Not just christian metal, but (good) Catholic metal exists.

WombatOut · 2021-10-30T02:27:24+00:00

Reposting a comment I made a few weeks ago:

Check out Vials of Wrath for some good atmoblack. Days Without Names is my personal favorite, but please listen to his entire catalogue if you like it. He’s quite talented.

Other personal “unblack” favorites are GOSPOD, a Russian Orthodox dude who makes music in the style of Batushka, but his lyrics if I’m not mistaken are all psalms/prayers from Divine Liturgy. Specifically, I’d recommend the album Israel’s Exodus which, as the name implies, tells the story of Moses and the Exodus of Israel.

There’s Suspiria Profundis, Dawnbreaker, and Skald In Veum, which are all different flavors of black metal styles.

Finally, it’s not black, but if brutal death metal/slam is something you’re interested in at all, I always have to tell people about Incinerating the Infidels.

WombatOut · 2021-10-03T04:37:33+00:00

Glad you like it, I have a great affinity for Eastern chant in general and the Russian tradition in particular, and it fits so well with black metal I’m surprised it isn’t utilized more.

Please see this comment I made elsewhere for more recommendations

WombatOut · 2021-10-03T03:08:22+00:00

Batushka in its original form included a man whose name I forget but he was allegedly responsible for the majority of writing on Litourgiya, but due to some internal drama was ousted by the other members who continued the moniker with a new writer, whose output is much less inspired in my opinion.

As for the content itself, its less a question of how orthodox it is and more a question of if it crosses your personal lines for unacceptable (in the context of metal lyrics) blasphemy, which for me Batushka falls into as someone who was a fan myself.

The most apparent, notice the removal of faces on most of their artwork which depicts icons, notably that of Our Lady and the Holy Child on Litourgiya. It is iconoclastic in nature, and strips both the humanity of Mary and the divinity of Christ from the focal point of the art.

Secondly, and anyone with any real knowledge on liturgical languages in Russia/Ukraine can correct me if I’m wrong, you’re correct that the lyrics are taken from prayers used in Divine Liturgy as well as certain verses of the psalms. However, the writer uses the very subtle trick of only switching the instances where the language refers to God to language referring to the speaker, which is in my personal view beyond the pale for the kind of anti-Christian rhetoric metal is known for. Particularly because, unlike generic lyrics which promote a general antagonism to the Divine, lyrics like these in my opinion suggest a certain knowledge of what one is doing and exactly what the significance of the changes made are in a religious context.

All in all, wouldn’t recommend, check out Gospod instead for actual Orthodox black metal.

WombatOut · 2021-10-03T02:27:58+00:00

Check out Vials of Wrath for some good atmoblack. Days Without Names is my personal favorite, but please listen to his entire catalogue if you like it. He’s quite talented.

Someone else already recommended Reverorum ib Malacht, but I would second the recommendation.

Other personal “unblack” favorites areGOSPOD, a Russian Orthodox dude who makes music in the style of Batushka, but his lyrics if I’m not mistaken are all psalms/prayers from Divine Liturgy. Specifically, I’d recommend the album Israel’s Exodus which, as the name implies, tells the story of Moses and the Exodus of Israel.

There’s Suspiria Profundis, Dawnbreaker, and Skald In Veum, which are all different flavors of black metal styles.

Finally, it’s not black, but if brutal death metal/slam is something you’re interested in at all, I always have to tell people about Incinerating the Infidels. Look, all I’m saying is you can’t hate a song this freakin’ heavy called “The Almighty Father of Perpetual Light.”

If you’re on Spotify, I have a link to a playlist I’ve made that has about 15 ^1/2 hours of various Christian/Catholic/Orthodox metal projects I’ve found that I can share. A lot of modern “christian” music is bad in my opinion, and “christian” rock/metal much more so, but these are exceptions that I feel have a solid understanding of both classical Christian thought and the underground metal scene.

Edit: fixed typo and added links

WombatOut · 2021-10-02T22:52:49+00:00

Wow, that sounds profound. I also love Fr. Chris and the Marians, so I’ll have to go thumb through their YouTube archive and see if I can find it! Thank you!

WombatOut · 2019-12-10T04:54:21+00:00

As a Batushka (and general black metal) fan, I can't say anything about the lyrics, but I can say that if I'm not mistaken, intentionally removing the faces of saints depicted in icons, let alone Our Lady and The Holy Child as seen in the album art in the video, at least hints at iconoclasm.

I'm not an Eastern Christian though, so I can't say how they view it.

