Unblack metal

Last updated

Unblack metal (also known as Christian black metal or White metal) is a religious philosophy and subgenre within black metal, inheriting several characteristics of it, such as the melody, the lyrics and the aesthetics (corpse paint), [1] whose artists either directly oppose the Satanism prevalent in most black metal, or promote Christianity in their lyrics and imagery. [2] [3] Unblack metal artists are controversial within the black metal subculture, because black metal's pioneers, especially those of the Second Wave, were anti-Christian. It is also suggested that Christianity contradicts black metal's dark nature and the individualistic and misanthropic ideals of many bands. [4]

Contents

The exact beginning of the unblack metal movement is disputed. The Australian band Horde's 1994 album Hellig Usvart brought the concept and the term "holy unblack metal" (a word play on Darkthrone's slogan "unholy black metal" used on the albums A Blaze in the Northern Sky and Under a Funeral Moon ) [5] to media attention, [6] while the Norwegian band Antestor was already formed in 1990 as a death/doom act and released its demo The Defeat of Satan in 1991, before they began shifting towards unblack metal on their 1994 album Martyrium .

Characteristics

Pilgrim of Crimson Moonlight Pilgrim.jpg
Pilgrim of Crimson Moonlight

Unblack metal is a genre derived from black metal that focuses on Christian lyrical themes. Unblack metal incorporates black metal's fast tempos, shrieked vocals, highly distorted guitars, tremolo picking, double-kick drumming, repetition and often unconventional song structure. Garry Sharpe-Young's 2001 encyclopedia A-Z of Black Metal states that "[t]opping the lot are Christian 'Unblack' acts who for all intents and purposes look like, sound like and employ the imagery of Black Metal whilst hidden in the unpenetrable vocal growls and distortions are the proclamations of Jesus Christ". [7]

Some unblack metal artists, such as Horde, write lyrics that explicitly attack Satanism. [8] This remained a dominant theme throughout most of the 1990s. In the late 1990s, groups began to write more philosophical and ideological lyrics. These often include stories of conversion, doubt, salvation, struggles with faith, and the darker side of living a Christian life. Unblack metal bands may justify their use of the black metal style with reasons ranging from genuine appreciation of the musical genre, to evangelization towards the largely anti-Christian black metal scene, i.e. "bringing light into darkness". [8] [9]

History

Background

The 1970s occult boom influenced many early heavy metal bands lyricwise. In the early 1980s, several bands dealt such themes in a more extreme manner, including Venom, Mercyful Fate and Bathory. During the mid-1980s, heavy metal music divided into many subgenres, and black metal emerged as one of them, taking its name from a Venom album of the same title. In the 1980s, the term was imprecise with regards to musical attributes, simply referring to all metal bands with Satanic lyrical themes. [10] Although Christian metal bands had existed since the late 1970s, a clear contrast with black metal occurred in 1984 with the release of American doom metal band Trouble's significantly Bible-based debut album Psalm 9 . Metal Blade Records marketed Trouble as "white metal" as opposed to black metal. Vocalist Eric Wagner explained in 2006 that "back in the early 1980s, all the metal was kind of Satanic," and implied that Metal Blade (or the owner Brian Slagel) actually invented the term in the first place: "I think it was more like Metal Blade trying to be cute or something, with everything being called black metal, so why not call us white metal, which is a bunch of crap." [11]

Early 1990s

Gnome-mime-sound-openclipart.svg
"Invert the Inverted Cross"
Sample of "Invert the Inverted Cross" by Horde, from the album Hellig Usvart (1994). Horde's lyrical themes were known to be anti-Satanic, and the music represents the older school of unblack metal.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

The Australian band Horde's debut album Hellig Usvart , recorded and released in 1994, is often credited for being the first unblack metal album, although the sole member "Anonymous" has stated that, "there were similar [unblack] bands prior to Horde, even in Norway," referring to Antestor who formed in 1990. Prior to 1993, they were a death-doom band called Crush Evil. Antestor's debut album Martyrium was also recorded in 1994 and marked a shift into unblack metal territory. However, due to issues with the band's record label at the time, the album was not officially released until 2000. [12] Euronymous of Mayhem expressed in an interview that someone would need to force Crush Evil to disband. [13]

