Misconception of Black Metal Music free essay sample

::Misconception of Black Metal Music:: Content Chapter 1: 1. 1 – Introduction 1. 2 – Background 1. 3 – Rational 1. 4 – Scope Chapter 2: 2. 1 – Definition 2. 2 – Historical Background 2. 3 – Characteristics Chapter 3: 3. 1 – Black Metal in Malaysia 3. 2 – Issues on Black Metal Music 3. 3 – Black Metal Bands Chapter 4: 4. 1 – Interviews 4. 2 – QA 4. 3 – Analysis and Conclusion Chapter 5: 5. 1 – Islamic Point Of View 5. 2 – Current Issues Chapter 6: Summary and Conclusion References Bibliography ::Definition:: Black metal = a subgenre of heavy metal music that uses screamed lyrics, fast guitar playing and drumming, and heavily distorted music with a focus on satanic imagery and occult themes. Misconception = A mistaken thought, idea, or notion; a misunderstanding. = an incorrect conception. Misconception of black metal music means a mistaken thought, idea or notion about a subgenre of heavy metal music that uses screamed lyrics, fast guitar playing and drumming, and heavily distorted music with a focus on satanic imagery and occult themes. ::Introduction:: Black Metal? Demon Worship? Black Sheep? Maybe that is what crosses the minds of people when they hear about black metal. We will write a custom essay sample on Misconception of Black Metal Music or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page But how many people actually know where black metal originated and how was the original music in black metal itself. And you must know what is happening to the youth of Malaysia that are so obsessed with black metal that it makes them do absurd things that goes against so many morals. Let us look into the history of black metal and find out what exactly is clouding the minds of the youth. Black metal did not come from thin air. It is actually a sub-genre of the usually heavy metal music. Usually black metal music contains the sounds of heavy guitar distortion and played with enormous speed, high-pitch screaming vocals and fast skillful drumming. The lyrics are mostly based on anti-Christian and also involve occult themes. From the image, in the beginning, black metal bands prefer to portray a â€Å"dead paint† look, a type of makeup that is black and white based colors to show their themes. ::History:: In the early 80s, black metal bands can be said started out in the areas like Norway, Scandinavia, Finland and so forth. The person who is most responsible for starting the black metal scene is no other than Oystein Aarseth(Euronymous), the guitarist for Mayhem. He can be said to be the father of black metal music. The black metal scene there is really anti-Christian, and their main motive is to expel Christianity and other non-Scandinavian religion from the people of Norway. The motive, can be said, is being fulfilled by one group called ‘Inner Circle’ that is led by Aarseth himself and a few of his close friends and was formed in the basement of Aarseth music store, Helvete. The store also acts as a recording studio where Mayhem and few other bands conquer the black metal scene under Aarseth independent label called Deathlike Silence Productions. Deathlike Silence’s goal was to produce albums for bands that â€Å"incarnated evil in its most pure state. † Also around this time, there was a rash of arsons directed at Christian churches in Norway that Aarseths circle claimed responsibility for inspiring, if not necessarily perpetrating. The most unforgettable church was the Fantoft church that was burned the ‘Inner Circle’. There were a few who started to threaten and terrorize death metal bands that were touring their country or neighboring country with the excuse of their â€Å"lack of evilness†. In 1990, black metal scene started to gain major mass media publicity when Mayhems frontman, Dead, killed himself by a shotgun blast to his head and only leaving a note that said â€Å"Excuse all the blood†. His body then was found by Aarseth himself, who instead of calling the police, he went to a convenience store and bought a disposable camera and took pictures of the dead body for the future Mayhem album cover ‘Dawn of the Black Hearts’. writing services reddit There are also reports stating that band members took some pieces of Dead’s splattered brain and made stew out of them and others took bone fragment from Dead’s skull and made necklaces out of them. ‘Inner Circle’ again got the media’s attention when Vikerness (Burzum) brutally killed Aarseth by stabbing him 23 times at the head. The reasons for the murder are not entirely clear, but it was mainly because of ideological differences and a power struggle between Vikernes and Aarseth. Vikernes was sentenced to 21 years in prison and since then distanced himself from the black metal movement, becoming involved in the Neo-Nazi movement and writing extensively on the subject. Many credit Vikernes professed beliefs as contributing to the rise of National Socialist black metal. The