Black Metal in rude health

[Blackout]

I never believed the whole "true kvlt" bs before but this thread makes me think different   

[Grim Reality]

Yes as open face surgery points out, I guess the stuff that floats my boat the most is revisionist and has a lot in common with the classic 90s style. Its probably the point I was trying to make, that what I regard as real BM in sound and spirit is flying at the moment.

When I look back at the history of BM to the early 90s I see the early Norwegian stuff, Finnish, Greek etc and then in the mid 90s the focus moving to Poland, France etc. I'm in to all that up to the Polish and Ukrainian scene of the mid 2000s. Then you had a bit of development with the Deathspell Omega and all that NoEvDia stuff and thats where I started to lose touch, in hindsight. You then had the Trondheim scene with Mare etc being the focus for creativity within BM but I never felt that scene either. Then all those hooded, occult, Eastern themed  bands came along like Cult of Fire who I was into for a while but to be honest it wore thin quickly too. But I feel there's now another type of band coming through,  with two or three decades of separation from the originals but paying homage to it and doing it in a style equal to or even surpassing that of the initial influence. To be fair a lot of these bands inhabit the fringes and would have associations with right wing whatever, so making them unacceptable to the majority, but again that's a true reflection of the 2nd wave spirit they are hailing.

[Eoin McLove]

Interesting summation and I'd be more or less in agreement even if I'm still a bit overwhelmed by the sheer amount of stuff coming out. If I see a new project with countless releases or one dude in ten bands I immediately overlook it. I think I'm looking for excuses not to check out new bands these days and hoods and incense is another immediate pass for me. I think I just want something that possibly doesn't exist.

[Grim Reality]

Theres so much stuff it's no point in trying to keep up. If I find a band or two I like I stick with that and expand to related projects if needed.

[Circlepit]

It is overwhelming when you step back and think of how much stuff that jerks coming out. The whole iceberg of metal thing.
Obviously there is a lot of shite and at the end of the day nobody forces me to investigate these bands. Having said that  I find now I'm going to have to fully check out Evilfeast and Mooncitadel.
Black Metal is indeed in rude health but when is there time to fully get through it all.  Arrrgh
And death metal too.

[Grim Reality]

You won't get through it all. Forget about it and relax.

Forget about death metal too. Don't waste your time. Apart from the first couple Morbid Angel.

[Snare]

I'm in over my head!

I'm in over my head just reading this thread!

I'm listening to bands these days that are labelled "atmospheric black metal" etc and they don't seem what I'd stretch to call BM at all, just decent fecking metal. While bands like Pan-Amerikan Native Front, Ifernach, Maquahuit, Horn, Havukruunu, Bezwering, Vual etc just float my boat, without worrying about which BM cubby hole they slot into exactly. Genre labels are just a pain in the head really at times.

Also couldn't help but smile that the original post is so upbeat, so not such a "Grim Reality" afterall 

[Circlepit]

You won't get through it all. Forget about it and relax.

Forget about death metal too. Don't waste your time. Apart from the first couple Morbid Angel.

My heart is big enough for the 2 styles.

[Eoin McLove]

Grim Reality is an Hour of 13 song!

[open face surgery]

Yes as open face surgery points out, I guess the stuff that floats my boat the most is revisionist and has a lot in common with the classic 90s style. Its probably the point I was trying to make, that what I regard as real BM in sound and spirit is flying at the moment.

I agree and may have got slightly side tracked in defending that ideal.

[Grim Reality]

Kind of on an opposite trajectory the past few years but would have very much been in agreement until then. No doubt there's a Hell of a lot of activity................... but I'm enjoying digging into the 90s stuff a lot more.

Sorry to edit your post in such a way but I think your point remains intact. In tandem with a renewed interest in current day bands I too am going back to the well of the 90s and getting into bands I missed out on or were just too obscure to come across until recent times.

Eg

The wider Polish scene with NORTH, SACRILEGIUM, NEASIT, THUNDERBOLT, ARKONA

French stuff like OSCULUM INFAME, SEIGNEUR VOLAND

Norwegians MANES, FORGOTTEN WOODS and bands like ULVER who while big I never gave a fair shot before.

Point being theres countless underground gems to be discovered in the 90s still and you could very well leave anything modern well alone and not miss out.

[Grim Reality]

Grim Reality is an Hour of 13 song!

And a very good one at that from a modern classic of an album!

[Blackout]

Theres so much stuff it's no point in trying to keep up. If I find a band or two I like I stick with that and expand to related projects if needed.

This is me in a nutshell.

[Eoin McLove]

Very true!

Have you given Manii a spin? I think they are class, particularly the last album. Picking up where Under Ein Blodred Mane (or however you spell it) left off.

I'm not against new stuff by any means and if I hear something that catches my ear then I'm in,  no question. There is just so much great stuff to explore from de ould days to keep me busy. It's a good time for reissues lately with enticing vinyl editions of old obscurities and outright classics coming out all the time. One that really blew my head off recently is Diabolical Masquerade- Ravendusk in My Heart. Not sure it would have been for me a few years ago but it just hit the spot so nicely.

[Grim Reality]

I've listened to Manii Kollaps a few times on Spotify and very much enjoyed it. Also an EP skuggelheim (sp?) after it had some older stuff re recorded and it was great. Not often you say that! But I've not kept up more than that. Too busy filling my lugs with maanens natt