Black Metal

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{{Infobox Music genre|bgcolor = crimson|color = White|name = Black metal|stylistic_origins = [[Thrash metal]], [[Death Metal]], [[Hardcore Punk]]|cultural_origins = First wave: early–mid 1980s, European extreme metal scene

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Second wave: early 1990s, Scandinavian extreme metal scene|instruments = Vocals (shrieking and/or growling), electric guitar, bass guitar, drums|derivatives = [[Ambient black metal]], [[Symphonic black metal]], [[War metal]]|fusiongenres = [[Black-doom]],[[Blackened death metal]], [[Pagan metal]], [[Viking metal]]|regional_scenes = France, Norway}}'''Black metal''' is an extreme subgenre and subculture of [[Heavy metal]]. Common traits include fast tempos, shrieking vocal style,highly or heavily distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, raw (lo-fi) recording, unconventional song structures and an emphasis on atmosphere, though many different characteristics and techniques may be employed. Artists often appear in corpse paint and adopt pseudonyms.

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== Characteristics ==

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Although ''contemporary black metal'' typically refers to the Norwegian style with shrieking vocals and raw production, the term has also been applied to bands with widely differing sounds.

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=== Instrumentation ===

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Norwegian-inspired black metal guitarists usually favor high-pitched or trebly guitar tones and heavy distortion.The guitar is usually played with fast, un-muted tremolo picking. Guitarists often use dissonance—along with specific scales, intervals and chord progressions—to create a sense of dread. The tritone, or flat-fifth, is often used. Guitar solos and low guitar tunings are rare in black metal.

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The bass guitar is seldom used to play stand-alone melodies. It is not uncommon for the bass guitar to be muted against the guitar, or for it to homophonically follow the bass lines of the guitar. Typically, drumming is fast and uses double-bass, blast beats, or both.

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Black metal songs often stray from conventional song structure and often lack clear verse-chorus sections. Instead, many black metal songs contain lengthy and repetitive instrumental sections.

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The Greek style—established by [[Rotting Christ]], [[Necromantia]] and [[Varathron]] —has more traditional [[Heavy metal]] and [[Death metal]] traits than Norwegian black metal.

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=== Vocals and lyrics ===

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Traditional black metal bands usually use raspy, high-pitched vocals which include shrieking, screaming and snarling. This vocal style was influenced by [[Quorthon]] of [[Bathory]], and is one of the traits that distinguishes the vocals of many traditional black metal artists from those of [[Death metal]], which usually uses low-pitched growls.

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Black metal lyrics typically attack Christianity and the other institutional religions, often using apocalyptic language. Satanic lyrics are common,and many see them as essential to black metal. For [[Satanist black metal]] artists, "Black metal songs are meant to be like Calvinist sermons; deadly serious attempts to unite the true believers". Misanthropy, global catastrophe, war, death, destruction and rebirth are also common themes. Another topic often found in black metal lyrics is that of the wild or harsher aspects of nature – particularly the wilderness, forests, mountains, winter, storms and blizzards. Black metal also has a fascination with the distant past. There are many bands who write about the mythology and folklore of their homelands and promote a revival of pre-Christian, pagan traditions. For more information about black metal lyrics, see the ideology section below.

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=== History ===

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==== 1st Wave ====

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The first wave of black metal refers to those bands during the 1980s who influenced the black metal sound and formed a prototype for the genre. They were often [[Speed metal]] or [[Thrash metal]] bands.

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The term "black metal" was coined by the English band [[Venom]] with their second album ''Black Metal'' ([[1982]]). Although deemed thrash metal rather than black metal by today's standards, the album's lyrics and imagery focused more on anti-Christian and Satanic themes than any before it. Their music was fast, unpolished in production and with raspy or grunted vocals. Venom's members also adopted pseudonyms, a practice that would become widespread among black metal musicians.

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The Danish band [[Mercyful Fate]] influenced the Norwegian scene with their imagery and lyrics. Frontman [[King Diamond]], who wore ghoulish black-and-white facepaint on stage, inspired what became known as ''corpse paint''.

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Other artists usually considered part of this movement include [[Kreator]], [[Sodom]] and [[Destruction]] (from Germany), [[Bulldozer]] and [[Death SS]] (from Italy), whose vocalist [[Steve Sylvester]] was a member of the [[Ordo Templi Orientis|Ordo Templi Orientis.]]

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==== End of the first wave ====

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In [[1987]], in the fifth issue of his ''Slayer'' fanzine, Metalion wrote that "the latest fad of black/Satanic bands seems to be over", the tradition being continued by a few bands like [[Morbid Angel]] (from the United States), [[Sabbat]] (from Great Britain), [[Tormentor]] (from Hungary), [[Sarcófago]] (from Brazil), [[Grotesque]] and [[Treblinka]]/early [[Tiamat]] (from Sweden).