last few years in the 1990s, the black metal scene became more low profile and had lost much of the violence that had been portrayed in the early days of the scene, came Dimmu Borgir that used classical music arrangement. From music that was hard to accept at first, Dimmu Borgir manages to bring up the black metal scene to a level where the music is able to attract more people. However, in the mid 90s, black metal scene in East Europe has been developing. Bands from ex-Soviet countries made records that are more in keeping original style of the early Norway bands. The lyrics are more remembering the past glory of their mother country. In Russia and Ukraine, the scene is more prone to metal-Scandinavia. ::Sub-genre:: Battle metal (Bal-Sagoth, Mortiss) Celtic metal (Cruachan, Geasa) Folk metal (Skyclad, Cruachan, Waylender) Medieval metal (Satyricon, Borknagar) Melodic black metal (Abyssos, Cradle of Filth, Dimmu Borgir) Nazi black metal (Burzum, Thors Hammer, Kataxu) Symphonic black metal (Cradle of Filth, Emperor) Tolkien metal (Isengard, Summoning) Troll metal (Arckanum, Mortiis) Vampyric black metal (Cradle of Filth) Viking metal (Bathory,Vintersorg, Enslaved) ::Characteristics:: Black metal characteristics include the following: †¢ Fast guitars with tremolo picking. †¢ Lyrics that take the form of Satanic, Pagan, or occult themes which blaspheme Christianity. Bands such as Slayer, Landser, Deicide, Deaths Head, and Immolation overlap lyrically with black metal somewhat, but are musically defined as death metal (Immolation, Deicide), thrash metal (Deaths Head, Slayer), or Rock Against Communism (RAC) (Landser, Intimidation One). †¢ Relatively thin guitar sound or relatively thick guitar sound, usually not in the middle. †¢ Limited production used intentionally as a statement against mainstream music and/or to reflect the mood of the music. †¢ Fast, aggressive drums, often with blast beat. At other times, the drums can take a slower role usually accompanied by a very dry and empty tone — especially for the effect of the atmosphere of the music. †¢ Occasional electronic keyboard use. The violin, organ, and choir settings are most common, which gives the music an orchestral feel or a cathedral-like setting. Some bands tend to use keyboards very frequently, whether it be as an instrument or even as the basis of their entire sound. They are generally placed under the symphonic black metal label. †¢ High-pitched/distorted screeching vocals †¢ Swift percussion Cold, dark, sad, melancholy or gloomy atmosphere. An abraded, very low fidelity recording style is common in most black metal. Modern evolution of many of the older genre leading bands have had a vast change in sound, and by manyand most of the times, even the bandare no longer considered Black Metal. Such examples include Mayhems career that began mostly in the Death/Black roots, moved to almost pure black, then towards Death again in their later career. Also, Satyricon who started off as Black Metal but now play a very industrial heavy hybrid of the music. Modern offshoots of this original black metal sound have incorporated atmospheric elements using ambient guitar and keyboard passages such as organ sounds or other miscellaneous instruments. A distinct (but not intrinsic) feature of the black metal is the use of corpse paint, a special kind of black and white make-up which was used to make the wearer look like a decomposing corpse or plague victim. It should be noted that Immortal referred to their make-up as war paint, not carrying the same connotation as corpse paint. This, along with an almost universal use of more or less creative stage names, also helps in hiding the wearers identity. Another distinct feature of Black Metal is the use of monikers used for the most part to conceal the identity. Examples of this are; Quorthon (Bathory), Darken, Euronymous (Mayhem), Goat, Count Grishnackh (Burzum), Fenriz (Darkthrone), Nergal, Inferno (Behemoth), Zephyrous, Frost, Abbath, Demonaz, Horgh, Iscariah, Hellhammer (Mayhem), Maniac (Mayhem), Necrobutcher (Mayhem), Blasphemer (Mayhem), Dead (Mayhem), Hoest, Ihsahn (Emperor), Samoth (Emperor), Faust (Emperor), Trym (Emperor), Nattefrost(Carpathian Forest), Nordavind and Tchort (Emperor), Malefic (Xasthur), Wrest (Leviathan) to name a few. Earlier bands tended to dwell on themes of fantasy, mythology, and folklore in their songs, as well as Satanism, darkness, evil, and so on as many of their direct musical and cultural roots included these topics. For me, I prefer melodic and symphonic black metal because the music is more melodious and tranquil. For Malaysia and Singapore, some of the famous black metal is Sil Khannaz, As-Sahar, Nosferiel, Impiety and many more. From what I see in Malaysia black metal scene is just fine not extraordinary, only when they are performing, showmanship of black metal is being portrayed. :Black Metal in Malaysia:: Black metal started