Hellig Usvart (Norwegian for Holy Unblack) caused great controversy in the black metal scene, and death threats were sent to Nuclear Blast Records headquarters demanding them to release the members' names. Later, it was discovered that the only actual member was the former Mortification/Paramaecium drummer Jayson Sherlock from Australia. [14] The term "unblack metal" was derived from "holy unblack metal", which was a wordplay on Darkthrone's "unholy black metal" term. [5] Media became interested in this controversy. On 6 June 1995, the Norwegian weekly newspaper Morgenbladet published an article about the phenomenon of unblack metal, describing Horde's album as "an abrupt satire of the Norwegian black metal movement". Antestor was also interviewed, with vocalist Kjetil Molnes stating "We identify ourselves as black metal as a music style, not black metal as an ideology or belief." [6] [15]

Late 1990s

After 1995, influenced by Horde, other unblack metal bands started releasing their first demos. The Indonesian group Kekal soon became associated with the movement. [16] [17] Eduardo Rivadavia of AllMusic wrote that "Kekal are one of the first heavy metal bands from Jakarta, Indonesia, to make international inroads, and they may just be the first to profess Christian beliefs while performing black metal." [18] However, Kekal has resisted being labeled as Christian, with former front-man Jeff Arwadi stating that he views "Christian metal" as a market brand that to him does not make sense. [19]

Gnome-mime-sound-openclipart.svg
"A Sovereign Fortress"
Sample of "A Sovereign Fortress" by Antestor, from the album The Return of the Black Death (1998). This sample represents Antestor's "sorrow metal" style: a mixture of viking metal and doom metal.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

Antestor's 1998 release The Return of the Black Death proved highly influential for the unblack metal movement. The album was released on the British Cacophonous Records  [ fr ], which has released records by such successful black metal groups as Cradle of Filth and Dimmu Borgir. According to Matt Morrow, it became the only unblack metal album besides Horde's Hellig Usvart to be released on a secular label in the 1990s, [20] although Kekal released Beyond the Glimpse of Dreams on a secular label in the same year. [18] The established British magazines Kerrang! and Terrorizer both gave The Return of the Black Death 4 points out of 5. [21] [22]

Vaakevandring's self-titled EP (recorded in 1998) was produced by Stian Aarstad, the keyboard player of Dimmu Borgir. [23] [24] The release achieved worldwide attention and later became recognized a "classic" in the unblack metal scene. [25] In 1998, the metalcore group Underoath was founded, and played hardcore and metalcore mixed with black and death metal. [26] [27] The band subsequently moved away from this early black metal sound to a more mainstream post-hardcore style. [28]

2000s

The Norwegian group Drottnar live at Elements of Rock [de], Switzerland in 2013 Drottnar-EoR2013-12.jpg
The Norwegian group Drottnar live at Elements of Rock  [ de ], Switzerland in 2013

During the early 2000s, according to Screams of Abel magazine, there was an "international explosion of Christian black metal bands", and black metal "seemed to be the fastest growing genre in the Christian metal scene". [29] In 2000, Lengsel's debut album Solace was critically acclaimed, [30] Sanctifica released Spirit of Purity , [31] Crimson Moonlight released its debut album The Covenant Progress , [32] while Drottnar released its demos on an album titled Spiritual Battle , gaining them popularity among the Scandinavian underground. [33]

Blood Covenant, an Armenian Christian black metal band Blood Covenant.JPG
Blood Covenant, an Armenian Christian black metal band

Apart from Scandinavia, unblack metal has developed regional scenes in the United States, South America, and Central Europe. The Kansas City-based Frost Like Ashes is an American band. [35]

The South and Central American unblack scenes are known for their radical anti-Satanic attitude. [36] Groups such as Exousia and Mexico's Deborah have performed internationally in Europe. [37]

In Poland, notable unblack metal groups include Abdijah, Fire Throne, and Elgibbor. The latter was featured on a short Polish TV documentary that focused on unblack metal. [38] The Netherlands has groups such as Dormant and Slechtvalk. [39] Although the latter does not currently consider themselves as a "Christian band" [40]

Media attention

Frosthardr live at Immortal Metal Fest 2005, Finland. The group appeared on the Murder Music - Black Metal documentary, and has performed at the American Cornerstone Festival. Frosthardr live in 2005.jpg
Frosthardr live at Immortal Metal Fest 2005, Finland. The group appeared on the Murder Music - Black Metal documentary, and has performed at the American Cornerstone Festival.