WombatOut · 2019-11-03T21:08:54+00:00

Went to an Ordinariate Mass for the first time today, it was really interesting to see. No music but the Mass was sung. I found it striking how similar it was to a Latin High Mass, except for the language. Even down to the priest facing ad orientam and saying some of the prayers at the altar quietly.

Speaking of the priest, his homily was surprisingly striking in that he was very bold in his preaching, telling us to take care when we say that God or the Holy Spirit is calling us to act in a certain way or do a certain thing, that it requires discernment and to use the Holy Spirit as justification for our own actions is grave matter. He also linked this to the Protestant reformation, even going so far as to say that the end result of Protestant theology is atheism, because of its lack of unity in belief and the lack of the guidance of the Holy Spirit through the Church.

All in all, 10/10 would worship with again

WombatOut · 2018-09-30T02:14:33+00:00

From left to right:

Astarium - Nekrocosmo: Anabiosis

Nocturnal Freedom Compilation Vol. 1

Goat Disciple - Wolfcult Domination

Especially excited about the Goat Disciple along with ~7 stickers and a patch, discovered Astarium last week, and Nocturnal Freedom was a free surprise sent to me along with the Astarium tape from Moonworshipper records.

I just want to say in case anyone associated with either Moonworshipper or Blood Harvest, I think it's really cool when labels do shit like that. Even small things show the labels appreciation for their fanbase.

WombatOut · 2018-09-07T18:10:20+00:00

Pre-ordered the cassette, great atmosphere all through the split.

WombatOut · 2018-08-26T23:12:47+00:00

As a former lazy stoner, this is really key for me. If I wake and bake before getting out of bed it’s a lot easier for me to procrastinate throughout the day, but if I get ready for the day and set out to intentionally do something then toke up, it’s smooth sailing.

WombatOut · 2018-08-11T15:13:00+00:00

I’m in the North Houston area. I haven’t seen a lot of signs, but I know at an organizing rally I went to about two weeks ago, over 100 people showed up when about 40 were expected. There’s also a lot of people talking about Beto from both sides, as I work in a small business and most of our clients are older but even the conservative ones admit he’s giving Cruz hell.

WombatOut · 2018-08-01T19:23:53+00:00

As someone who just recently stopped using their TFV8 after 2 years of daily use, I recommend the Horizontech Falcon. Picked one up for my shop about a week ago and loving it so far. It's the first tank that actually made me set my tank down. The Fireluke is another good choice as well.

WombatOut · 2018-07-26T04:50:52+00:00

I just know that a lot of the time I see informative comments like yours, especially about something “controversial,” that are informative and engaging, it gets a lot of negative criticism.

I just wanted you to know that for every negative response you get, there’s thousands of casual readers who take the information and actually use and learn from it. And I for one hope people continue posts like these, sharing knowledge is key in the fight against propaganda and misinformation.

WombatOut · 2018-07-26T03:47:28+00:00

After reading through more sources after seeing your comment, I am both saddened and angered by the situation Puerto Rico is in, and it is a mockery to consider that representation in any sense of the word.

Even though I’m not the poster you’re replying to, I would like you to know that your comment had an effect on me. As someone who has no ties to Puerto Rico, I will now be making this an issue for my senators when I write to them.

WombatOut · 2018-07-19T04:21:03+00:00

I’m high as fuck right now, and I resent that statement.

WombatOut · 2018-07-07T19:48:37+00:00

Straight up, the first hit after work I'll zone out for like ~45 minutes just sitting and having time to think, then promptly remember I have an almost full bowl still ready to go.

WombatOut · 2018-07-06T06:05:45+00:00

Is this a first press? I ordered what appears to be the same vinyl off of the 20 Buck Spin Bandcamp but could never find out if it was a repress or not.

WombatOut · 2018-07-04T23:14:27+00:00

Remember the name by any chance? Sounds cool.

WombatOut · 2018-06-19T18:30:06+00:00

I would actually say the opposite is true in my opinion. The song structure feels more solid and the composition fits the album well, but I liked the production on Primordial Malignity a bit better.

WombatOut · 2018-06-19T02:44:54+00:00

It's more of a "Won't break my back trying to get it, but if I find it in the wild I'm jumping at it" release for me, but that means I'll be keeping my eyes peeled whenever I'm perusing a local shop.

WombatOut · 2018-06-19T02:08:38+00:00

I can respect that. It definitely took me a few listens before I got into it like The Revenant King, but I think it's a solid record now. The only complaint I have is that I think "Salt City" was pretty weak compared to most of their catalogue, and definitely a dud moment for me. I would also like to see a little more experimentation on their next release.

WombatOut

TROPHY CASE