Black Metal versus Unblack Metal
1. Introduction
Black Metal used to be the stuff of controversy, a musical genre supposed to be anti-humanistic in all its thinking. Started off the backs of bands from the 80s who played thrash and new wave British heavy metal, it began in what is termed “the second wave” in Norway. Second wave black metal technically is the first black metal to have existed with a genuine identity in genre. This all happened in the early 90s. These early bands drew influence from thrash/death metal bands like Brazil’s Sarcofago, not just musically but lyrically. Sarcofago was a band that wanted to have a shock factor, choosing Satanic themes in their lyrics. This has lead to a flimsy identity in philosophy for second wave black metal to be evil and Satanic. Why flimsy? A lot of those early black metal musicians seem to be incredibly strict about this identity, so how could it be anything other than religious? In short, black metal is not a religion, it lacks all basis of religion. Religion is a practice of set principals and beliefs, black metal has not literature, doctrine, set principals, precepts, statutes, laws and so forth. However, religion is deeply involved in black metal, so what is that religion?
2. Religion in Black Metal
Religion has always been a part of black metal, since its inception in the 90s. Whether religiously Satanic or other, religion has been present. Satanism is often described as the main religion of black metal, members of the scene have often described genuine black metal as exclusively Satanic. When secular artists joined the scene to play black metal with a socialist or nationalist philosophy, they have been shunned to a degree. This has been to a much lesser degree though than to Christianity in black metal. In 1994 American record label Nuclear Blast signed a Christian black metal band which gained more hatred within than the black metal scene than any other. The band was Horde from Australia, Horde developed the terminology of “unblack metal” with their debut album. The intention behind the term unblack metal is to create a divide from regular black metal. A number of Christian black metal musicians have adopted the term, but at the same time a good amount of the unblack metal bands prefer simply being catagorised as black metal.
This is where the debate begins for most non-Christian black metal enthusiasts. Black metal is described as having its own rules and regulations, things that Christians simply could not pass to be qualified. Ironically, these strict rules are not written but unspoken – meant to be understood without further dictation. These rules are that black metal needs to be anti-rules, anti-morals, anti-hospitality to humanity. The strict adherence of these rules generally falls on Christianity more than other religions that participate in black metal. As well as religions that openly break these rules. Pagan involvement in the genre has been done so openly for decades, pagan religions such as Wicca and others that hold the understanding in themselves that being pro-humanistic is best. A pro-humanistic view according to some of black metal’s earliest musicians would be the exact opposite of what black metal is about. Even then, modern day secularised Satanism in its prevalent form of organised religion claims to be pro-humanistic. In the 21st century, a religion adopting the view of pro-humanism is incredibly common. It has been pushed on by the modern day desire to attain social justice. So what happened to the fervent advocates of genuine black metal over these contradictions?
These days it is not entirely uncommon to find out that early black metal musicians have walked out on the Satanic faith, in favour of other religions. Odinism is a pagan religion that has seen a revival from early black metal musicians who have abandoned Satanism. Satanism has undergone a re-evaluation by some of the most prominent musicians of the scene, Satanism has even been described as too Christian – being linked to closely with Christian Scripture. For the simple deduction that all of these musicians have borrowed from the Bible, since Satan is not an active entity in non-Christian religion. Despite this dramatic change in belief systems, Christianity still faces much debate playing a musical genre. It is commonly held that black metal should still be Satanic, despite prominent members of the genre leaving the faith, despite pro-humanistic non-Christian bands dominating audiences. A black metal musicians faith can even remain secret to audiences, even if they were secretly Christian and it could be acceptable. So does black metal really have a strict law? The only law it seems to have is against Christian involvement. However, lacking any written out citation, it is hard to determine exactly how Christian involvement is objectively bad from an assumed genuine black metal view.
