Shared From Transcending Obscurity: Swedish Death Metal Highlights

Maybe it's the increasingly cold and snowy weather, or maybe I'm just feeling in need of delving deeper into some Swedish death metal lately due to being stuck at home. Either way, I ran across this article on the website of the Transcending Obscurity record label/online magazine a while ago and felt it was well-worth sharing:

https://tometal.com/special-highlights-swedish-death-metal-highlights/

I know absolutely nothing about Transcending Obscurity itself, but after seeing some of the bands they've signed and doing a bit of browsing on their site, it definitely seems like a good place to check out once in a while. This article gives a good round-up of what has been going on in the Swedish death metal scene recently, focusing on bands that are probably a little more obscure than some of the 'big' names of the sub-genre.

I haven't had a chance to listen to probably half of the bands mentioned in the article, but would agree in recommending Interment, Entrails, and Cut Up. A few of the others, such as Under The Church, Paganizer, and Vangheld are on my radar but I don't feel like I know any of their material well enough to comment about it other than liking what I've heard. As for the rest, it leaves a hell of a lot of bands I've either never heard of, or heard of in passing to check out!

If you're interested in Swedish death metal, I'd recommend giving this article a quick scan (at the very least). You'll probably find something to pique your interest.

"Only Print Is Real" - An Article You Should Read

I recently read a really good article about the interest in books about extreme metal titled ‘Only Print Is Real: How We Entered the Golden Age of Extreme Metal Books’ by Kevin Stewart-Panko. I believe the article is published in the September issue of Decibel magazine, but I found it through Decibel’s website. As a fairly avid reader, and someone who has a shelf full of music related reading material, I was immediately interested.

I own several of the books mentioned in the article. Sounds Of The Beast is one that I bought but still haven’t managed to read in entirety. Honestly, I found it pretty dry but it is a history book, after all. I bought Lords Of Chaos years ago and thoroughly enjoyed it, even on the first read, when I was just beginning to discover black metal. Even if the stories are embellished, it’s an entertaining read and piques the curiousity into investigating the events described further. I also have Swedish Death Metal by Daniel Ekeroth and have read most of it (although completely out of order). It’s one that I really want to take the time to sit down and go through, page by page, while listening to the albums discussed. It’s an amazing resource for anyone interested in the Swedish death metal scene, full of great writing, interesting interviews, rare pictures and comprehensive lists.

One of the statements in the ‘Only Print Is Real’ article that should ring true with any ‘younger’ extreme metal listener is that these books are now allowing events to be placed into context. Which can only happen once some period of time has passed. Many of the authors of these books were there experiencing the beginnings of certain metal scenes. The author mentions that the ‘younger’ fans missed a large part of the history as it was happening, which is entirely true. Although I don’t consider myself that young anymore, I’m certainly young enough to have missed out on most of that history. The article also states that it’s hard to understand the context of albums twenty years later when listening in isolation, but many of these books are now able to provide that context for those who want to know.

Another discussion point of the article that rang particularly true to myself regards creating a different mental atmosphere with printed media, as opposed to the rapid-fire digital information dispersal that so many now rely on. There are merits to both, but I prefer a physical book when I want to delve deeply into a topic. Books allow for so much more focus, free of pop-up ads, distractions and random interruptions. Plus they have a better flow. These are the same reasons why I often still write drafts of ideas, reviews or papers by hand, even though it’s more time consuming.

For anyone who has ever given a thought to the merits of books or physical copies of music as opposed to digital dispersal of the same, this article is worth reading.

https://www.decibelmagazine.com/2017/09/13/print-real-entered-golden-age-extreme-metal-books/#.WblGS9d6DSU.facebook

'Trendy' Extremist Feminism & Metal

The following is based on my thoughts stemming from this article:

“It’s Time To Stop Making Excuses For Extreme Metal’s Violent Misogynist Fantasies”

By Jill Mikkelson

http://noisey.vice.com/blog/death-metal-misogyny

            Having already voiced my opinion on another article dealing with the same subject matter, I can at least say that this one expresses a lot less blatant ignorance on the part of the author. It’s clear that this one is from the author’s perspective, instead of trying to pass as objective, fact-filled piece of writing.

