Red and anarchist black metal

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Red and anarchist black metal (also known as RABM) [1] [2] is a subgenre of black metal that promotes ideologies such as anarchism, environmentalism or Marxism. [3] [4] [5] [6] Certain founders of black metal had far-left opinions, such as Fenriz from Darkthrone who declared that he was a socialist in the late 1980s and that he moved from one political extreme to another. [7] The RABM is launched in response to the National socialist black metal (NSBM) by leftists. [8]

Contents

History

Wolves in the Throne Room performing live at Fire in the Mountains Festival 2019 WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM.jpg
Wolves in the Throne Room performing live at Fire in the Mountains Festival 2019

During the emergence of black metal and especially the second wave of its kind in Norway, the theme of politics is avoided. Some like Varg Vikernes try to avoid any connection with politics in their words. [9] Ideologically, Euronymous from the very influential group Mayhem, is often cited in the Norwegian scene because he proclaimed himself a communist in the same way as Joseph Stalin and Pol Pot. Although formerly a member of several different groups, Euronymous maintained that the ideology of these authoritarian governments counted in these misanthropic beliefs and therefore his legitimacy as a true communist was often debated. [10]

One of the first bands to mix crust punk with black metal is Iskra from Canada, formed in 2002. Iskra's ideology is based on anti-capitalism, anarchism, and anti-globalization, and is often considered one of the first notable groups of RABM. The RABM scene consist of individuals sharing the same goals. [11] [12]

Panopticon is a one-man black metal band that incorporates elements of various musical styles such as post-rock, bluegrass music, appalachian folk and country music. The multi-instrumentalist Austin Lunn has always been explicit about his political position, considers himself an anarchist and has critical positions on globalization, genocide of indigenous peoples and the destruction of forests, for this reason his lyrics are more focused on environmental themes. Like Iskra, Panopticon has also established itself as one of the first RABM bands and among the most influential in this sphere of black metal, later influencing small local bands around the world. [13] Wolves in the Throne Room is also a band focused on this theme, but its sound is closer to atmospheric black metal, they define themselves as "Cascadian black metal", as the members are adept at the bioregional movement called Cascadia, which seeks independence from the United States and Canada for reasons environmental, and they have also been critical of the advance of far-right on black metal. [14]

Examples

Related Research Articles

Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, a shrieking vocal style, heavily distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, raw (lo-fi) recording, unconventional song structures, and an emphasis on atmosphere. Artists often appear in corpse paint and adopt pseudonyms.

National Socialist black metal, also known as NSBM, Aryan black metal, and Neo-Nazi black metal, is a political movement and subgenre within the black metal music scene that promotes neo-Nazism, and Fascist and white supremacist ideologies. NSBM artists typically combine neo-Nazi imagery and ideology with ethnic European paganism, Satanism, or Nazi occultism, or a combination thereof, and vehemently oppose Christianity, Islam and Judaism from a racialist viewpoint. NSBM is not seen as a distinct genre, but as a völkisch movement within black metal. According to Mattias Gardell, NSBM musicians see this ideology as "a logical extension of the political and spiritual dissidence inherent in black metal".

Anarcho-punk is punk rock that promotes anarchism. Some use the term broadly to refer to any punk music with anarchist lyrical content, which may figure in crust punk, hardcore punk, folk punk, and other styles.

A number of heavy metal genres have developed since the emergence of heavy metal during the late 1960s and early 1970s. At times, heavy metal genres may overlap or are difficult to distinguish, but they can be identified by a number of traits. They may differ in terms of instrumentation, tempo, song structure, vocal style, lyrics, guitar playing style, drumming style, and so on.

Crust punk is a form of music influenced by English punk rock and extreme metal. The style, which evolved in the early 1980s in England, often has songs with dark and pessimistic lyrics that linger on political and social ills. The term "crust" was coined by Hellbastard on their 1986 Ripper Crust demo.

