1 definition by Soja(Solvavoroth)

black metal is said to derive from Venom, but Venom's "Black metal" has hardly something in common with bm. Black metal is also said to be the darkest and heaviest metal style. The real point is that black metal doesn't really aim to be heavy ( black metal and death metal is surprisingly very often mistakenly defined ) and dark. Bm is one of these metal styles that contain so many substyles that it should be divided into seperate sorts. ex.g. - Finntroll and Darkthrone are put together into the bm family, but there are as different to each other as for example old Anathema and new Anathema. The comprehension of the black metal "generally" style is a matter of knowledge of that sort of music. It's not always quick, primitive riffs playing in 100 repeats, it's not only quick drums with the snare drum on the foreground, and the vocal is not only screech. Black metal is a set of many substyles, and the style is, imo, in the big family of metal the only that can't be really defined. Black metal can be quick, and if it is quick, it's quicker than Thrash/Speed metal. It can be wild, and if it is wild it's wilder than dodecaphony . It can be massive, and if it is, it's heavier, more gloomy, more overwhelming than Death or Doom. The bm style is a quintessence of freedom in the metal music. The only thing that is characteristic from that style is that it has really no special characteristics.
And one thing more: the subject of the lyrics and so-called philosophy that many bm albums contain. It can be pagan, satanistic, socialist, neonazi, thelemic, atheistic etc. etc. But don't look and that, you don't need to be pagan to listen pagan. I'm a christian, and i hate nazizm or socialism, but i love most Drudkh, Hate Forest and Burzum. Don't be too true! Be yourself. Be like black metal - authentic
black metal: Nokturnal Mortum, Immortal, Mayhem, Darkthrone, Gehenna, Menhir
by Soja(Solvavoroth) March 7, 2006
Get the black metal mug.