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Other early black metal bands include Sabbat (formed [[1983]] in Japan), [[Parabellum]] (formed [[1983]] in Colombia), [[Salem]] (formed [[1985]] in Israel) and [[Mortuary Drape]] (formed [[1986]] in Italy). Japanese band [[Sigh]] formed in [[1990]] and was in regular contact with key members of the Norwegian scene. Their debut album, ''Scorn Defeat'', became "a cult classic in the black metal world."

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==== 2nd Wave ====

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The second wave of black metal began in the early 1990s and was spearheaded by the Norwegian black metal scene. During 1990–1993, a number of Norwegian artists began performing and releasing a new kind of black metal music; this included [[Darkthrone]], [[Burzum]], [[Immortal]], [[Satyricon]], [[Mayhem]], [[Enslaved]], [[Thorns]], [[Gorgoroth]], [[Carpathian Forest]] and [[Emperor]]. They developed the style of their 1980s forebears into a distinct genre. This was partly thanks to a new kind of guitar playing developed by [[Snorre 'Blackthorn' Ruch]] of [[Stigma Diabolicum-Thorns]] and [[Øystein 'Euronymous' Aarseth]] of [[Mayhem]]. Fenriz of Darkthrone described it as being "derived from Bathory" and noted that "those kinds of riffs became the new order for a lot of bands in the '90s".The wearing of corpse paint became standard, and was a way for many black metal artists to distinguish themselves from other metal bands of the era. The scene also had an ideology and ethos. Artists were bitterly opposed to Christianity and presented themselves as misanthropic Devil worshippers who wanted to spread terror, hatred and evil. They professed to be serious in their views and vowed to act on them. [[Ihsahn]] of [[Emperor]] said that they sought to "create fear among people" and "be in opposition to society". The scene was exclusive and created boundaries around itself, incorporating only those who were "true" and attempting to expel all "posers". Some members of the scene were responsible for a spate of church burnings and murder, which eventually drew attention to it and led to a number of artists being imprisoned.

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=====<nowiki/>=====

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[[Category:Genres]]

