Perhaps the furthest evolution of metal music, black metal diverged from the mainstream by taking the hoarse and bassy vocals of death metal and turning them into an inhuman hiss, accompanied by fast music in which elegant, Romantic melodies were discernible amidst the chaos. It also embraced dangerous thoughts explicitly; where previous generations of metal protested society or reminded people that death was more predominant than sociopolitical reality, black metal rejected modernity entirely and espoused a feral, naturalistic spirit. It also got itself in the news for the burning churches, neo-Nazi doctrine, murders and suicides of its musicians. It is the most popular form of underground metal yet, in part because it is both melodic and aggressively rhythmic without going to the ludicrous extremes found in death metal and grindcore, but in part because it fulfills what hardcore tried to do: it steps entirely outside of the belief system of modern society, and endorses our inner natural selves, with absolutely zero "morality" regulating the emotions and behaviors therein. Some say it is getting in touch with the Id, others claim it is alienation taken to a logical extreme, but to a student of art history or literature, it appears thematically entirely contiguous with the European Romanticists of two centuries ago. One can hear echoes of Emerson, or Wordsworth, in its cosmic yet earthy insistence on the meaning to be found within reality, and there is always F.W. Nietzsche's surly voice in its rejection of populist and utilitarian value systems. Musically, it took the lawlessness of death metal, and amplified the phrasal constructions therein to create music of a melodic construction, often with rhythm that minimizes its own impact through repetition of linear patterns that do not rely on listener expectation of an offbeat. As such, it is as different from rock'n'roll as most electronic bands are, but even moreso, in that with its indiscernible vocals and percussion, it is almost purely motif-based composition via guitar, much like that of classical music - if it were deliberately simple, feral in its bellicosity, and of course, made by people who act on their dissident beliefs.

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