Aesthetics in black metal

As any artist in the field of art that embraces social degeneration and recognizes the feral nature of fundamental drives and fascinations, staggering against the weight of the ragnarok he or she must bear like a cross, caves in toward the inner darkness and descends through failure, loss and the undoing of their mystique through the demands of human emotions and inadequacies, black metal has so collapsed under the weight of its own aesthetic. Only some albums from some bands remain of any conductive strength to us; here the suggestion is: focus on the intent behind use of aesthetic.

In works that will be hailed as infrastructure of the core of idealists creating black metal through raw passion and unfettered primal intellect, aesthetic is used not as a goal but as a conduit through which unique poetry of song can be spoken. This unquantifiable quintessence of "content" is not in a Hegelian sense an attempt at a new synthesis or counterpoint but a nihilistic, passionate, honorable sense of art as a Nietzschean explosion of the soul.

To an observer from another planet, it might seem a further offering to the gods in the eye of the sun or a naturalistic ritual; pure paganism in the unleashed noise and discipline in the structure and conveyance of idea. No classic album is composed of the same moods, although perhaps the same structure of shapes of melody designed to evoke emotion, in that what is most viable is the distinct nature of each song and its relevance to the work at the whole. Songs vary through theme and mood extensively, from even "happy" to grim and warlike, according to concept in either lyrics or head of songwriters, consciously or not.

For those who are here with a "purpose," the requirement of that mantle is to find a dogma capable of thrusting forward an idea or concept; for others, the expression of life alone is enough with some prodding from lyrical representation, to have their cake and eat it too: to project a playground of the spirit in which others dwell and build, and to be able to pull back into aesthetic and mystique and vanish when their time would come. Who wants to pick on these bands, but how happy would we be if they'd quit when their time had come: Black Sabbath, Metallica, Slayer, Darkthrone, Mayhem, Immortal, Enslaved, Emperor, and others too numerous to name.

These might have remained viable as obscure recordings deep in the caverns of doubt and uncertainty where such music is better dwelling. We have to ask ourselves the use of another tour story, personal interview, testimonial to the underground. Metal succeeds when it is focused as music with lyrics. At this point, anything else is more promotional noise. If you are making apocalyptic music, you must at least appear to live an apocalyptic life, but be able to escape it. Recall masochists Morrison, Hendrix, Dead. The end route of such things is deviation and sodomy. Martyrs died with Christ.

The wave of metal "status" has come and gone again yet what is crushing us now is the weight of image. Individuals and bands suffer under a circus which rewards those who are egotistical enough to shamelessly self-promote while denegrating those of honorable stature. Those who appreciate are taught to indulge image and promote vapidity in worship of bands. Escape is through some way of getting past status and "social" value to music that is seen on the aesthetic level only.

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