Enjoy the (relatively) new Rotting Christ video above! Released a couple of weeks ago. I personally enjoy the music better without the video, but maybe that’s just me. Their new album The Heretics was released in February 2019.
Rotting Christ is a Greek black metal band formed in 1987. They are noted for being one of the first black metal bands within this region, as well as a premier act within the European underground metal scene. They are also responsible for creating the signature Greek black metal sound prevalent in the early 1990s.
Recently Trish, the drummer of the Norwegian avant-garde black metal band Urarv found out she was diagnosed with breast cancer. I myself have battled breast cancer, and know how expensive and difficult this disease can be to deal with.
So please do what you can to help Trish, even if it’s just donating a few dollars along with a few minutes of your time.
I know I’ve posted a lot of Behemoth videos from the Satanist album before. But that’s just because that album is so good. I won’t profess to know the exact meaning of this video. But I think I recognize some of the symbolism. Prometheus shackled to the cliff while birds circle overhead, ready to eat out his organs to punish him for gifting mankind fire. One-eyed Odin, the wanderer, with a raven. Both are figures who are similar to Satan in a way, they brought knowledge to humanity and suffered for it. Is that what Behemoth was going for in this video? I don’t know, those are just my guesses.
“Burzum was never my choice of life. I didn’t even want to become a musician.”
Varg Vikernes has announced that Burzum is no more after giving away his only copy of the project’s 1992 self-titled debut album.
The disc went to a fella named Nathan B, who beat Varg in a challenge of getting from 0-100 kmh (0-60 mph) in their 4×4 vehicles.
Burzum was active between 1991 and 1999, and then again from 2009 until now. The project has 11 studio albums in its discography, the final of which came out in June 2014 under the title of “The Ways of Yore.”
I’m not sure what a “Stellarvore” is, but like a “Carnivore,” I imagine it is some cataclysmic beast that feeds off the stars and destroys the cosmos.
LYRICS:
With the strength of the mountains
Come forth from the North; Agios Daimon!
With the hunger of oceans
Come forth from the West; Agios Daimon!
As fire and flame
Come forth from the South; Agios Daimon!
As thunder and storm
Come forth from the East; Agios Daimon!
In the darkness
In the nothingness of absent light
Where no life force is permitted to exist
From far beyond the borders
Where god not dares
The Serpent gloats in hunger
No star will shine tonight
No star, no matter how bright
Across the firmament goes its flight
A great darkness devouring the light
God of Death. Manifest
God of Doom. Move and appear!
Spread thine countless tentacles
Across the universe
Let them spasm throughout
The labyrinth of trembling stars
Strangle their flickering flames
Eat them whole
Wander ancient Dragon
Across the cursed heavens
Themes: Satanism, Anti-Christianity, War, Darkness
Location: Norway
Eerie. Dark. Atmospheric. Primordial. All good terms for this song.
Gorgoroth is a Norwegian black metal band formed by guitarist Infernus. The band has drawn controversy by performing concerts featuring impaled sheep heads and mock crucifixions.
Here’s more on the name:
“Gorgoroth ‘Dreadful Horror’ (The Sindarin or Grey-elven tongue) – A word in the Grey-elven tongue, used for two different locations, distinct in time and space…. the second instance is the name of the ‘Haunted Plains’ of Mordor; the great plateau which occupied the north-western area of that country, a desolate, arid land, pocked with craters and fuming pits and riven with many deep crevasses. In the centre of the plain rose the smouldering cone of the volcano Orodruin.” (Encyclopedia Metallum)
In this song, the narrator is told to give up his eyes so that he can “truly see.” That’s an interesting concept. The lyrics of this song also refer to a “one eyed old man,” no doubt Odin. And it was Odin who gave up his eye so that he could know the secrets of the Runes. Perhaps those who are less distracted by what they physically see, can truly see into the spiritual realm. There’s an expression that goes, “Only in the darkness can you see the stars.”
Lyrics:
“The one eyed old man told me that the face that I will see
Has paralysed a thousand brave men sure of victory
I cannot fight blindfolded and I’d freeze if I should see.