In 2006, Admonish achieved wider notice when twins Emil (guitar) and Jonas Karlsson (bass) both appeared on the MTV Europe show Pimp My Ride International . On that show, in which their car was modified, the twins advertised their band and Admonish's music was played. [41] [42]

In 2007, the Norwegian band Frosthardr appeared on the documentary feature film Murder Music: A History of Black Metal . They were interviewed for a minute and represented the Christian point of view in black metal music, with vocalist Daniel Ravn Fufjord saying: "It is difficult to find musicians that are interested in this kind of music and share our point of view." [43]

Controversies

Certain critics, such as Jussi Lahtonen of the Finnish indie rock magazine Sue, have argued that separating Christian from non-Christian black metal artists "feels rather pointless". [44] However, early groups such as Horde and Antestor refused to call their music "black metal" because they felt that the style was strongly associated with Satanism. Horde called its music "holy unblack metal", and Antestor preferred to call their music "sorrow metal" instead. [20] Stefan Rydehed, director of the metal documentary Light in Darkness – Nemesis Divina says about the unblack metal musicians based on his interviews: "The Christian black metal musicians see themselves as a part of the black metal community but they have a hard time to be accepted. Not only from other black metal musicians but also the society and ordinary Christians." [45]

Many current unblack metal bands feel that black metal has changed from an ideological movement to a purely musical genre, and that is why they refer to their music as black metal. [46] The Swedish group Crimson Moonlight's vocalist Simon Rosén, for example, says in an interview with WhiteMetal.it site: "First of all, we don't want to call our music unblack metal or white metal, we play black metal." [47] In an interview with Ultimate Metal, Rosén further explains this view:

We believe that all kinds of music are now neutral. I mean, a music genre cannot be "evil" itself. It all depends on the purpose: why you're doing it and what the lyrics are about. I will use an illustration to explain: a knife in the hands of a murderer can kill life, but a knife in the hands of a doctor can save life. Now is the knife evil itself? No, it depends on how you use it. The power is in our hands to decide what we want to use music for. I know that many black metal fans react badly when we use the words "black metal" to describe our music, and we are sorry if we make people upset for that. But for us, black metal is a musical genre. Listen to Veil of Remembrance and tell me what kind of music it is. [46]

In contrast, Jayson Sherlock of Horde posted on Facebook on February 5, 2013 that he doubted whether Christians can play black metal music, saying, "For the life of me, I will never understand why Christians think they can play Black Metal. I really don't think they understand what true Black Metal is." [48]

On the other side, many in the black metal scene see "Christian black metal" as an oxymoron. On the British black metal documentary Murder Music: A History of Black Metal (2007), all interviewed musicians stated - when asked about the matter - that black metal cannot be Christian. [43] The term "Christian black metal" drew mocking replies from the black metal musicians, for example Martin Walkyier of the English metal band Sabbat commented: "'Christian black metal?' What do they do? Do they build churches? Do they repair them? (laughs)". [43] Jonathan Selzer, editor of the British metal magazine Terrorizer discussed his experiences and thoughts in the documentary:

We had a debate in our letter pages that went on for six weeks. It was about whether or not you can play Christian black metal. It all started with a review [of a Christian black metal album], and the editor just didn't know what to make of it. Redemption is one [of] the most antithetical themes to black metal there is. Black metal is about your humanity, not about giving your humanity over to a god. Maybe there are some aspects in Christianity, maybe some Old Testament 'hang 'em high' kind of wrath that might actually find parallel with black metal. [43]

While the Indonesian band Kekal has been labeled as unblack metal, the band has distanced itself from the movement. When asked if he was bothered by the fact that the first black metal bands were against Christianity, front-man Jeff Arwadi replied: "I think you're wrong if [the] first black metal bands were highly against Christianity. […] I dig the very first black metal bands a lot... those 80s bands like Venom, Bathory, Hellhammer/Celtic Frost, early Sodom, etc. […] By my knowledge, none of those bands were against Christianity. They only had those kind of 'satanic' image which is more like some high-school Halloween movies or parent-shocker rather than Satanism as a philosophy or ideology". [49] Earlier in the interview he even went as far as to say that "even bands like Celtic Frost were once considered 'white-metal' from some 'true' black metal fans because the band thanked God on album thanks list, and one member wearing a cross necklace instead of inverted cross. It's a totally relative issue, depending on how 'extreme' you would go, right?" [49] Whereas Arwadi claimed that to his knowledge, "none of those bands were against Christianity", [49] Bathory founder Quorthon rejected Christianity in numerous interviews. [50] [51]

