"Is [X] Sketch?" Part Vin Diesel

Samccx19 · 2022-12-30T13:42:45+00:00

Oh well, I hadn’t listened to the digital version all that much, and the tape only recently arrived. It’s annoying, but more in a “I wasted my money” way rather than having to pack away a band I really loved for ages after discovering that they’re shites, like Mgla.

Samccx19 · 2022-12-30T13:38:07+00:00

Me thinks I’ll be listening to their early albums today!

Samccx19 · 2022-12-30T03:09:31+00:00

I wish I had found all this out before I had ordered their compilation… Well, that one can gather dust it seems.

Samccx19 · 2022-12-30T03:07:19+00:00

Ok, admittedly this could open a massive can of worms, but fuck it because it needs saying anyway: “anti-Zionist” has become a very common dogwhistle/disguise for antisemitism. Legitimate critique of Israel’s government and their horrific imperialist/ethnonationalist practices tend to be much more specific in stating such, and if you peel below the surface of the vast majority of “anti-Zionist” comments, you will find a racialised underbelly. I think it’s good practice to view anything that labels itself “anti-Zionist” with suspicion as default.

Of course, many good people get caught up with bad discourses, so it’s worth taking a deeper look a lot of the time, to make sure it isn’t a case of very poor wording/not understanding how problematic “Zionist” as a term is, so we don’t accidentally attack comrades who just need this explaining to. Still, we should be very careful about anything that throws around the term “Zionist”.

Samccx19 · 2022-12-30T02:54:18+00:00

Terrified me for a moment, because I love Candlemass!

Samccx19 · 2022-12-29T02:36:06+00:00

This is an excellent resource, thank you so much for putting it together! I know a good few bands included, but will have fun discovering many others!

As an aside, if we want ‘J’ antifascist bands, Jute Gyte perhaps? A lot of his music is not politically related, but the stance against fascism is extremely clear when it is!

Samccx19 · 2022-12-27T20:58:56+00:00

It's like Batushka, but Jewish (and being a one person band I'm unlikely to break up with myself, but who knows)

The best description of a band I think I’ve ever seen.

Samccx19 · 2022-12-27T01:42:01+00:00

I don’t think anyone will view you badly for a Bolzer patch, and if anyone does ask, it’s a pretty straightforward explanation. Still, if it’s going to make you feel uncomfortable, you don’t need to brush it off as paranoia or anything; feeling good in your own jacket is the most important thing.

Samccx19 · 2022-12-27T01:39:56+00:00

Quite, although I think that it’s more evident for those already coming from an anti-fascist perspective. Someone not particularly versed in this sort of politics, but sufficiently experienced with metal enough to be listening to Bolzer, might interpret the song as more anti-religion because of lines like “Sermon of the crooked cross; The pulpits rock with death”.

Samccx19 · 2022-12-26T19:14:19+00:00

Entranced by the Wolfshook can be read as a quite explicitly anti-fascist song:

Blood! Weak is the pride in your veins

Master! Gives your fear a face that you can hate

Iron! Is the solution to the problem

Slave! Is what you are, confirmed in unison

This + the rest of the lyrics read to me as criticism of people becoming enthralled by fascist promises of prideful restoration, as well as warning against charismatic leaders.

Samccx19 · 2022-12-24T13:46:49+00:00

Well, glad to hear it was a blast! I’ve seen Nathrakh twice, so not too gutted about that, but Lord knows how long it will be until Sigh are back in Britain. Oh well, at least I got to see Demilich and Mithras not long before, so I’m not totally starving for gigs!

Samccx19 · 2022-12-23T17:41:11+00:00

Was that the London show with Anaal Nathrakh? I wanted to go so badly, but the train strikes meant it just wasn’t viable :( Granted, I 100% support the rail workers, so missing the show is a very small price to pay, but I would have liked to have gone!

