I want from these guys is oddly tempered. The slow strum of "Shadow of Murder" almost feels more like an interlude as it drones on than a song. There is a very Planesmistakenforstars thing about it, though I never though of Planes as black anything. They take us out with the blast heavy "Embrace Extinction". It cinches onto the the drone of white noise static blast beats creates and hold you there for a minute and a half . If you just heard this song you would not think of them as anything other than black metal , the sluggish break down and all. This one won me over half way through, where some songs were a harder sell.

There

This album is still wearing on me so I am going to give it an 8.5. It is getting a lot of praise, and I not it flies in the face of all that is hip to say different, But I prefer the more black metal elements to the more neanderthal hardcore sections, but it is brutal and if you like dark and heavy hardcore this is for you .