Changes: Black Metal

Latest revision as of 19:10, 26 November 2017

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+{{Delete|Black metal is not rock.}}
-{{Infobox Music genre|bgcolor = crimson|color = White|name = Black metal|stylistic_origins = [[Thrash metal]], [[Death Metal]], [[Hardcore Punk]]|cultural_origins = First wave: early–mid 1980s, European extreme metal scene
-Second wave: early 1990s, Scandinavian extreme metal scene|instruments = Vocals (shrieking and/or growling), electric guitar, bass guitar, drums|derivatives = [[Ambient black metal]], [[Symphonic black metal]], [[War metal]]|fusiongenres = [[Black-doom]],[[Blackened death metal]], [[Pagan metal]], [[Viking metal]]|regional_scenes = France, Norway}}'''Black metal''' is an extreme subgenre and subculture of [[Heavy metal]]. Common traits include fast tempos, shrieking vocal style,highly or heavily distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, raw (lo-fi) recording, unconventional song structures and an emphasis on atmosphere, though many different characteristics and techniques may be employed. Artists often appear in corpse paint and adopt pseudonyms.
-== Characteristics ==
-Although ''contemporary black metal'' typically refers to the Norwegian style with shrieking vocals and raw production, the term has also been applied to bands with widely differing sounds.
-=== Instrumentation ===
-Norwegian-inspired black metal guitarists usually favor high-pitched or trebly guitar tones and heavy distortion.The guitar is usually played with fast, un-muted tremolo picking. Guitarists often use dissonance—along with specific scales, intervals and chord progressions—to create a sense of dread. The tritone, or flat-fifth, is often used. Guitar solos and low guitar tunings are rare in black metal.
-The bass guitar is seldom used to play stand-alone melodies. It is not uncommon for the bass guitar to be muted against the guitar, or for it to homophonically follow the bass lines of the guitar. Typically, drumming is fast and uses double-bass, blast beats, or both.
-Black metal songs often stray from conventional song structure and often lack clear verse-chorus sections. Instead, many black metal songs contain lengthy and repetitive instrumental sections.
-The Greek style—established by [[Rotting Christ]], [[Necromantia]] and [[Varathron]] —has more traditional [[Heavy metal]] and [[Death metal]] traits than Norwegian black metal.
-=== Vocals and lyrics ===
-Traditional black metal bands usually use raspy, high-pitched vocals which include shrieking, screaming and snarling. This vocal style was influenced by [[Quorthon]] of [[Bathory]], and is one of the traits that distinguishes the vocals of many traditional black metal artists from those of [[Death metal]], which usually uses low-pitched growls.
-Black metal lyrics typically attack Christianity and the other institutional religions, often using apocalyptic language. Satanic lyrics are common,and many see them as essential to black metal. For [[Satanist black metal]] artists, "Black metal songs are meant to be like Calvinist sermons; deadly serious attempts to unite the true believers". Misanthropy, global catastrophe, war, death, destruction and rebirth are also common themes. Another topic often found in black metal lyrics is that of the wild or harsher aspects of nature – particularly the wilderness, forests, mountains, winter, storms and blizzards. Black metal also has a fascination with the distant past. There are many bands who write about the mythology and folklore of their homelands and promote a revival of pre-Christian, pagan traditions. For more information about black metal lyrics, see the ideology section below.
-=== History ===
-==== 1st Wave ====
-The first wave of black metal refers to those bands during the 1980s who influenced the black metal sound and formed a prototype for the genre. They were often [[Speed metal]] or [[Thrash metal]] bands.
-The term "black metal" was coined by the English band [[Venom]] with their second album ''Black Metal'' ([[1982]]). Although deemed thrash metal rather than black metal by today's standards, the album's lyrics and imagery focused more on anti-Christian and Satanic themes than any before it. Their music was fast, unpolished in production and with raspy or grunted vocals. Venom's members also adopted pseudonyms, a practice that would become widespread among black metal musicians.
-The Danish band [[Mercyful Fate]] influenced the Norwegian scene with their imagery and lyrics. Frontman [[King Diamond]], who wore ghoulish black-and-white facepaint on stage, inspired what became known as ''corpse paint''.
-Other artists usually considered part of this movement include [[Kreator]], [[Sodom]] and [[Destruction]] (from Germany), [[Bulldozer]] and [[Death SS]] (from Italy), whose vocalist [[Steve Sylvester]] was a member of the [[Ordo Templi Orientis|Ordo Templi Orientis.]]
-==== End of the first wave ====
-In [[1987]], in the fifth issue of his ''Slayer'' fanzine, Metalion wrote that "the latest fad of black/Satanic bands seems to be over", the tradition being continued by a few bands like [[Morbid Angel]] (from the United States), [[Sabbat]] (from Great Britain), [[Tormentor]] (from Hungary), [[Sarcófago]] (from Brazil), [[Grotesque]] and [[Treblinka]]/early [[Tiamat]] (from Sweden).
-Other early black metal bands include Sabbat (formed [[1983]] in Japan), [[Parabellum]] (formed [[1983]] in Colombia), [[Salem]] (formed [[1985]] in Israel) and [[Mortuary Drape]] (formed [[1986]] in Italy). Japanese band [[Sigh]] formed in [[1990]] and was in regular contact with key members of the Norwegian scene. Their debut album, ''Scorn Defeat'', became "a cult classic in the black metal world."
-==== 2nd Wave ====
-The second wave of black metal began in the early 1990s and was spearheaded by the Norwegian black metal scene. During 1990–1993, a number of Norwegian artists began performing and releasing a new kind of black metal music; this included [[Darkthrone]], [[Burzum]], [[Immortal]], [[Satyricon]], [[Mayhem]], [[Enslaved]], [[Thorns]], [[Gorgoroth]], [[Carpathian Forest]] and [[Emperor]]. They developed the style of their 1980s forebears into a distinct genre. This was partly thanks to a new kind of guitar playing developed by [[Snorre 'Blackthorn' Ruch]] of [[Stigma Diabolicum-Thorns]] and [[Øystein 'Euronymous' Aarseth]] of [[Mayhem]]. Fenriz of Darkthrone described it as being "derived from Bathory" and noted that "those kinds of riffs became the new order for a lot of bands in the '90s".The wearing of corpse paint became standard, and was a way for many black metal artists to distinguish themselves from other metal bands of the era. The scene also had an ideology and ethos. Artists were bitterly opposed to Christianity and presented themselves as misanthropic Devil worshippers who wanted to spread terror, hatred and evil. They professed to be serious in their views and vowed to act on them. [[Ihsahn]] of [[Emperor]] said that they sought to "create fear among people" and "be in opposition to society". The scene was exclusive and created boundaries around itself, incorporating only those who were "true" and attempting to expel all "posers". Some members of the scene were responsible for a spate of church burnings and murder, which eventually drew attention to it and led to a number of artists being imprisoned.
-=====<nowiki/>=====
-[[Category:Genres]]