Which I just know some of you will fucking find interesting D:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/15/arts/ ... ml?_r=2&hp


Although having said that, possibly my favourite thing about black metal is that almost none of the "essential" bands sound truly similar.
And if you asked them what black metal was, they'd all give you a different answer.

Imagine listening to beardy blokes talk about how important black metal is for 6 hours

But in all seriousness though Thrash raises an interesting point. When you mentioned "discourse into the essences of BM was different to my views, and thus not something I've really considered" reveals that people who are intelligent, well researched but otherwise uninvolved with black metal in anything other than an academic basis are setting themselves up to the danger of alienating more discerning folks who are involved with the genre. They can generalize black metal fans into a particular minority that all thrive on the same impetus.

I'm involved with black metal mostly on an aural level, as i'm not particularly anti-religous/anti-society and most definately not anti-modern. I have respect for black metal artists who are aware of the world outside their own subgenres context but despite the demands of allegiance and exacting ethics by some musicians in the genre, I can enjoy their music without being swayed by their credo. I think elitism and arty smugness stems from being unaware (which could be a mixture of unintentional ignorance and forced solidarity) of the intricacies of music and its varied branches.

If this turns into a serious topic, Ben, I'm going to rip your nose off, ram my thumbs through your eyes, and fuck your fucking nosehole.

brb, forming ultra nasty sounding BM band.
When interviewed in magazines will send shockwaves throughout the community by saying that our GRIM AND INVERTED NECROPHILOSOPHY is making a loud nasty noise that sounds awesome and that it's all fun.