So I need to sacrifice my eyes to see all from within.”
Lyrical Themes: Respect for nature, winter, revenge against humanity.
Damn. When Greece makes black metal they definitely know how to make it dark and intense. Another big Greek Black Metal band to pay attention to is Rotting Christ.
The style of Celtefog also reminds me of the style of atmospheric black metal bands from the American North-West, like Agalloch.
This is definitely a haunting song to listen to as nature around us darkens and we prepare for the winter months
“In 1991, when Satanel disbanded, Vikernes revived his solo project, changing the name to Burzum (which translates to “darkness” in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Black Speech, which is spoken by orcs and other creatures of Mordor). Handling all instruments and vocals by himself, he recorded Burzum’s first four full-length albums in a span of just over one year. In addition to all that, he joined Mayhem on bass, as well.” (Encyclopedia Metallum).
Varg Vikernes of Burzum became notorious for his church burnings and murder of Mayhem’s leader Euronymous in 1993. He served 21 years in jail for these actions, but is now free today.
While his views are controversial, the music of Buruzm, like much great old school black metal, is gritty, unpolished, ambient and evokes an era of ancient, primeval pagan magic.
Themes: Satanism, Anti-Christianity, War, Darkness
Taken from The Complete Tolkien Companion by J.E.A. Tyler:
“Gorgoroth ‘Dreadful Horror’ (The Sindarin or Grey-elven tongue) – A word in the Grey-elven tongue, used for two different locations, distinct in time and space…. the second instance is the name of the ‘Haunted Plains’ of Mordor; the great plateau which occupied the north-western area of that country, a desolate, arid land, pocked with craters and fuming pits and riven with many deep crevasses. In the centre of the plain rose the smouldering cone of the volcano Orodruin.” (Encyclopedia Metallum)
Gorgoroth in their music, performances and videos capture the spirit of dreadful horror. Their concert above is a live mockery of the crucifixion of Christ. A bloody and profane celebration of human flesh and gore.
LYRICS
Might and Lust my work
No trust is for man
Father of unholy damnation light
rewarding assistance for an endless life
To every living worm
Writing an omen
To every living walking
through the twilight
In every night there is a FIRE!!
Singing and Burning
The Curse of a child
Bring the pain out
Ours was spirit
Raped Intellegence
We exist…all…to awaken the secrets of old!
The essence of doubt
Carving a giant
Carving the eye of a god
Create ME
Torn so much
Taint a love
Chasing a giant
Forcing the ways of a storm
Standing as human
Facing a god
Fighting and turning your secrets
and every night I am the flame
and every night there is a fire
Before they formed Rotting Christ, Sakis Tolis, Themis Tolis and Mutilator played in a band together called Black Church, which they started in 1985. They went on to create Rotting Christ in 1987. They were one of the first Black Metal bands in their region.
For many people, the old school black metal is difficult to listen to because of its low production quality. However, for others, this is a big part of its appeal. After metal music became over commercialized in the 1980’s, the scene of Norwegian Black Metal that emerged in the late 80’s/early 90’s was appealing in a primordial, and natural kind of way. The music seemed a sort of dark, pagan magic re-emerging into a world that had become fake and synthetic.
Burzum evokes a gritty brutality that is quite captivating. Burzum itself means ‘darkness’ in the Black Speech, a fictional language from Lord of the Rings. The song above came from the album ‘Det som engang var.’ The album cover was visually inspired by Dungeons and Dragons. So there is obviously an interest in fantasy at work here.
Varg himself, the man behind the Burzum solo act is quite the controversial figure. He was sentenced to 21 years in prison for the murder of Mayhem guitarist Øystein ‘Euronymous’ Aarseth and the arson of three churches. What’s interesting is that Varg stabbed Euronymous a few days after the release of the album listed above.
After Varg’s release from prison in 2009 he recorded three further black metal albums.
Varg is also a controversial figure for his racist and anti-semitic views. However, amidst a lot of his rantings about race and the Jews, he does sometimes have some pretty brilliant things to say about the return to the ancient wisdom and truth.