In a 2007 Beat the Blizzard webzine's article, the writer Jan Lindsø states that "[m]any metal fans are of the opinion that Christians should 'not be allowed' to use the black metal aesthetics musically since they do not inherit this evil and perhaps misantropic [sic] trait that many people say is necessary in order to be convincing as black metal musicians". [4] Kittil Kittilsen, who left Mayhem in 1988 after becoming a born-again Christian, expressed his concern for the unblack metal musicians: "I think they're completely off the mark. I cannot seriously understand how they even manage to do it. They have missed the target completely. I mean, if you want to be a Christian, be it with all you've got, and if you want to be metal, be it with all you've got. If those people really took their faith seriously, and followed the instructions of the One they profess to believe in, they would never be found in a context like that. They are on collision course with Christian life and teaching. I say this because of my own experience, and because of what is written in the Bible; rock music, metal music has nothing at all to do in a Christian setting!" [4]

In an interview with Screams of Abel webzine, former Antestor member Morten Mageroy reacted with caution to the proliferation of unblack bands: "I really hope that people (who play Christian black metal) know what they are doing. I know this sounds very rough, but I have seen people being pulled into something they do not know. I am not saying that I know that these musicians are going to mess their lives up, but I have seen it happen to some people and it frightens me very much." [29] Mageroy, however, defends the unblack metal bands' intentions: "A lot of Christian bands have done amazing things being led by God. I know that God is using many types of communication, and it is important that Christians is [sic] present in every field, in every genre, privately and in work. God might just as well use heavy metal to bring salvation to people." [29]

Some of the original Norwegian black metal musicians believe that black metal does not need to hold any ideologies. For example, Jan Axel "Hellhammer" Blomberg of Mayhem has said in an interview with Metal Library: "In my opinion, black metal today is just music. I will tell you that neither I nor other [current] members of Mayhem never really were against religion or something else. We are primarily interested in music." [52] Although rejecting the idea of "Christian black metal", Satyricon's vocalist Sigurd Wongraven stated in the Murder Music documentary that black metal "doesn't necessarily have to be all Satanic as long as it's dark". [43]

See also

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.

Christian metal, also known as white metal, Jesus metal, or heavenly metal, is heavy metal music distinguished by its Christian-themed song lyrics and the dedication of the band-members to Christianity. Christian metal is typically performed by professed Christians, principally for Christians and is often produced and distributed through various Christian networks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antestor</span> Norwegian extreme metal band

Antestor is a Norwegian Christian extreme metal band formed in 1990 in Jessheim. Credited for starting the northern European Christian black metal scene, Antestor is the only Christian band to have an album released by Cacophonous Records, which has also released records by bands such as Dimmu Borgir, Sigh, and Cradle of Filth. The band's only release on Cacophonous, The Return of the Black Death, proved influential for the Christian black metal movement, and has sold over 10,000 copies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Horde (band)</span> Australian unblack metal group

Horde is an unblack metal solo project of Australian musician Jayson Sherlock, formerly of Mortification and Paramaecium. In 1994, the only studio album, Hellig Usvart, was released on Nuclear Blast Records. With a session line-up, Horde played live in 2006 in Norway and in 2010 in Finland and Germany.

Stian Aarstad is a Norwegian pianist and keyboard player best known for his four-year (1993–1997) stint with the symphonic black metal band Dimmu Borgir during which he played keyboards and synthesizers while engendering criticism and controversy for appearing onstage and performing in a top-hat-and-cape outfit reminiscent of Jack the Ripper, while wearing minimal corpse makeup and not moving or showing any emotion. Upon joining Dimmu Borgir, he did not listen to metal music, preferring only to listen to classical.

