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| by Anthony Abboreno |
I’ve got an uncle who’s a tremendous Scotch drinker. He once commented on a bottle of Laphroaig somebody had given me as a gift. “That’s good Scotch,” he said, “but the peat flavor isn’t as strong as I like. I like Scotch that tastes like iodine.” It’s not surprising that a Scotch connoisseur would fixate on a taste that non-fans would find repulsive. That’s a trait common to aficionados. You lay claim to something by loving it in a way other people couldn’t.
If metal has the equivalent of Scotch that tastes like iodine, it’s stuff like Deiphago’s Filipino Antichrist (Hells Headbangers, 2009). Deiphago have been described as bestial black metal, a term that encompasses bands like Bestial Warlust, Blasphemy (Can), Archgoat, and Beherit. Traits of the pseudo-genre include messy song structures, riffs that pull from death or grind, and huge inkpots of reverb. When people criticize bestial bands, they proclaim them willfully inaccessible or content-less. When people praise bestial bands, they highlight their intensity and honesty. The music has no commercial prospects. While it’s easy to make music that sounds like a mess, it’s much harder to make an interesting mess.
Deiphago have only put out two full-lengths, but they’ve been around since 1989, which makes them older than most second-wave black metal. Their first full-length, Satanik Eon (Morbid Moon, 2006) was endorsed by Blasphemy’s Ross Bay Cult label, thereby granting them considerable street cred. The band’s worldview is uncompromising. They hate songs about forests, and black metal that strives for accessibility. They like Sarcofago, chaos, and Satan.
Filipino Antichrist makes most other metal sound restrained. It cues up with a majestic intro like an old Godzilla movie, then turns into a garbage truck. There are songs, but they’re mostly buried in feedback. Vocals are roared or screamed, with no time for anguish. Guitar solos are obnoxious skronk, hurling themselves out of the shadows just to die at your feet. Lyrics have the brilliant simplicity of football chants: “Sex for Satan / Chanting prayers / Summon the Beast”; “We are the vengeance/ We are death.” The closest thing to a straight song is the Sarcofago cover “Hate,” which opens with the sound of the lead singer machine-gunning a crowd, then launches into a summation of the album’s purpose: “I hate my enemies / I hate my friends /… I hate to hate.”
I like this because it’s an acquired taste. This barely controlled racket appeals to my reptile brain. It’s overwhelming, mean, and sounds like shit. In other words, it’s good Scotch.
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Interesting write-up. A question, in which streets does being endorsed by Blasphemy get you cred? Not a facetious question, I might be misunderstanding the metaphore.
this really isn't too far removed from portal if you think about it. or, rather, don't think about.
also
Helm- The streets walked by fans of Blasphemy, I suppose. I could have phrased that better.
In the same sense that if Britney Spears endorses some artist then they'd be enjoying significant street cred on appropriate streets? Surely not.
The implication I'm trying to get to is that Blasphemy-worship metal is often considered to be 'street' in itself (I mean, moreso than other forms of black metal) and even further this is often credited as a reason to like it. I'd like to know why. Is it because Ross Bay cult is all about serious grave desecration and/or pumping iron?
I've read on other sites in reviews of other blasphemy-clones how they're 'approved by the Ross Bay cult' and even in one where someone said "they should be ashamed to approve this type of shit" (to paraphrase) another user below scolded "I'd like to see you say that in their face".
The implication then is that the Ross Bay cult can beat people up. I'm fascinated how self-inflicted subjugation towards the stronger can be twisted around as some sort of badge of honour. Blasphemy might have beat me up but they'll beat you up too!
I love Laphroaig.
Jesus that was unpleasant. Bottoms up!
There's that story about how oneo f the guys from Blasphemy beat up KK from Destroyer 666 for being racist:
http://www.stormfront.org/forum/sitemap/index.php/t-293651.html
Their last album was vicious, but this thing is just an impenetrable wall of noise. It's not even bestial BM anymore, it might as well be Merzbow.
Helm I don't think it goes any deeper than Blasphemy being perhaps the key original reference point for this kind of music and thus their endorsement carries some weight for fans of this style. As Cosmo points out it is an acquired taste and in line with that I find that it usually caters to the same small audience. Most all of whom carry this band in high regards.
As for Blasphemy beating folks up, they don't fit the mold of lanky and/or out of shape that is often associated with metal. Interesting thought, I'm curious how and to what extent that idea plays into this.
Review by Anthony Abboreno not Cosmo.
I do agree that the turn of phrase used in the review wasn't consciously employed to convey anything further than what you describe above "if you like Blasphemy, you'll like…". But subconsciously, I think it's interesting. Think if it read Varg Vikernes endorsed this band giving them considerable street cred", doesn't work, does it?
Helm – That would work, to use Anthony's phrase, in the streets walked by the fans of Varg – who are still numerous.
vugelnox – Does metal really have a lanky and/or out-of-shape stereotype? To me, it has the full range of body types, though different subgenres skew towards different body types (black metal = thin, sludge metal = fat, etc.). I've seen a few pictures of Blasphemy, and while they're certainly robust, they're hardly, say, UFC fighters.
Anon – Reading that white power forum was spine-chilling.
"Does metal really have a lanky and/or out-of-shape stereotype?"
Metal gets more out of shape as it gets more nerdy. The more esoteric they type of metal, the more there's an association with both mental and physical un-wellness. Who makes this kind of music? Many HM of the more underground artists project an outside-of-society sentiment, people alone in bedrooms with guitars and no friends set out to make a metal masterpiece nobody will understand, inward transcendance, so on.
This is why Blasphemy and clones (who musically are completely obscure and unwelcoming) are an interesting case because they look like beer-guzzling jocks, with their muscle tshirts and black sunglasses with corpsepaint below. It's an odd effect.