            I don’t disagree with having a dialogue about perceived issues in metal. The problem becomes having any kind of productive discussion with “SJW” radical feminist types about misogyny in metal. It’s like arguing with a religious fanatic; utterly pointless unless you want some good entertainment. I don’t agree with the author’s standpoint that addressing misogyny in metal isn’t an attack. From the vast majority of the material I have read, it has been an outright attack. Just like the majority of trendy social issues perpetrated by social media, internet forums and university campuses are attacks parading in the guise of ‘creating dialogue’.

 I could probably write something from the perspective of any side of an issue if I was asked to. I might refuse to do so, but I am certainly capable of doing it. Would it necessarily mean that I am somehow intimately connected to whatever I’m writing? No. Does it mean that if I were to write a crime novel, from the perspective of a criminal, with descriptions of dismembering bodies, that I actually believe in performing those actions, or that they’re somehow ‘right’? No.  Should every piece of writing, lyrics included, be politically correct and socially sensitive? Definitely not.

One of the things that I appreciate about metal is that it can express attitudes that might be provocative, that might be misogynist, that might not be socially or politically correct. I appreciated that, until fairly recently, it has mostly been left alone. Lyrical content aside, I’ve found the vast majority of men in metal, both fans and musicians, to be quite respectful of women.

I’ve never felt objectified as a sex object participating in the metal scene. No matter whether I’ve worn a short skirt and corset to a show, or whether I’ve worn men’s shorts and a t-shirt to a show. Perhaps I find it easier to tell the few moron meatheads who’ve attempted to make crude comments, or have tried to make me ‘prove’ I’m a metal fan, to fuck off than other females do. I’ve had plenty of insightful, intelligent conversations with males regarding music without being dismissed because of my gender. Honestly, I’m sick of this idea of trendy feminism that effectively villainizes men by assuming that all of them are disrespectful, misogynist idiots. I’m becoming jaded by ridiculously overblown ‘social justice’ issues. This newest attack on metal seems strangely reminiscent of the PMRC controversy of the late eighties. There will always be outspoken crusaders willing to create larger issues out of things that shouldn’t really be an issue in the first place. I was hoping these trends wouldn’t invade metal but it appears they have, and probably will continue to do so.

Ooops, is this offensive? 

Response To "Metal's Problem With Women Is Not Going Away Anytime Soon"

The article in question:

“Metal’s Problem With Women Is Not Going Away Anytime Soon” by Kristy Loye

(Appearing on the Houston Press website, written Nov. 15, 2015)

http://www.houstonpress.com/music/metals-problem-with-women-is-not-going-away-anytime-soon-7858411

I don’t even know where to begin regarding this article. This piece of propaganda recently surfaced within my circle of acquaintances and has subsequently drawn a reasonable amount of attention and debate. After reading through it several times, my opinion hasn’t changed. If you want chip-on-the-shoulder ultra-feminism, I suggest you read it. Perhaps it’s a product of the social media trend in the last few years in which ‘feminism’ has become more and more extreme. Perhaps it’s a product of chosen ignorance. Perhaps it’s just another attack on the “white male” that has seemingly become popular as of late.

            I completely disagree with the author’s very insistent stance that metal is exclusive toward women. Perhaps if you only choose to put blinders on, fail to do a little research, or fail to truly delve into the realm of metal, you could come to this conclusion. Frankly, I find it ignorant. Metal definitely allows women to play a greater role than being a “live prop”. Saying that the message delivered excludes women from being serious fans, or musicians, is nothing short of naïve.

            The entire section titled “Female Musicians Need Not Apply” really doesn’t make much sense. Sure, the author is trying to prove that female metal musicians aren’t put into the spotlight as part of headlining acts. Sorry, but not every band can be a headliner. The simple fact that there are fewer female metal musicians obviously makes it less likely that a band with female members will be a headliner. Should a band that includes women be a headliner for the simple fact that it includes women? Definitely not.

            The author keeps referring to decidedly mainstream media sources and fairly mainstream metal bands. Sorry, but a lot of the best metal isn’t actually mainstream and hopefully never will be. Not all journalists that write about metal are white males. There are several female music journalists, and they do exist both in the online realm and in print media. Pick up an issue of any metal magazine off the shelf, and you can probably find some quality content written by female metal heads. You can also find some quality content written by “white males”.

            I have a hard time NOT picking this misinformed argument apart sentence by sentence. Statements such as the one that follows, quoted from the article, should make serious metal heads shake their heads.

            “The empathy gap in metal is so enormous that the problem is systemic. Until metal fans can appreciate metal for the music and not just who plays it, metal will remain the dark fraternity that it is.”