<i>The Forsaken</i> (album) 2005 studio album by Antestor

The Forsaken is the third studio album by the Christian black metal band Antestor, released in 2005 on Endtime Productions. The album features guest appearances of the established metal musicians Jan Axel Blomberg (Hellhammer) and Ann-Mari Edvardsen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kekal</span> Indonesian metal band

Kekal is an Indonesian heavy metal and electronic music band formed in 1995 in Jakarta, Indonesia. According to AllMusic, Kekal was one of the first heavy metal bands from Indonesia to make international inroads, and, according to sociologist of heavy metal, Keith Kahn-Harris, was one of the few extreme metal bands from Southeast Asia to ever make more than a minimal impression on the global scene. Founded by two musicians known simply Yeris and Newbabe, the band underwent some shifts in lineup in its early years, but emerged with a consistent lineup of three key-members, guitarist/vocalist Jeff Arwadi, bassist Azhar Levi Sianturi, and guitarist Leo Setiawan. Over the course of its career, Kekal has transitioned from a primarily black metal-based style into progressive metal, avant-garde metal, and electronic music, incorporating many other genres such as ambient, jazz fusion, and progressive rock.

<i>Hellig Usvart</i> Christian Unblack Metal album

Hellig Usvart is the debut studio album by Australian unblack metal band Horde, released on Nuclear Blast Records in 1994. Upon its release, the album created a controversy among many black metal fans; death threats were sent to Nuclear Blast demanding the label to drop the album from its catalogue because the album contains Christian, anti-satanic lyrics, counteracting the usual black metal thematics at the time. As a result of the strong lyrical contradiction, the album was thought to be a parody of the Norwegian black metal movement by magazines such as Morgenbladet in 1995.

<i>The Return of the Black Death</i> 1998 studio album by Antestor

The Return of the Black Death is the second recorded and first released studio album by the Norwegian unblack metal band Antestor. It was released on September 14, 1998. It is the band's only release on the British Cacophonous Records label. This album's working title was Kongsblod. Antestor recorded another album, Martyrium, prior to The Return of the Black Death, in 1994, and while bootleg versions of the recording circulated, this album did not see official release until 2000.

Vaakevandring was a Norwegian unblack metal band that was active from 1996 to 2007. The name in Norwegian is a reference to the resurrection of Jesus. Vaakevandring played symphonic black metal with influences from Norwegian folk music.

Jayson Sherlock is a Christian metal musician from Australia. He began his career in the Australian death metal band Mortification, which was considered to be a major pioneer in the genre. Sherlock was the founder of the one-man project unblack metal band Horde, in which he played every instrument. He has also been in other bands such as Paramaecium, inExordium, Altera Enigma, and Soundscape. During 2012, he was the drummer for Deliverance. He is currently the drummer for the death metal band Revulsed.

Altera Enigma is a Christian metal band formed by Melbourne, Australia-based Jason De Ron, the former guitarist and front man of Paramaecium, and Jakarta, Indonesia native Jefray Arwadi, former guitarist, vocalist, and front man of Kekal. Both of these musicians have a career that has seen them record and release nearly 20 albums between them. According to Jason De Ron, the name Altera Enigma was chosen because it represents something mysterious and unique. Kenny Cheong, a jazz fusion bassist, joined the project in 2005, and Altera Enigma's first album was released in 2006. Jayson Sherlock, a former band-mate of De Ron in Paramecium and also a former member of the band Mortification and the sole member of Horde, joined on drums in 2007. In 2009, Jeff Arwadi, having relocated from Indonesia to Canada in 2007, decided to step down from the project.

<i>Vaakevandring</i> (EP) 2004 EP by Vaakevandring

Vaakevandring is the debut EP by the Norwegian unblack symphonic black metal band Vaakevandring, released in 2004 through Momentum Scandinavia. It contains three re-mastered songs from their 1999 demo plus one additional demo track entitled "To Find The Eternal Peace".