Here is piece of an interview with him from the movie ‘Until The Light Takes Us.’ (The background music is Bathroy’s ‘One Rode to Asa Bay’)
As we get closer to Samhain and Halloween, it’s time to celebrate the dead. As the days grow shorter and colder, I also like to start busting out my old school black metal. Bathory is significant because they were one of the first black metal bands to make music about paganism and vikings, rather than Satan. In fact, Quorthon, the man behind Bathory, was really the father of the genre we now know as ‘Viking Metal.’
Quorthon played multiple instruments, released 14 albums over 20 years, played Satanic Black metal in the 80’s and pioneered the Viking Metal genre in the 90’s. He was the founder and songwriter of the Black Metal Band Bathory (in the 80’s and 90’s). Later he went on to create his own solo albums.
I stopped watching TV on the regular about ten years ago. Yet one of my major disappointments (in the occasions that I do watch the boob tube) is that there was no longer a music channel, just MTV (the reality TV channel) and VH1 (the reality TV channel that sometimes had music). So you can’t imagine my excitement when Sam Dunn – the director of several heavy metal documentaries – announced that there is going to be a whole freakin’ channel dedicated to metal. This means more metal documentaries, more metal videos, and the exploration of the millions of sub-genres of metal (including the ones that you never knew existed – or the ones that don’t exist yet). Like how about Pirate Jazz Metal? Does that exist? Maybe I can just create it out of thin air. And what about the prospect of metal commercials? Commercials for things like soap that ooze goat’s blood on you in the shower? (Okay, maybe that idea needs to be work-shopped a bit)
So anyways…something definitely to look forward to. Thank you very much Sam Dunn!
Perhaps this is not the right time of year at all for this album, but I’ve been enjoying the Hel out of it. It is a dark, ambient but magical meander into the blossoming of spring. The sounds of nature in the background, such as the rain at the end of this album, really bring to life a certain time of year and the mindset that you can often have when spring is just around the corner. Yet in addition to being magical, it also has an eerie and haunting tone that reminds one of walking into the darkness of a primeval forest. Lustre is an amazing band in general, especially in terms of capturing the mood of nature and expressing it in only that which music can accurately describe.
Themes: Ancient religion, evil, darkness, apostasy, anti-religion
Band Location: Saudi Arabia
Al-Namrood translates to “the non-believer” and comes from the name of a Babylonian king. He ruled the world maliciously and defied the ruler of the universe by claiming to be a God.
In Saudi Arabia, three men with hidden identities have defied theocratic law by daring to make black metal. For you see, in Saudi Arabia their actions are not only illegal, but are punishable by death.
The band started with with the idea of combining the Arabic scale with black metal and Arabic lyrics. The results are definitely quite interesting.
The members of Al-Namrood do not tour or play live shows (for obvious reasons). They make their music in secret and use fake names: Mephisto, Mudamer and Ostron. Quality equipment is hard to come by, and they have to smuggle much of their stuff into the country by secret. The bigger their fame, the bigger the risk of being found out, and yet they continue to make music and promote themselves anyways.
Al-Namrood represents the true spirit of apostasy. I regard these guys with the highest praise for having the courage to do what they do. If playing music under threat of death isn’t black metal, I don’t know what is.
The name “Smoldering in Forgotten” was inspired by a Goatwhore song, “Upon This Deathbed of Cold Fire.” Smoldering in Forgotten is another great metal band to come out of the Middle East.
Their style was originally black metal, but now they’ve grown to encompass a large variety of styles: including death, thrash and even incorporating aspects of Arabic traditional music. Their dynamic, live performances have delighted audiences across the gulf.
The drummer Mohammed Ishaq says that it can be difficult to arrange a show in Bahrain and elsewhere in the region, because venues distrust metal bands and their often rambunctious fans. Yet metal in Bahrain has apparently come a long way since the band first formed in 2005.
