An interesting note…

I’m constantly torn between music and philosophy.

Before I had ever encountered Satanism and the genius of Anton LaVey, I had already begun my journey through Black metal music. I’ve always enjoyed both with a great passion, yet they are (more often than not) completely opposed to each other. Many Black metal bands would try to refute this claim, stating that devil/demon worship, sacrifice, death, darkness, and animal slaughter are essential components to their art—thus you see why this is incorrect.

Satanism is one of the very few life-celebrating religions out there; one that champions individuality over herd-mentality and promotes artistic creativity by standing out from the crowd. And, well… a higher pay and recognition are some nice side effects of this.

Black metal is about none of these things. At it’s core, it’s fueled by aggression, hatred, and/or depression—not the most positive of emotions, but in all fairness, positivity doesn’t really have much to do with Satanism to begin with, other than the general state of one’s own life. It celebrates death and nihilism. It’s adherents (especially the purists) all look very much alike; their music styles following accordingly. Remaining unknown and esoteric (a.k.a. “kvlt”) is essential when attempting to win over the esteem of its fan base, thus making it impossible to break the underground barrier to start making serious cash from your performances, should you desire to.

Now that you see where I stand, I’d like to point out that I’m not talking about the genre as an entire whole. I’m simply making a fair generalization. There are bands that stray from this path, both stylistically (e.g. Nachtmystium, Black Anvil, Darkthrone, Behemoth, etc.) and lyrically, [e.g. again, Nachtmystium, Gorgoroth (Gaahl & King era), Wolves In The Throne Room, etc.) but there are almost no Black metal bands out there that can boast complete compatibility, though some may come very close (especially the aforementioned Gorgoroth era.)

To put it simply, I’m the only Satanist I know of who’s a genuine fan of Black metal. Sure, I’d like to know more, but I’m not really here to network. This is why I often reference the scene as a bunch of sheep that wear the pelts of wolves. And yet, I’m still attracted to the sound of the late eighties and early 90’s. I suppose it’s because back then, the music was new. It was the artistic rebellion against the church and it did and indeed still does sound great. It’s all the copycat, cookie-cutter black metal bands that people rave about, all the spiky-leatherbound assholes in crowds, and all the purists that get on my nerves. I personally welcome change to “the scene” with open arms. Experimentation is how artistic progress is made. It’s a lot less limiting on yourself aesthetically and a lot more noticeable when you play it live.

Thanks for reading,
Invictvs

blacksoma asked: Do you know the name of the artist? the one of the WITTR poster?

Unfortunately I don’t, but I really wish I did.

UPDATE: Thanks to nekpana, I now know that the artist’s blog can be found here.

Thanks, Nekpana!

Excerpt from “A Looming Resonance”

Staring onward,
As time stands still.
Devoid of tribulation,
While time stands still.
Starlight breaks this darkened haze,
Filter through decay.
Moonstruck children indisposed,
Malignant culture thriving on.
Defile the sanctum,
Of this place.

—Wolves in the Throne Room, guest vocals courtesy of Jamie Myers.

This song has such a powerful meaning to me. I absolutely love it, not only for the message, but also for the indescribably beautiful way in which it’s conveyed.