<i>Demo 98/99</i> 1999 demo album by Vaakevandring

Demo 98/99 is a demo from the Norwegian symphonic unblack metal band Vaakevandring, released in 1999 through Nordic Mission, a label co-founded by Vaakevandring member Pål Dæhlen. Demo 98/99 was produced by Stian Aarstad, a former keyboardist from the symphonic black metal band Dimmu Borgir. Aaarstad also contributed vocals to the track "Fader Vaar". The band titled the recording as it did to ensure that listeners would not expect a studio quality album. The style of the album was described as symphonic and melodic black metal influenced by Norwegian folk music. The output was considered comparable to that of Sanctifica, Crimson Moonlight, and Dimmu Borgir. Though only a demo recording, the release was very well received and propelled the band into popularity. HM writer Matt Morrow rated the album 9.5 out of 10, and writer Johannes Jonsson gave the album 3 out of 5. The songs from the demo were later re-mastered and re-released with an additional song — "To Find Eternal Peace" — in 2004 as an extended play entitled Vaakevandring, through the label Momentum Scandinavia.

<i>Abrahadabra</i> (album) 2010 studio album by Dimmu Borgir

Abrahadabra is the eighth studio album by Norwegian symphonic black metal band Dimmu Borgir, released in 2010. The first single from the album, "Gateways", was released on 20 August in Europe and 24 August in North America. On 14 September a video for "Gateways" was released featuring Djerv front-woman, Agnete Kjølsrud. On 17 September the song "Born Treacherous" was released on Dimmu Borgir's official Myspace for streaming. On 24 September the band announced they would stream Abrahadabra in its entirety, until 7 p.m. EST that evening. This would mark the first official release of all the tracks on the album. The album features drummer Daray and additional keyboards by Gerlioz.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeff Arwadi</span> Musical artist

Jefray Kurnia "Jeff" Arwadi is an Indonesian musician, music producer, and graphic designer. A native of Jakarta, Indonesia, he now resides in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. He is mostly known as a former guitarist, vocalist, and record producer for the avant-garde/progressive metal band Kekal. Professionally, he has made a career as a graphic designer and has worked at various companies for more than a decade. In the past, he was also known in the music scene for his works as a freelance graphic designer under Soundmind Graphics, and until his 2006 move to Canada, Jeff owned and ran his own home-based recording studio, Vision Studio, in Jakarta. He also was a staff member of the record label THT Productions. In addition to his roles in Kekal, he was also the co-founder of progressive metal project Altera Enigma and was involved with bands such as Armageddon Holocaust and Inner Warfare.

Stian André Hinderson, also known under the stage names Nagash and Lex Icon, is a Norwegian metal musician. He plays guitar, bass, drums, keyboards and does vocals. He is primarily known for his work with the black metal bands Dimmu Borgir and The Kovenant.

<i>Omen</i> (Antestor album) 2012 studio album by Antestor

Omen is the fourth studio album by the Norwegian Christian extreme metal band Antestor, released by Bombworks Records on November 16, 2012. Recording began in 2011, and was mostly conducted at the home of vocalist Ronny Hansen. The album cover is a painting by Polish artist Zdzisław Beksiński, and depicts a deformed, many-fingered humanoid creature playing a trumpet. Antestor met with critical praise for its musicianship and the progressive sound on the recording. Critics described the sound as primarily black metal, though the band prefers the more general term "extreme metal" to describe the sound on Omen.

Renascent is an unblack metal band that originated in Helsinki, Finland, and the core of the band now currently reside in Bloomington, Indiana. The band has released an EP titled, Demon's Quest in 2004 and a full length titled Through Darkness in 2005. The band released their sophomore album, Praise of the Lord God Almighty, on 5 November 2016. The band is openly Christian. The band has been compared to Dimmu Borgir and Old Man's Child.