3. Christianity in Black Metal and Why it’s Bad
Christianity has been involved in black metal since the early 90s, it came about with bands like Vomoth, Antestor, Horde and Admonish. Ever since these bands started, they have remained underground cult classics gathering a much smaller following than non-Christian counterparts. Even at the height of success, Antestor being signed to the same label as Dimmu Borgir and selling over ten thousand copies of their 1998 release has maintained a safe distance from the commercial boom of Dimmu Borgir. Another unspoken tenant of the black metal creed is to be unsuccessful, to stay unknown in the larger scheme of things. The biggest bands in the scene were generally all once believers of this tenant, until they reached a significant audience. However, commercial success would only be unwelcome to a Christian band if it meant compromise of their faith or even keeping it secret. Otherwise, a band like Antestor would be all for reaching the masses at least in the same number as Dimmu Borgir. If there were ever a true follower of what might be called the “cvlt tenant” the rule of remaining unknown, you probably wouldn’t know about them. Which comes to why Christianity could possibly be bad in black metal. All the major Christian black metal bands have avoided being major black metal bands, they’ve not made their music any easier to listen to for a commercial audience. If anything, they have stuck to an extreme form of the genre, not compromising on a faith that has cost them acceptance – Christian black metal has effectively kept itself underground and controversial. Where Satanic black metal used to stand, being the upset of people aware of its existence now Christian black metal stands. Christian black metal has almost a universal hatred for it, almost how black metal was intentionally desired to be hated – in spite of what people say it should be, instead it exists how it wants to be. This again proves a strict adherence to a black metal ideology is not truly observed by anyone. This all has been leading to a conclusion most refuse to acknowledge, there is no black metal ideology to begin with – since an ideology is a systematic view of something.
4. A Biblical Context of Black Metal
Christianity has frequently had its own internal debates, one such debate also exists around black metal and whether or not Christians can use the genre. For the same reasons some avid black metal listeners oppose unblack metal, so to do Christians. As well as debated from the same view as the non-Christian black metal audience, that black metal has had Satanic involvement and therefore Christians should avoid it. Since the common view has already been discussed, the next view needs to strictly be Christian. Christianity has 2000 years of practice behind it, even then it goes further being built on Judaism of the Old Testament. Christianity used to be seen as a sect of Judaism, with all the first Christians being Jews who desired to follow Jesus Christ. It moved into the Gentile world with the efforts of Paul the apostle. So the real question is, what is the Christian question for black metal that is absent of non-Christian influence? That question is: is music inherently evil? The Bible has over 900 verses that talk about music, that is approximately 300 more verses than those that deal with salvation. Needless to say, music is significant in Christianity. The Bible also can display up to 613 rules and regulations in a book like Leviticus alone. A purely Christian view also holds faith that the God who wrote the Bible, is in fact the true and living God incapable of error. So out of a concise and even thorough Bible, what condemns music? There are verses like “Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps” (Amos 5:23 NIV). Is this verse prophetic of black metal or some specific genre inherently evil? No, the context was condemning a sinful people, who most likely used the same genre their forefathers did to sing to God. It is hard to even provide a proof-text in the Bible to show a genre of music as inherently evil. What about the verse “Therefore, “Come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you” (2 Corinthians 6:17 NIV). So what is the context? There is no need for any kind of elaborate reasoning at 2 Corinthians 6 is a warning against idolatry, that to follow the God of the Bible you can really follow no one else simultaneously. Since music in the Christian view is not inherently evil, how do Christians make black metal then in respect to their faith? A Christian would need to do what a Christians need to do anyway to be a Christian – follow the God of the Bible. The same rules apply to any genre a Christian musician will make, in order for it not to contradict Christianity.
5. Conclusion
Christianity is a rich ideology, with thousands of years of systematic and concise reasoning behind its many facets. Christianity is the in depth philosophy that a genre like that of black metal has been posing to have the same level of in its roots. Therefore the combination of the two only make sense to the Christian black metal bands out there. A genre that has been craving a deeply religious experience, that has only had superficial meanderings and a religion thoroughly structured with a lengthy history. The only debate left comes down to subjectivity. What ecclesiastical expression of sorrow can be evoked in an emotive sounding genre, all that is left is for the listener to openly hear what is already there.
The Unblack Doctrine 