to emerged in Malaysia in the late 90s. At that time, they were not as active as they now. They were more interested in expressing their feelings through black metal music. Their main activities were to create music, attend and perform at black metal gigs and just hang out with friends. They always try to attract more people to join black metal. The black meta l scene was mainly focused in Kuala Lumpur, Johor and Kedah. They usually wear all black clothing, t-shirt with pentagrams on them, makeup to look more deathlike and accessories. During this time their main influences were Slayer, Cradle of Filth, Children of Bodom, Dimmu Borgir, Testament and Fear Factory. In the new millennium, the black metal scene in Malaysia evolved to be more violent in keeping to the older generation of black metal from the western culture which strongly encourages â€Å"incarnated evil in its most pure state†. In attempt to follow the western culture of black metal which were anti-Christian, youths of Malaysia got out of track from the main concept of black metal. In developed Asian countries like Japan, music is valued and appreciation of music is encouraged by the family institution. Music is also an important part of the community and it often serves as a lens to the state of a society here now. Film, music, and literature of independent nature here often serve as an extension of creative traditions from the grassroots and can provide us not only with an insight into young Malaysia but can also share with us the multi-cultural impact of the past and give us a greater understanding of the present. To anyone overwhelmed in the wake of the events, perhaps it should serve as reassurance and comfort in itself that a genuine love for music and the arts should outlast media demonisation and authoritarian muscle flexing. If there have been complaints that local independent music lack substance, perhaps this is the perfect time for self-improvement – to inject that little bit of satire, critique and message in the music. And if there was never really a reason for young urbanites to really stand up for their rights, perhaps now there is. The events following the New Year’s Eve raid is a wake-up call for the creative community to band together. New Year’s Eve celebrations taking place everywhere in Malaysia. But for the 380 mostly young people detained at the Brickfields police station in Kuala Lumpur, the festivities was cut short when they were arrested at the venue of a gig in Jalan Klang Lama in Kuala Lumpur that night and carted to the station in police trucks for alleged â€Å"black metal† involvement, illegal gathering and other unfounded charges. Despite being hushed and shepherded like convicts, the group simply continued their New Year celebrations when the countdown came at midnight. These were the children of suburban middle-class families. If the police and their media cohorts came looking for the black metal bogeyman, they had come to the wrong gig. With private college students, members of the workforce and practising lawyers among the detained, they had messed with the wrong people. The generalisation of â€Å"black metal† itself is a lazy exercise of scapegoat labelling, a cruel generalisation of an alleged sub-culture of hedonism and â€Å"Satanic† practices, a Loch Ness monster the tabloids created with accusatory, non-researched articles and vague, unsolicited photographs of youths gathering at random concerts and music showcases. To echo just a few heartfelt conclusions made by observers, it takes little more than common sense and a high school education to see music for what it is. Music is music. If media, authoritative or religious gatekeepers are so fearful of its influence on our young, then perhaps it says much about these parties’ own insecurities. Perhaps the mainstream tabloids in question feel it within their power to seek out a scapegoat for their own shortcomings, to make up for their own laziness, their own failure to keep up with the times. It has always been human nature to be afraid of and to demonise something they do not understand. Music in Malaysia has always been kept in check sufficiently to be no more than cultural expression and a healthy outlet for the younger generation. Yet how frequently and persistently it is misunderstood is frightening: A bunch of confused adults is a lot scarier than a bunch of confused youth. ::Interviews:: 1. When did you start joining black metal music? I started joining around the year 1999. 2. What interest you in joining black metal music? I was amazed with the uniqueness of the classical and blues progression being join together which is by the way is the basic of black metal music. 3. How did you find out about black metal music? Through friends. 4. What are your influences in black metal music? Mostly I would listen to Dimmu Borgir. It’s a band from Europe. They were very unique when it comes to putting those two previous progressions together. 