References

Citations

  1. ↑ "Antestor: turskamusiikkia turskain luvatusta maasta". The Christian Underground Zine. Vol. 4. 24–26 March 2000. Interviewer: 'What's your relation to penguin masks? Do you use them on your concerts?' Antestor: 'Until now we haven't done many gigs, so the answer would be no. On the other hand today (at Bobfest) we all are going to paint our faces for the first time, so yes, we use masks. It is the same for us as masking is for actors or mimes. One way to express certain feelings in the battle we are in. The main purpose is to concentrate on God and not to twist the knife in the wound in side issues like these.'
  2. ↑ Kapelovitz, Dan (February 2001). "Heavy Metal Jesus Freaks - Headbanging for Christ". Mean Magazine. Archived from the original on 5 August 2007. Retrieved 6 September 2007. And where secular Black Metal thrived, so did its Christian counterpart, Unblack Metal, with names like Satanicide, Neversatan, and Satan's Doom.
  3. ↑ Sol (11 February 2015). "7 Christian Black Metal Bands You Need To Hear". Metal Injection. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  4. 1 2 3 "Interview with Kittil Kittilsen conducted by Jan F. Lindsø in 2007". Beat The Blizzard. Archived from the original on 17 September 2011.
  5. 1 2 Erasmus. Horde Interview Archived 25 January 2010 at the Wayback Machine . Retrieved 23 October 2007.
  6. 1 2 Søderlind, Didrik (6 February 1995). "MusikkOpp-ned oppnedkors!". Morgenbladet (in Norwegian). Oslonett. Archived from the original on 25 July 2002. Retrieved 19 December 2007.
  7. ↑ Sharpe-Young 2001 , "Introduction", p. iv
  8. 1 2 "So the album was created with a prophetic, free, submissive, obedient, reverent, anti-Satan and Christian mindset." – Horde: Interview with Son Of Man Records Archived 25 January 2010 at the Wayback Machine (retrieved 30 November 2007).
  9. ↑ "Our songs deal with personal challenges as well as on spiritual struggles." - Pål Dæhlen: Interview with CrossOver Archived 3 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine .
  10. ↑ Moynihan, Michael. Lords of Chaos: The Bloody Rise of the Satanic Metal Underground . Venice: Feral House, 2006.
  11. ↑ Popoff, Martin. Forewords for the re-issue of Psalm 9 booklet. 2006. Escapi Music.
  12. ↑ Michael Bryzak. Liner notes of The Defeat of Satan / Despair. Endtime Productions. 2003.
  13. ↑ Eithun, Bård G. "Faust" (1990–1993). "Mayhem Interview". Orcustus . Blackmetal.nu. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 29 August 2007.
  14. ↑ Waters, Scott. Horde. Retrieved 23 October 2007.
  15. ↑ EvilVasp. "Horde - Hellig Usvart". Necromancy. Open Publishing. Archived from the original on 11 February 2008. Retrieved 19 December 2007.
  16. ↑ TCU zine (2001). Kekal Interview. "We're most definitely a metal band. We don't really mind what people call us: black metal, unblack metal, white metal, black/white metal. As long as it's metal we're ok with it. Though we prefer to call our music extreme metal." (Jeff Arwadi.)
  17. ↑ Jeff Wagner, Steven Wilson (2010). Mean Deviation: Four Decades of Progressive Heavy Metal. Bazillion Points Books. p. 342. ISBN   9780979616334 . Retrieved 6 August 2011.
  18. 1 2 Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Kekal". AllMusic . Retrieved 6 December 2007.
  19. ↑ RaduP (9 August 2020). "Kekal interview (08/2020)". Metal Storm . Retrieved 14 October 2024.
  20. 1 2 Morrow, Matt (2001). "Antestor - The Return of the Black Death". The Whipping Post. Open Publishing. Retrieved 29 August 2007.
  21. ↑ "Antestor interview". Art for the Ears. Open Publishing. 12 December 1998. Retrieved 17 May 2008.
  22. ↑ Morrow, Matt (2001). "Antestor - Det Tapte Liv Death". The Whipping Post. Open Publishing. Retrieved 29 August 2007.
  23. ↑ Sharpe-Young 2001 , "Vaakevandring", p. 367. "A self styled 'Christian symphonic unblack metal band'. Vaakevandring look and sound like a Black Metal band but lyrically are strongly evangelical. In a surprise move the band's debut demo was produced by Stioan [sic] Aarstad of Dimmu Borgir."
  24. ↑ Vaakevandring Archived 3 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine (in German). CrossOver. Retrieved 2 December 2007.
  25. ↑ Morrow, Matt. Vaakevandring - demo 98/99. Retrieved 25 October 2007.