Extreme metal is a loosely defined umbrella term for a number of related heavy metal music subgenres that have developed since the early 1980s. It has been defined as a "cluster of metal subgenres characterized by sonic, verbal, and visual transgression".

Euronymous Norwegian black metal musician (1968–1993)

Øystein Aarseth, better known by his stage name Euronymous, was a Norwegian musician. Euronymous was a founder of and central figure in the early Norwegian black metal scene. He was a co-founder and guitarist of the Norwegian black metal band Mayhem and was the only constant member from the band's formation in 1984 until his death in 1993. He was also founder and owner of the extreme metal record label Deathlike Silence Productions and record shop Helvete.

Profane Existence is a Minneapolis-based anarcho-punk collective. Established in 1989, the collective publishes a nationally known zine, as well as releasing and distributing anarcho-punk, crust, and grindcore music, and printing and publishing pamphlets and literature. Stacy Thompson describes the collective as “the largest, longest-lasting, and most influential collective in Anarcho-Punk so far.” The collective folded in 1998, although its distribution arm, then called Blackened Distribution, continued operating. It restarted in 2000. "Making punk a threat again" is the group's slogan.

Discharge (band) English punk band

Discharge are an English hardcore punk band formed in 1977 in Stoke-on-Trent, England. The band is known for influencing countless sub-genres of extreme music and their songs have been covered by some of the biggest names in heavy metal and other genres. The musical sub-genre of D-beat is named after Discharge and the band's distinctive drumbeat.

The early Norwegian black metal scene of the 1990s is credited with creating the modern black metal genre and produced some of the most acclaimed and influential artists in extreme metal. It attracted massive media attention when it was revealed that its members had been responsible for two murders and a wave of church burnings in Norway.

Punk ideologies

Punk ideologies are a group of varied social and political beliefs associated with the punk subculture and punk rock. It is primarily concerned with concepts such as mutual aid, against selling out, egalitarianism, humanitarianism, anti-authoritarianism, anti-consumerism, anti-corporatism, anti-war, decolonization, anti-conservatism, anti-globalization, anti-gentrification, anti-racism, anti-sexism, gender equality, racial equality, health rights, civil rights, animal rights, disability rights, free-thought and non-conformity. One of its main tenets is a rejection of mainstream, corporate mass culture and its values. It continues to evolve its ideology as the movement spreads throughout North America from its origins in England and New York and embraces a range of anti-racist and anti-sexist belief systems. Punk ideologies are often Leftist / Anti-capitalist and go against Democrat authoritarian and the Right-wing Christian ideologies.

Anarchism and the arts

Anarchism has long had an association with the arts, particularly with visual art, music and literature. This can be dated back to the start of anarchism as a named political concept, and the writings of Pierre-Joseph Proudhon on the French realist painter Gustave Courbet. In an essay on Courbet of 1857 Proudhon had set out a principle for art, which he saw in the work of Courbet, that it should show the real lives of the working classes and the injustices working people face at the hands of the bourgeoisie.

National-anarchism is a right-wing nationalist ideology which advocates racial separatism, racial nationalism, ethnonationalism and racial purity. National-anarchists claim to syncretize neotribal ethnic nationalism with philosophical anarchism, mainly in their support for a stateless society while rejecting anarchist social philosophy. The main ideological innovation of national-anarchism is its anti-state palingenetic ultranationalism. National-anarchists advocate homogeneous communities in place of the nation state. National-anarchists claim that those of different ethnic or racial groups would be free to develop separately in their own tribal communes while striving to be politically meritocratic, economically non-capitalist, ecologically sustainable and socially and culturally traditional.

Martial industrial is a syncretic offshoot of industrial music characterized by noise, dark ambient atmospheres, neofolk melodies, dark wave tunes and neoclassical orchestrations as well as the incorporation of audio from military marches, historical speeches and political, apolitical or metapolitical lyrics. Unlike other post-industrial genres, martial industrial is typically interested more in a particular worldview or philosophy than pure experimentalism.