5. How do you define black metal music in your own words? To me, black metal music is one of the ways for each and every individual to express their feelings or passing a message through their own ways. 6. What is your opinion about black metal music? There’s nothing wrong with it. 7. How do you differentiate between black metal and other music genre? Like what I’ve stated in the previous question, black metal music is the result from the combination of blues and classical progression. On top of that, the lyrics would be evolving around the story of anger towards the destruction and chaos that has been produced by mankind itself. 8. What kind of activities do you usually do? I would spend my luxury time understanding the beauty and the magical of music. Most of the time I would put it down on writing and produce a new song for my own band. 9. What do you think about the black metal scene in Malaysia? It was sad. We were wrongly accused by the people who don’t even know what they’re talking about. The worst part is, the rest of the country just agrees without questioning. 10. What are the certain issues about black metal that you know? I’ve heard about the satanic ritual that has been going around for years. 11. What is your opinion about it? You can’t put the blame of those cases on the black metal music. 12. Why do you say so? Well for one, it has nothing to do with the black metal music and never even once that we had done our music or performance involving religion or devil worshiping. 3. What do you think about the government banning black metal? I think it’s a very narrow ways of thinking that would result to that type of decision. 14. In your opinion, why did it come out? The government is referring to the people with conservative minded in making their decision. 15. Would you still join black metal even though the government banned it? The black meta l music is not a group of people that go around and destroy everything in their path. It’s not even a community. It’s just a type of music that is being followed by certain types of people. So I will keep doing what I do best and that is producing the music that I love. 16. How do you feel about people’s perception or point of view towards black metal? I would strongly urge the people to open their mind and accept the evolution of time. Just like what the previous generation did. 17. What would you say to society to change their perceptive towards black metal? 1. Have you heard of black metal before? Yes, I have. 2. Where? From friends, newspaper, news, radio, magazine, etc. It’s all over the country. 3. What was your opinion about black metal? I think it’s quite interesting because it’s different from others. 4. Is black metal against the law or not? I don’t think so. They’re not doing anything wrong. 5. Do you know anyone who is black metal? Yes, I do. 6. What is your opinion about them? They are kind of cool when you get to know them better. 7. In your opinion, what has black metal influenced our country? It gives a bad example to the teenagers. 8. How do you define black metal? I think black metal is just another music genre. 9. Are you interested in knowing more about black metal music? No, I don’t. 10. How do you feel about the government banning black metal? Awful. 11. Why? The government don’t really understand black metal, I guess. Malaysia`s highest Islamic authority banned Muslims from taking part in a satanic heavy cult calling the musical genre un-islamic. The National Fatwa Council issued the religious decree against the black metal cult, citing practices in which members stamp on the holy Al-Quran, drink alcohol and freely engage in sex. Problems arose when followers of the movement engaged in the devil worship and free sex, drank liquor, stepped on the Al-Quran religious book or other un-islamic acts. Black metal, offshoot of heavy metal music, is known for its satanic or pagan influences and occult imagery. The music gained notoriety in Malaysia in 2001 after a series of media exposes on young black metal fans, including lurid stories about ritualistic practices such as drinking blood. Malaysia is always on the lookout for what it calls deviant sects which veer from islam, and authorities are sensitive about cultural or social influences that may affect Islamic religious practice. Black metal culture has been declared as a deviation from Islamic teachings and found practicing could be penalized under Islamic syariah law Black metal a form of music which often led its followers to worship Satan, to rebel, kill and incite hatred and irreligion. Black metal culture is totally against the syariat and could lead its followers to being murtad or apostate. Black metal culture influenced its followers to perform controversial rituals such as drinking one`s blood mixed with goat blood and burning the Al-Quran. When a Muslims burns the Al-Quran, His action could be considered as murtad.