Is Black Metal Evil?

There are all kinds of black metal and interpretations.

I'd like to offer my preference : No, Black Metal is not evil.

Black metal is as evil as the church is good.
Burning down a church is considered by many to be a good deed, including me.


Reign of fear, of war,
Of silence, of resignation
Under the rules of the book of lies
Trawling the wrong path
Led like cattle
Never try to understand, accept, obey
Follow followers
And forget who you are
What\\\'s a lifestyle, to live for others
To share all with everybody
To answer love to hate

Take each single insult and injury
As a present, as a spiritual gold
To buy your place in heaven
I spit at your god\\\'s face

I piss on the cross
I vomit on the holy bible
I # on the blessed whore and hers bastard son
I desecrate, crush and destroy
All which is sacred, all which is blessed
I\\\'ve found the one who lives in me
Brothers and sisters
Time for change is coming
Bells for revenge strick the end of times
By faith, by force
We\\\'ll walk toward the light
And forever be our own god

Samael - To Our Martyrs

reply to post by Resentedhalo08


Black metal is not evil. It is the prime incarnation of man's animalistic nature represented by music. It is our free will, our True Will and if anything, it is a strength, not a weakness.

Black metal is war.

Listen to some Merycful Fate, particularly the albums Melissa, and Dont Break the Oath. The songs Evil, Into the Coven, and Come to the Sabbath are outright blasphemos. Heavy Metal, and King Diamond is a beast.

"you say heaven, I say a castle of lies.
You say forgive him, well I say revenge.
Oh my sweet Satan, you are the one!"

The title of this thread is an oxymoron... That'd be easier to answer that question if you'd actually DEFINE EVIL.

Is burning churches, like Mayhem's Euronymous and his black circle did was Evil? Surely not, especially when nobody died in the flames.

But there are many good reasons to be believe that the Church actually is the real evil, especialyl for all this paedophilia and supporting the most brutal dictatorships in history, among many other things.

In a way, yes, BM is "Evil" as it's all about the dark side of this civilization, religion and spirituality, and of nature as well.

And I'll point out to some posters here that Varg Vikernes is not Black Metal, he's a NEO-NAZI bigot, and was this young wannabe rock star who murdered an artist in cold blood out of personal ambition... and he got framed for it. Idiots like him don't even deserve to be qualified as "Evil". No more than the white supremacists Screwdriver were punk. There's always a bunch of deluded fascists in the underground who attempt to recycle subcultures to further their own agenda, and that's what happened with Burzum and the "NSBM" crap that followed on this path.

reply to post by Resentedhalo08


you would first have to define evil. if by evil you mean going against the church then yes; but that sets the church up as a bastion of light, which surely we can all agree it is not.

reply to post by divinetragedy79


more of a joke? i think Black Metal itself is kind of a joke, but then again i dont care much for the 'atmosphere' of it, or keyboards associated with metal for that matter. Euronymous was a pretentious asshole.

it may be a silly distinction to some, but a distinction it remains... i prefer death metal

I grew up on Ozzy Osbourne,AC/DC and many 80's metal/hair bands, and even back then people were claiming them Evil. They thrived and made lots of money on bad reputations. This is nothing new, just another way for people to blame music on unstable people doing bad things.
Music has come a very long ways since the days of banging on animal skins and logs, but it still has the same effect as it did back then, to bring forth the animalistic and emotional responses of a human being. Music is art and the more emotion it evokes, the better the artist. I personally don't listen to black metal, it is just not my thing, but I can go back to my younger years listening to Shout at the Devil (the best album Motley Crue ever did) and I remember very clearly what it invoked in me, which at the time was a heavy dark spiritual response from deep inside myself. Was it evil? Well, yes and no, depends on your definition I guess. If you are a christian in the classical sense then a lot of the music that has been around for years would be "evil" to you. For someone like myself, who sees the world in shades of gray, music that invokes the darker nature is sometimes a release of those "evil" feelings. Listening to something angrier than you, so you can get rid of the feelings. I remember listening to King Diamond's "Them" album while several of us were sitting around a candle and at the end of the album you hear a door slam shut, and at that exact moment, the candle flame shot up and went out. Was that evil? Depends on your definition, but I thought it was very cool and spooky.
Bottom line, music is art, and art is an expression of the human mind, so no, it in itself cannot be "evil".

reply to post by divinetragedy79


As I remember the first black metal band was Venom there first black metal song was black metal from album also called callbed black metal that was like ?1982?. It's nothing like "newer" black metal, Its kinda like Burzum but alot less ambient/ atmospheric.I agree most modern sucks.

reply to post by Resentedhalo08


Well look at the name.

Black metal.

In metaphysical thought, black is associated with ignorance, and evil. Metal, being the lowest element - earth - is thus the most removed from divinity. The name itself alludes to the spiritual nature of the music.

Same with "punk", "heavy metal", "rock and roll".. It describes the dynamic of the music.