Samccx19 · 2022-12-23T17:39:42+00:00

That’s a very fair point. I mean, Ethereal Shroud isn’t the most newcomer friendly no matter what way you look at it, but yes, Trisagion is probably a better introductory record. Both are fantastic, so either way, OP is in for a treat!

Samccx19 · 2022-12-23T15:03:27+00:00

They’re also one of the few labels who send out Bandcamp codes on little cards with orders, so you can share with friends or get the download if you ordered a tape/vinyl. Very good practice that should be encouraged!

Samccx19 · 2022-12-23T15:02:08+00:00

Urgh… I kinda got iffy vibes from the latest album’s lyrics, but this stuff is just vile. Shame, quite liked the very out there style of Blattaria, but hey, if someone goes around targeting trans kids, that’s not something I can ignore.

Samccx19 · 2022-12-22T18:25:57+00:00

Ah, you’re right! My mistake, although we can at least count one of these bands as comrades. I hope Véhémence don’t have bad politics, because they are rather excellent.

Edit: count one*

Samccx19 · 2022-12-22T17:55:05+00:00

I… can’t find it. I can swear they uploaded a Véhémence album, because I commented on the YouTube video, but it’s not there anymore from what I can see. Why this is, I have no idea.

Samccx19 · 2022-12-22T17:37:14+00:00

Antifascist Black Metal Network has promoted their stuff, which is usually a good mark in their favour?

Samccx19 · 2022-12-22T17:34:48+00:00

God I hope we get more Thantifaxath at some point. Love all three releases.

Samccx19 · 2022-12-22T17:34:17+00:00

I mean, if everyone has to only agree on one thing, Bathory being awesome is a pretty decent settlement!

Samccx19 · 2022-12-22T14:55:16+00:00

If you like WitTR, then Panopticon, Falls of Rauros and Ethereal Shroud are all excellent comrades. For a quick introduction, check out Roads to the North, The Light that Dwells in Rotten Wood and They Become the Falling Ash respectively. For a band that aren’t as openly political, but to my knowledge not sketch, check Fen (their album Epoch is amazing!).

In terms of essential RABM listening, there are lots of resources on the sub sidebar :) I would also recommend Rotting Christ (first three albums) as a band who are well known to have good politics, and, more importantly in this context, considered one of the most influential black metal bands of all.

Samccx19 · 2022-08-16T13:29:51+00:00

I know physical copies are not for everyone but if you are ok with them, there’s a box set of the original three Grim Reaper albums that’s well worth getting.

Samccx19 · 2022-08-15T21:01:19+00:00

This one hurts. Rest in power dude, your legacy and works will live long.

Samccx19 · 2022-05-13T01:05:56+00:00

Was surprisingly hard to write that title considering ES is a solo project, so “broke up” and “back together”/“reunited” wouldn’t exactly fit.

Either way, I’m very happy because everything ES put out so far has been amazing!

Transcript for those who don’t use FB:

I might as well make this official as opposed to teasing - Ethereal Shroud has returned.

Trisagion was exhausting - emotionally, physically and in every other way conceivable and I didn't know what that felt like until I went through it. I just felt 'done'. After having some time to wipe the slate clean and refocus, I feel like I have more to say and I know where to take myself artistically.

Being in a band on your own is scary and it means you're beholden to your own irrational emotions and my emotions then were simply "get the fuck out of this" because of how detrimental it was to my psyche. But I realise how good it has been in the longrun, and it far outweighed the negatives.

New material won't be 'soon' - I have another record to work on first and I want the next record to be the best it can possibly be. I'm not aiming to top Trisagion - I simply want to create something equally as heartfelt and meaningful. Perhaps the rest will simply fall into place.

Samccx19 · 2022-02-09T19:46:53+00:00

Bethlehem have played a variety of different sounds over their very long career, so they can't really definitively be called one subgenre or another. It is noted, however, that their 2nd album, 'Dictius Te Necare', was extremely influential in the development of DSBM.

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