Ishaq says, “Back then, the only way to see live metal was to watch the occasional covers band play at a hotel’s battle of the bands night, but since then, the number of metal bands in Bahrain has grown, as has the size of their creative ambition and their audiences.” (The National Arts and Lifestyle).I have no doubt that Smouldering in Forgotten’s dynamic live performances have helped the Bahrain metal scene grow over the years.
Unfortunately I couldn’t find much of their stuff on YouTube, but I believe the song I posted above is a good eerie and melodic introduction to their work.
“I believe in Satan Who rend both heavens and earth And in the Antichrist His dearly misbegotten The anguish ov our future A Bastard spawned from lie Born ov a harlot nun Reign high in luxury Aloft the kings ov man”
– Messe Noire Lyrics
Behemoth’s grim new video is a tribute to the Swiss surrealist H. R. Giger.
Giger is most famous for his role in the award winning visuals of the film Alien. He was named to the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame in 2013. Giger is well known for his depiction of human bodies and machines in a cold, interconnected (and often sexual) relationship. His works primarily feature nightmarish, demonic and alienesque landscapes.
The music video above is inspired by Giger’s surreal style, with its focus on large demonic doors, as well as Sharon’s attachment to an occult and demonic machine that drains her blood. The story depicted is the fall of an archangel and his triumphant rise as Lucifer.
I can definitely see much of Sharon Ehman’s own artistic bent in the video as well. Sharon Ehman of Toxic Vision is without a doubt a fucking genius and the top designer of metal and occult inspired style in today’s world.
Zev Deans said the following about this video: “The story of Lucifer’s fall, followed by his defiant rebirth, reminds me of Nergal’s own personal struggles of recent years. Like Lucifer, Behemoth has recovered from hardship, and they are stronger than ever. With Messe Noire, I was lucky enough to work with some of the most talented people in the genre. I owe the success of this project to the intense SACRIFICE that Sharon and the rest of team gave to this work.“
THE ART OF H.R. GIGER IN MOTION
RELEVANT LINKS
(Sharon Ehman of Toxic Vision, as “Abysmal Queen”)
“The world around us has failed to sustain our humanity, our spirituality. The deep woe inside black metal is about fear that we can never return to the mythic, pastoral world that we crave on a deep subconscious level. […] We are weak and pitiful in our strength over the earth in conquering, we have destroyed ourselves. Black Metal expresses disgust with humanity and revels in the misery that one finds when the falseness of our lives is revealed. (Wolves in the Throne Room 2006 – Source: Nocturnal Cult)”
I’m certainly not going to undertake the task of “defining” what Black Metal is and what it is not. It is something that exists beyond such simple definitions. However, one aspect I understand about some forms of Black Metal is that it evokes a feeling of despair and darkness – a feeling of living in dark times. There is an idea that humanity has failed, and we are disconnected from the primal vitality of our own nature.
The great heroes of our mythology mark a golden era where man was molded out of harsh winters, deep forests and nature’s lessons into the stuff of legend. Yet we today are shallow beings, with shallow roots, living in environments constructed from plastic and chemicals. We ourselves are just brief shadows of the blazing torch of our ancestor’s glory.
Ragnarok and Kali Yuga predict a great reckoning where a tidal wave of death and destruction will erase the errors of this time, and carve a new, verdant green world out of the flesh and blood of the old. The last living Gods will die fighting the Titans of chaos, but in the end a few Gods will survive to usher in a new and better world. At least this is my personal reflection. Black Metal is a reflection of today’s Dark Times – and almost a yearning for a coming destruction to wash it all away.
This is something that can’t be explained in mere words, but is understood in the subconscious by listening to the music itself.
Mother north – how can they sleep while their beds are burning ?
Mother north – your fields are bleeding
Memories…The Invisible Wounds
pictures that enshrine your throne (gone?)