            

Seriously? I would hazard a guess that metal is a genre where people truly do appreciate the music, and really don’t care about who is playing it. Probably much more so than more mainstream musical genres. You hear about amazing picking techniques, superb song structure, incredible vocals, and insanely fast drumming a lot more than you hear about what a musician was wearing, whether they’ve gained a little weight, or whether they are attractive or not. I have doubts that people listen to, or do not listen to, Ensiferum because they have a female band member. The same goes for other bands with female band members. (And yes, dear misinformed author, I can name twenty bands with female members without having to do an internet search).

            A few more very questionable quotes:

            “Even metal fandom is exclusive. Women who are metal fans come under the constant scrutiny of male metal fans, and have their motives questioned. They're either assumed to be a poser or a girlfriend, no more than a fan by association. Often they must prove their fandom to suspicious men who require authenticity. Ridiculous.”

            “Women have every right to be at a metal show, whether on the stage or in the pit. And none of them have to prove themselves to anyone...ever.”

           

Perhaps there are some huge cultural differences between wherever the author is from in the States, and Canada, northern Europe and Scandinavia. I’ve never had to ‘prove my fandom to suspicious men’. Metal shows are decidedly inclusive. There are more females in the audience, in the pit, and on stage at metal shows now than ever before. Women aren’t questioned, or harassed, about whether they belong at a metal show. At least, not by the vast majority of men in the audience. You might encounter a few sexist moron meatheads running rampant, but this certainly isn’t the norm, and it’s bound to happen to some extent everywhere. Not just at metal shows. In fact, there is much less of this type of behaviour at a metal show than in your average nightclub. Women do have every right to be at metal shows. Just like men at metal shows have every right NOT to be automatically classified as sexist pigs, incapable of accepting that a woman can be a true fan of the music.

As for having to prove themselves, everyone has to prove themself to some extent. A female musician should not a get a ‘free pass’ simply because she’s female. Like any male musician, she should have to prove that she has some kind of musical talent or affinity. Outside of metal, this is why certifications and professional designations exist. Proving that you have some knowledge or ability to make you an ‘insider’ of a chosen group. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this, so far as it does not get taken to the level of harassing or being ignorant of those who are ‘outside’ of that chosen group of association. Nothing is more irritating than a female who jumps into the pit and expects special treatment for the sole fact that she is female.

As for the part of this article that discusses the themes of violence and rape in metal music, well, you can make up your own mind about that. Metal isn’t exactly meant to be a mainstream societally acceptable form of music. Themes that may not appeal to everyone come with the territory. If you’re uncomfortable with the violent, horror-filled content often present in death metal, don’t listen to it. If you can’t separate lyrical themes from reality, you have bigger issues to worry about. I dare say that the majority of metal heads are reasonably well-adjusted, intelligent people who are capable of separating the content of a song from the reality of the daily grind. It would be ignorant to say that there haven’t been exceptions, but when one considers the number of people that listen to metal, these exceptions aren’t any more common than what is seen in society as a whole.

            I view this article as a misguided effort at engineering a problem that doesn’t exist. There is no need to introduce gender bias directed at males into the realm of metal music. Jumping onto the reverse discrimination bandwagon, so often perpetrated by outspoken individuals and spread throughout social media, is something that a female metal head should avoid falling victim to. As a female metal fan myself, I don’t want to see the inclusivity and equality present in metal eroded by extremist feminism. Equality is fine; having to tread delicately around one gender while villianizing the other is not.

Article: Possessed's 'Seven Churches' - 30 Years Later

The Metal Crypt posted an article compiling opinions of other musicians on Possessed's 'Seven Churches' album in honour of its 30th anniversary. I found the article linked from Possessed's Facebook page:

http://www.metalcrypt.com/pages/interviews.php?intid=455


It's definitely a long read, but worth it to gain insight into just how influential this album became. I can't personally speak to the evolution of 'Seven Churches' influence, nor can I speak to the impact it had when first released as I have found Possessed relatively recently. The first time I truly took notice of the band was on the Barge To Hell cruise, and I consider myself lucky to have caught them live again at Noctis Festival a few years ago.

Even all of these years after Possessed began, I was blown away by the intensity of their live show. Especially considering that I did not even realize Jeff Becerra is in a wheelchair until the band took the stage. Live, they managed to be one of the most evil sounding bands I've seen without having to use theatrics. 'Seven Churches' has become an album that I thoroughly enjoy, and one that I believe anyone studying the roots of death metal should own.