This music produces feelings commensurate with its nature; anger, rage, confusion, doubt..All states antithetical to true spirituality.

Only gnostics find this music 'meaningful'.

reply to post by Resentedhalo08


My attitude toward black metal is thus: Regardless of the intent behind the creation of the genre, or how it has evolved over the years of its existance, it is one of the most beautiful, powerful, and awesome sounds I have ever heard.
I am a strange beast, being a total freak for all things metal, and being Christian with it, and this confuses some people. I suppose I just dont see listening to black metal as something that interferes with my belief, or vice versa. The amazing mixture of classical composition, aggression, and stupendous guitar talent which usualy heads up a black metal bands music, is something that I personaly feel , speaks beyond the intent which spawned it, and has become more than just a vehicle for an anti religious agenda, has become something more powerful than it was ever meant to be.
Rather than celebrating the death and the morbidity of the overtones and the lyrics, I interpret the triumphant and relentless brutality of the music that black metal produces as a stark contrast to the lesser forms of metal like bloody emo and nonsense pop punk of the late nineties.
Never had I been taken away on a sea of pure euphoria like I was when I first heard the work of Emperor, Mayhem, and in a more commercial vien Dimmu Borgir.
I guess in summary , music is what you make of it, wether its the regimented strains of a church organ, or the cataclysmic assault of a black metal album. In the same way , you could say that while butterflies are pretty, a spider is beautiful. It is not beautiful because its lines make you melt inside, but because it is a technicaly perfect killing machine, and the top preadator of the world of creepy crawlies. I suppose black metal is a spider in that way.

IN my 20's i ventured out into this kinda metal, being a metalhead growing up, in my mid 30's now. Black metal isnt really all that evil..its all perfromance, makeup kinda like my favorite king diamond!!! no one does it like him a few bands, are dedicated satanists. i saw a documentary few years ago, some norwegien metal band, the singer bunred down a church, possibly responsable for a few more, int he name of satan. most of the black metal bands are not like him...
you want evil? listen to death metal bands, like Deicide, slayer, thier dedicated satanists. slayer is more laid back, their in it for the money and fame. Decide, their tour bus was actually searched few years ago, canadian baorder patrol. they found guns, lockboxes, things like that. Decide, band memebers in an interview, dont trust banks.they have that rebel mad max image and thinking. but the singer, Glen benton, is a proud satanist, and his music, the lyrics are all about god failing, hell taking over crazy things like that.
Then you have other death metal bands,...like canibal corspe, suffocation, thiers countless bands..canibal corpse always had the worst reputation, because of what they sing about, and the albums covers.... i dont think their satanists..but they love singing about chopping babys and humans up graphically in thier music, having sex with rotting corpses..too me that is very evil

black metal basically, is theatrical and odd yet creative music.
death metal---in your face stomp and aggression, but usualy not satanists. ripped jeans, long outta control hair, voice so deep on the mic..deep growls
satanic metal..dedicated at heart satanist who formed a band, and educating those who listen, the power of satan.. which i oppse greatly. possessed is another popular satanist band..they all suck
except for the death metal..kinda got used to listening to them growing up unfortunatly

Originally posted by TrueBrit
reply to post by Resentedhalo08
I guess in summary , music is what you make of it, wether its the regimented strains of a church organ, or the cataclysmic assault of a black metal album. In the same way , you could say that while butterflies are pretty, a spider is beautiful. It is not beautiful because its lines make you melt inside, but because it is a technicaly perfect killing machine, and the top preadator of the world of creepy crawlies. I suppose black metal is a spider in that way.

Well put!

I love the butterfly/spider analogy!

Do you call Satanism evil? If so, why?
If you are religious, surely somewhere in the world there is someone who thinks your religion is evil. So why criticize others?
Most black metal bands use 'evil' purely for aesthetics, thematics and nothing more.

Originally posted by SuperZepto
Do you call Satanism evil? If so, why?

No I don't see Satanism as Evil, I am a proud Satanist, I see the christian church and mainstream religion as evil. Like Anton Levay once said, the christian church should thank satan for he has kept them in business all these years!

If you are religious, surely somewhere in the world there is someone who thinks your religion is evil. So why criticize others?

No I'm far from being religious, many people misguidingly believe that Satanism is evil... which is far from the truth, it is a belief system of do what thou will so long as it doesn't hurt others and infringe on their free will and a belief that one should not turn the other cheek when you have been wronged.

Most black metal bands use 'evil' purely for aesthetics, thematics and nothing more.

You would be supprised to know that the thematics is often in my experience an expression of the beliefs and actions that go on behind the scenes, I know of bands who actively partake in black magick... this is isn't my scene as I prefer working with white magick.

Man, there are so many musical stereotypes in this thread that it's hurting my head.

reply to post by Whine Flu


I would say it's the more the message, not the medium.

