What is black metal all about?

Could someone please explain what black metal is all about? I am completely baffled by their opposition to (pre-Load!) Metallica and "death metal". I would find their opposition to Christianity somewhat understandable if they were from the Bible Belt or even the US in general, but Norway is not a focal point of intrusive religious activity. What gives with these guys?

I'll spare you the history lesson and just recommend "Lords of Chaos" by Moynihan and Söderlind. :-)

I should have mentioned that I have read Moynihan's fascinating book, but I'm still not sure if I understand the movement. As far as I can tell, their opposition to Christianity is similiar to Nietzsche's: Christianity is a movement that induces conformity and weakness. Okay, but Norway is a highly secular country, and I wonder what role in really does play in the culture.

Several interviewees in Moynihan mention that Euronymous was strongly opposed to death metal from the US and Sweden, and both he and Bard Eithun seem to have reacted strongly against Metallica in the 1980s. I take this and other positions of theirs to mean that metal *should* be flamboyant, romantic and (possibly) ideological.

I think it was Samoth who said "Let us be wild! Let us be pagans!" Do these guys really want to return to the pre-Industrial period, when the Arab world dismissed Europeans as hopelessly primitive?

The "pre-Christian" undercurrent is a lot closer to the surface in the Scandinavian countries than it is anywhere else. They were among the last Europeans to be forcibly converted and to many of them, it's still fresh in their minds. Everyone else is pretty resigned to the notion, but there are still visible remnants of pagan history up there, whereas it has been eradicated almost everywhere else on the continent for more than 1000 years.

Another aspect the black metal scene (and to an extent, all extant pagans today) is the idea of "freedom", which idealistically you'd think Americans of all people would understand, seeing as the word is bandied about here so often. This is why the whole "satan" thing is such a part of the scene. If you really get to know anyone involved in things over there, you realize almost nobody "believes in the devil" and all that; they just view the idea of Satanism as allowing them to be free to express themselves, whereas Christianity seeks to repress our urges, choices, etc. And it doesn't hurt that the Satan figure has been created as the major adversarial figure in the Christian religion...so obviously these people are going to latch onto that imagery because it pisses off/scares people.

As for your question about Samoth's comments, I think that depends on the individual. A lot of people of all persuasions (not limited to the Black Metal scene by a long shot) believe that a "return to nature" is the best thing for the human race, and I've got to say, every time I have to walk down a smoggy city street, I'm inclined to agree. But again, I think that comment is more geared towards this idea of freedom than anything else. In this idiom, perhaps he's talking about being able to live "off the grid" up in Tromsø, and have that be considered an "honourable way of life" by society at large... I dunno :-)

I guess it remains to be seen whether Samoth will introduce instruments fuelled by wind power, since solar power is not a reliable option for residents of that part of the world for much of the year.

Perhaps I'm expecting too much from people who are predominantly entertainers, not systematic thinkers; I don't take very seriously social commentary from Hollywood starlets. Still, one of the distinguishing features of Black Metal from other sub-genres of metal is its ideological basis. Can you elaborate on what they mean by "freedom"? Everyone from Karl Marx to the local evangelist preacher says he is for freedom.

"Freedom" in the sense of being able to live one's life the way they themselves see fit. For people of this particular ideology, Christianity stands in the way of this. Not just the religion itself with all its antiquated rituals, but the society at large which has been created as a result of it. And for them, every church that stands is a reminder of the fact that they were conquered by outsiders who imposed their own beliefs upon them.

Now obviously, seeing a bunch of 19 year olds running around causing havoc because of it just makes the whole thing seem silly. But that doesn't mean there isn't a kernel of truth to be found. The history of the spread of Christianity, for instance, is rife with examples of injustices which one can only assume that its founder would have not been proud of.

Okay, fine.

And what of their opposition to "death" and "thrash"? Euronymous is quoted in Moynihan as saying he would rather sell Priest albums than Metallica. Does Priest get the edge because they had some theatrics and showmanship about them, as against Metallica's anti-poseur attitude back in the 80s? From my perspective as an "old school" metal fan, I really couldn't distinguish "black" from "death" and "thrash" simply by listening to samples of each.

Yeah that bit's a little silly. It's basically "they're not grim and tr00 like we are, they are posers and their music sucks" even though Emperor, Darkthrone, etc started as death metal bands...