A Future benighted still they are blind
Pigeonhearted beings of flesh and blood
keeps closing their eyes for the dangers that threat…ourselves and our
nature
And that is why
they all enrage me
Sometimes in the dead of the night I mesmerize my soul
Sights and visions prophecies and horror
they all come in one
Mother north – united we stand (together we walk)
Phantom north – I’ll be there when you hunt them down
(Lyrics Page)
Major props to this guy. His throat sounds like it’s gonna need a bucket of Vaseline and lemon juice after such an ambitious vocal exercise. He even adds his own campy lyrics to represent each genre of metal. This video makes me realize there are too many “cores” in terms of types of metal. I’d also like to hear his take on Heavy, Power, and Doom Metal.
As the winter approaches for those of us in the world’s Northern Hemisphere, the ice cold chill of this Norwegian black metal song fits the season well. Satyricon makes for a formidable force with the singer’s ghoulish voice, pumping double bass drums and an ambiance that sounds like it was recorded in a primeval Norwegian forest. The Nordic fathers are calling, those ancient Heathen voices from long ago are returning yet, like torches in the dark. The black metal of today evokes voices of old, in their brutal, primal essence.
LYRICS
My skin is cold and the birds fly free
Over my head, where winter grows
A heathens call, stand up or fall
This world is yours, for you to rule
This, the blood of sin
Flows freely
This, unstoppable force
In the naked flesh
My skin is cold – your skin is cold
Black metal rock and scent of leather
And bloodstained gold
With rain and wind come times of change,
and dream come true
I go with you, on the path we make
This, the blood of sin
Flows freely
This, unstoppable force
In the naked flesh
My skin is cold – your skin is cold
Snow covered mountain
I gaze in awe
Wondering who and what was here before
I made my mark on that sacred soil
This phoenix rose from a pit of pain
This, the blood of sin
Flows freely
This, unstoppable force
In the naked flesh
My skin is cold – your skin is cold
One nations man carrying the weight,
of a peoples disgrace
This is the turnaround!
Driven by birthright and godsent will
The time has come for you to rule
This, the blood of sin
Flows freely
This, unstoppable force
In the naked flesh
My skin is cold – your skin is cold
God Seed was formed in 2009 after Gaahl and King ov Hell lost the court battle over the rights to the former band name “Gorgoroth.” After losing the battle, Gaahl and King ov Hell chose “God Seed,” since it was the name of one of their songs. King says that the “God Seed” band represents a more spiritual side of their work, ” the will to grow; the will to be the super man, so to speak (Tune of the Day).”
The video above is a song from their first album “I Begin.”
What is the meaning of this song itself, “Alt Liv”? I found many reviews of the song, but not much about its actual meaning.
From what I could find, the Norwegian title itself refers to “everything that lives.” This matches the idea of the band “God Seed” in general to reflect the Will – or the God within, the growth of the seed of power. Everything lives, everything grows.
What does the video itself mean?
There are several symbols here that refer back to Norse Mythology.
Odin is the all father of the Norse Gods. He hung himself upside down from the World Tree, the gigantic ash Yggdrasil. He hung there for nine days and nine nights, pierced by his own spear. He made of himself a sacrifice to himself. Finally he fell from the tree, when he received the flash of insight that revealed the secrets of the runes.
In this video, we see a man hanging from a tree. There are also ravens that fly from the tree (ravens are one of Odin’s attributes). Huginn (“thought”) and Muninn (“memory”) were two of his ravens that would fly all over the world and bring back information. Ravens are often pictured sitting on Odin’s shoulders. In this video, the feather of the raven occurs as a frequent image.
There are three boys in this video who see the man hanging from the tree, but only one has the courage to pick up the spear and pierce the hanging man. Perhaps this reflects the idea that it takes courage and even a bit of audacity to confront the deep knowledge within oneself.
There was also a woman in the video working magic, perhaps this is a reference to the Seiðr magic that was specifically practiced by women. Seiðr was associated with both Odin and the Goddess Freya.
Of course these are just my interpretations. Perhaps God Seed did not have such a specific meaning for their video. Yet the allusion to Norse Myth and the quest for knowledge emerges as a very apparent theme.
All things live. All things grow. Nature grows. Man grows. Yet deep knowledge is necessary for growth.
Metal Gaia 