...this particular technicolour trench coat is stitched together from black leather, and fastened with a lot of safety pins and zippers: its sinister sounds are both haunted by the past, and haunting us toward the something-to-be-done. Like the saying goes: the darkest hour is just before the dawn. Our traumatized collective unconscious - the victim of social, political, cultural, and environmental shocks - is not a blank slate, but rather a pile of rubble that requires considerable rebuilding. There is much work yet to carry out. And really, why be blank when you can be bleak?
The New Bleak: Trauma, Haunting And The Cultural Obsession With Darkness
posted by timshel
on Feb 28, 2012 -
21 comments
"When the car would stop and the engine would cease, the player would also die away. The tape of the cassette motionless. [...] Stationary and in silence, we saw black. The world as it was. Nothing."
A collection of early American black metal, including Haxan, Akitsa, and Ancestors. Compiled from tapes, hiss and all.
[more inside]
posted by thedaniel
on Jan 12, 2010 -
16 comments
An interesting interview with
Varg Vikernes. Vikernes, as you may recall, is currently imprisoned for the 1993 murder of Øystein Aarseth (aka Euronymous), with whom he collaborated as bassist on Mayhem's incredible
De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas (cheesy vocals notwithstanding). It is also widely believed that he was responsible for the burning of
Norway's first stave church, which has since been
rebuilt. It is arguable whether Vikernes is most notable for the murder, the arson, his band
Burzum, his dedication to
Ásatrú, or perhaps his fanatical racism. While I find many of his opinions to be reprehensible, his obvious intelligence and the strength of his convictions make him a fascinating, if frequently repugnant, person.
The story of Vikernes and the
black metal scene he helped spawn is chronicled in
Lords of Chaos, which is a phenomenal read and is recommended even to those who are not interested in the music it focuses on.
posted by baphomet
on May 30, 2005 -
55 comments