Like somebody else said, music is only a collection of sonic arrangements - nothing that could be classified as inherently evil.

Although it may sound like it, there's no evil intent behind any of my work. I just like the creativity and power that the genre provides my auditory senses.

Edit:

Oops! I did not intend to reply directly to your post Whine Flu!

reply to post by sixswornsermon


I was going through your song list and one was called "hostility towards the weak"... How can that song title be anything other than a personal belief, and emotion you have towards weakness? and thus towards those you percieve as weak? (which could be almost anything that doesnt embrace your chaotic death worship)

If you didnt feel this way towards weak people, and if you only like the music, than why connect the nihilistic hateful idea of hostility towards the weak with it?

I would venture to explain thats because this type of music promotes those types of feelings. Those who understand how emotion works, and how music can regulate, and dicatate emotion - and belief/thought, than it it can be seen how subversive music really is.. Anyone who cant see how obviously evil this type of music is; promoting hate, violence and overall indecency in both lyrics and melody towards life in general is a moron. And im sure its just those types of people the heavy metal/death metal genre targets. Unhappy people. Unhappy people in a prosperous society probably wont engage in acts of public violence....but take away the luxuries we all enjoy, and whats left? A person with beliefs and opinions regulated by this satanisc, nihilistic garbage.

reply to post by dontreally


"I was going through your song list and one was called "hostility towards the weak"... How can that song title be anything other than a personal belief, and emotion you have towards weakness? and thus towards those you percieve as weak? (which could be almost anything that doesnt embrace your chaotic death worship)"

I'm not sure if you intended it to read like that, but I do not worhip death. Your assumption of the intent behind this song and it's moniker fails you. Please read further.

"If you didnt feel this way towards weak people, and if you only like the music, than why connect the nihilistic hateful idea of hostility towards the weak with it?"

This song is not a statement of my viewpoint towards anybody, rather a song inspired by a movie I watched about a serial killer. It made me think about what must be going on in their minds.

"I would venture to explain thats because this type of music promotes those types of feelings"

Like I said, I'm into the music, because I like the sound. I'm not going to put prose about puppies , kitties, and flowers to this kinda stuff. I feel it deserves a heavier, darker subject matter.

"Those who understand how emotion works, and how music can regulate, and dicatate emotion - and belief/thought, than it it can be seen how subversive music really is.. "

I grew up playing classical music, and I get the same feelings from anything set in a minor key. I disagree with your premise that music can regulate and dictate emotion, beliefs and thoughts. I see it as bring more a reflection of our feelings at the time. I do alot of different types of music. Some happy, some not so much. I suppose it's reflective of the duality of our spirits, and our range of emotions. I am not scared to express both.

"Anyone who cant see how obviously evil this type of music is; promoting hate, violence and overall indecency in both lyrics and melody towards life in general is a moron. "

Again, to each their own, and I do respect your opinion, although I could live without the Ad Hominem attack. I will disagree with you in your premise, because I do not "promote hate, violence, and overall indecency in lyrics and melody towards life as general".Again, I wish to write about darker subjects, because it is fascinating to me. It could be that we don't see life the same way, and that is fine.

"And im sure its just those types of people the heavy metal/death metal genre targets. Unhappy people. Unhappy people in a prosperous society probably wont engage in acts of public violence....but take away the luxuries we all enjoy, and whats left? A person with beliefs and opinions regulated by this satanisc, nihilistic garbage."

Interesting attempt to connect this genre of music with violence. Tell me, before this kind of music existed, were people commiting acts of violence towards each other? Is it not more indicative of the overall ,persistent, dreary state of humanity, than the content of material we absorb? Does life imitate art.......or vice versa?

I'm not really sure why.. but this is one of my favorite topics on the boards right now. It seems like something so simple, yet if you really stop and think about it you can twist it so many different ways... going into all sorts of different areas.

Personally I would have to argue that No, black metal is NOT evil. If you want to listen to some really EVIL music sometime, try sitting down with some headphones on and listening to Opera or the ever famous Pennsylvania Polka - I grew up here in Pennsylvania so if you've never had the pleasure of experiencing Polka, then you definitely have no idea what Evil really is.

On a more serious "note", you really can go into all kinds of different areas with this - for example, who decides what's "good" and what's "evil"? Me, you, or somebody else? If it's me, then I'm guessing that means that only the music I like is "good" and all the other music I don't like is "evil". Right? I mean let's be logical here, that makes sense.

After you get your head around all that stuff, then one of the following branches would eventually concern something about emotions; for example, loud "angry" black metal gives you a burst of adrenaline and fills you with rage, while your mom singing a lullaby to you at night helps calm you down and go to sleep - that sort of thing... from there you could get into things like National Anthems, "fight songs" during the superbowl, or that catchy song from the Geico commercial on TV that you can't get out of your head.

Very cool topic, I'll enjoy reading it over the next few days at least.