Satanic Warmaster

Satanic Warmaster is a Finnish black metal project from Lappeenranta, Finland, consisting of the sole musician "Werwolf". Penttilä began recording under this name in 1998. Satanic Warmaster has sold tens of thousands of albums worldwide without the support of any major distribution companies or record labels. The band has toured around the world in countries such as Finland, Germany, Russia, Mexico, Japan and Italy. In November 2014, Satanic Warmaster's album "Fimbulwinter" reached the Finnish official chart on place #14 and the Rumba specialized stores' chart on place #2.

A number of overlapping punk rock subgenres have developed since the emergence of punk rock in the mid-1970s. Even though punk genres at times are difficult to segregate, they usually show differing characteristics in overall structures, instrumental and vocal styles, and tempo. However, sometimes a particular trait is common in several genres, and thus punk genres are normally grouped by a combination of traits.

Post-left anarchy is a current in anarchist thought that promotes a critique of anarchism's relationship to traditional leftism. Some post-leftists seek to escape the confines of ideology in general while also presenting a critique of organizations and morality. Influenced by the work of Max Stirner and by the Situationist International, post-left anarchy is marked by a focus on social insurrection and a diminution of leftist social organisation.

Panopticon is an American black metal band founded by Austin Lunn in Louisville, Kentucky in 2007. The project began as a studio-only effort with Lunn writing and performing all parts. While he remains the driving creative force, Panopticon has since expanded to include a lineup of musicians for live performances. The music features many familiar elements of black metal, but additionally incorporates bluegrass and Appalachian folk. In addition to sounds typical to heavy metal music, such as distorted guitars and rapid drumming, Panopticon also incorporates a diverse range of additional instrumentation such as banjos, fiddles, bells, synthesizers and acoustic guitars.

Animal rights are closely associated with two ideologies of the punk subculture: anarcho-punk and straight edge. This association dates back to the 1980s and has been expressed in areas that include song lyrics, benefit concerts for animal rights organisations, and militant actions of activists influenced by punk music. Among the latter, Rod Coronado, Peter Daniel Young and members of SHAC are notable. This issue spread into various punk rock and hardcore subgenres, e.g. crust punk, metalcore and grindcore, eventually becoming a distinctive feature of punk culture.

References

  1. "Canadian Crust Punks Storm of Sedition Go Off the Grid on Their Furious New 'Decivilize' LP | NOISEY". NOISEY. Retrieved 21 Aug 2021.
  2. "Skagos: Anarchic Album Review | Pitchfork". pitchfork.com. Retrieved 21 Aug 2021.
  3. "De Zwaarste Metalgids: 66 metalgenres in één zin uitgelegd". Studio Brussel (in German). Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  4. Gevorgyan, Elen. "Music, Ideology and How They Interact: A Journey from Sacred Music to Black Metal" (PDF). American University of Armenia . Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  5. Nonjon, Adrien (2019). Black Metal Theory Symposium Program. University of Ljubljana . Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  6. "If It Ain't Got No Blastbeat, It's Not My Revolution: Panopticon". PopMatters. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  7. "Copia archivada". 10 April 2009. Archived from the original on 1 April 2010. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  8. "Unearthing The Metal Underground: The Red and Anarchist Black Metal Underground". Metal Underground. 24 October 2011. Retrieved 2021-09-02.
  9. "OW BLACK IS BLACK METAL" (PDF). Journalismus nachrichten von heute. Retrieved 2021-09-02..
  10. "documents: Euronymous as Kafka". Surrealdocuments.blogspot.ca. 2008-04-29. Retrieved 2021-09-02..
  11. "ISKRA INTERVIEW for Crackfix Propaganda". Web.archive.org. 2015. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  12. Davisson, Justin. "Extreme Politics and Extreme Metal: Strange Bedfellows or Fellow Travelers?" (PDF). Inter-disciplinary.net. p. 16. Retrieved 2021-09-02.
  13. "Exclusive Interview: Austin Lunn of Panopticon". decibelmagazine.com. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
  14. Brenner, Dave (August 19, 2011). "Earsplit Compound".

Further reading