  26. ↑ Powell, Mark Allan (2002). Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music . Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers. p.  976. ISBN   1-56563-679-1.
  27. ↑ Boland, Casey. "FILE UNDER: Maximum Metalcore: Act of Depression from Underoath". Alternative Press . Retrieved 19 May 2011.
  28. ↑ Hartwig, Hartwig (20 June 2006). "Underoath Define the Great Line". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 19 May 2011.
  29. 1 2 3 Powell, Phil (2003). "Antestor". Screams of Abel (32). Valsignalandet. Archived from the original on 13 May 2006. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
  30. ↑ Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Lengsel". Allmusic. Retrieved 20 November 2007.
  31. ↑ Sharpe-Young 2001 , "Sanctifica", p. 315-316. "A Christian Black Metal band?... Fronted by Hubertus Liljegren, brother of Christian Liljegren of noted Christian Hard Rock act Narnia".
  32. ↑ Sharpe-Young 2001 , "Crimson Moonlight", p. 91. "Crimson Moonlight are one of the few acts to pursue black Metal music with the most ironic of twists--they are clearly stated Christians."
  33. ↑ "Drottnar". Info-Black.com - The Ultimate Black Metal Informative Site. Retrieved 20 November 2007.
  34. ↑ Steve Moffitt (May 15, 2016), "Blood Covenant: Extreme Symphonic Black Metal for the Masses", source: Doug Van Pelt – Wix.com. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  35. ↑ "Frost Like Ashes Signs with Sullen Records - March 13, 2008". Blabbermouth.net . Open Publishing. 13 March 2008. Retrieved 15 March 2008. The follow-up to the group's 2006 acclaimed album 'Tophet' will be issued this May and will be available as a limited release, with only 250 units to be produced.
  36. ↑ Black Metal Primer Redux Heaven's Metal #67 2-3/07.
  37. ↑ Deborah (MEX) at Finland's Underground Festival 2005; Exousia (MEX) at Finland's Underground Festival.
  38. ↑ Unblack metal - raj document ch.1. YouTube.
  39. ↑ Slectvalk, Lords of Metal interview; Slechtvalk Archived 20 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine , Klokradio.nl.
  40. ↑ Slechtvalk. Metal Message.
  41. ↑ Jansson, AnnaMaria (15 September 2006). Rishögen blev lyxbil (in Swedish). Aftonbladet. Retrieved 25 October 2007.
  42. ↑ Agency: Pimp My Ride på svenska Archived 5 November 2007 at the Wayback Machine (in Swedish). Retrieved 25 October 2007.
  43. 1 2 3 4 5 Shash Media & Rockwrold TV, Murder Music – Black Metal Archived 23 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine document. Interviews: Luscious Rene. Interviewees: Mantas (Venom), Dani Filth, Sabbat, Satyricon, Black Widow, Dimmu Borgir, Mayhem and Immortal. Retrieved 23 October 2007. 2007.
  44. ↑ Lahtonen, Jussi (25 October 2005). "White Metal". Sue Rock Punk Metal Zine (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 27 May 2011. Retrieved 7 September 2007. Jotkut ovat vaivautuneet kikkailemaan semanttisesti nimeämällä tyylit uudestaan life metaliksi ja Anti-black metaliksi, mikä tuntuu melko turhalta. (Some [Christian metal fans] have bothered to come up with semantical gimmicks and rename the genres [death metal and black metal] as life metal and Anti-black metal, which feels rather pointless.
  45. ↑ Pentagrimes. Light in Darkness -- Nemesis Divina: An interview with Stefan Rydehed. Whose Are the Objections. 13 September 2008.
  46. 1 2 Jordan, Jason (2005). "Crimson Moonlight - At Their Most Brutal". Ultimate Metal webzine. Ultimatemetal.com. Archived from the original on 25 January 2009. Retrieved 15 May 2005.
  47. ↑ Mei, Valerio. Crimson Moonlight. White Metal.
  48. ↑ Sherlock, Jayson (5 February 2013). "For the life of me,..." Facebook. Archived from the original on 26 February 2022. Retrieved 8 February 2013.
  49. 1 2 3 Jasper (September 2005). "Kekal | Interview". Lords of Metal E-zine. Retrieved 29 November 2011.
  50. ↑ Lords of Chaos, pp. 18-21.
  51. ↑ Lahtinen, Luxi. "Bathory: An epic interview with Quorthon". Metal Rules. Retrieved 5 December 2011.
  52. ↑ Skogtroll (7 January 2007). "Hellhammer (Jan Axel Blomberg): "I just have wonderful memories of your country!"". Metal Library (in Russian). Open Publishing. Retrieved 24 June 2008.

Bibliography

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.