Metal Reviews

I'm ignoring nothing, BUT, the funny thing is, that if I'm praising the real roots of Black Metal ( I know where it comes from: Venom, Sodom, Hellhammer, Celtic Frost, early Slayer etc.), the true norwegian hordes of nebulah (from the second wave) are bashing me then, because they say that Venom or Hellhammer is anything but BM and only something like Transilvanian Hunger is true Black Metal.

And now, after going far away from the BM roots, COF are bringing an album full of blast beats and much real Black Metal parts, while Darkthrone are playing punk with garage sound...and Satyricon playing on pop-concert shows...and Ihsahn is making progressive metal... and Zyklon are making Death Metal... and Ghaal from Gorgoroth is designing women clothes...

And I don't know what is more funny: the hobbys of Ghaal or COF beeing more BM than Darkthrone...

PS.: Just compare the first riff of "Tragic Kingdom" and the first riff of the song "Transilvanian Hunger". It's nearly a ripoff...

They share a riff? Then they must be the same genre.

Often it is indeed so, that similar riffs defining the genre.

But what I mean is, that all the elitist trve black metal fans were always against COF (because they were never true enough). But today, COF are one of the few former "Black" Metal bands (Nymphetamine and Thornography are far away), that are back on track, while the former "trve" BM Bands are disappeared or playing Black Punk/Rock.

Or elsewise: Cradle of Filth on Godspeed on the Devils Thunder have more in common with their old stuff, like Darkthrones Dark Thrones and Black Flags with A Blayze in the Northern Sky or Transilvanian Hunger.

That COF were never as "true" like DT after Soulside Journey is clear. But Emperor were also not like Darkthrone. Or Satyricon.

Yeees... so you're saying that Cradle Of Filth are now playing sort-of Black Metal, just like Darkthrone are also playing sort-of Black Metal? I disagree that everyone's always hated CoF (they toured with Emperor in the old days, ffs) and that the trve BM bands are now all vanished/black n'rolling - Gorgoroth are just one example (homosexuality is extremely krieg).

I think that DT's current sound has a lot of Black Metal in it, and that they haven't changed THAT much. I think that ultimately Black Metal has looser boundaries than people give it credit for, so what is and what isn't BLACK METAL is a bit of a silly discussion. They're all subgenres of the same thing. Still, if you think that Cradle Of Filth's current sound is trve Blek Metle then you really need to listen to more TBM, IMHO. Black Witchery?

I lolled at this thread.

Define what is true as far as any metal......it's all good!

I just want to say, that Gotdt is more Black Metal than something like "Dark Thrones and Black Flags" or "Fuck of and Die" or "The Cult is Alive".

Emperor and Cof was a great show! I´ll have to check this new cof out, been a long time since I´ve listened to them. Love concept albums.

I never realised Dani was a true hobbit before seing him live. His live singing was awesome. Didn´t think he could pull it off live. Emperor was good stuff too. The untrueness of the bands attracted some beautiful women wich was nice for a change.

I really don´t understand all these Cof haters but I guess the problem is Cof fans ruin the trve fans image.

The band´s got some of the best lyrics out there and solid skills but I guess they write to catchy songs. They allways make me smile and I guess that´s not very blackmetally.

But then so does darkthrone and many of the "true" bands I listen to. In the end I guess only a few records from a few bands are true blackmetal. Mayhems latest doesn´t make me smile and is what I consider to be "true blackmetal" along with a couple of other records. But that´s just me.

I dislike CoF but it has nothing to do with being trve.

Midian was good and even then Dani's vocals almost ruined it. The rest of the stuff is bland and with his vocals over top of it it just isn't interesting.

What traptunderice said... CoF's suckage has nothing to do with being "true" or untrue... they are simply way too over the top, and borderline gay. Wait, did I say borderline?
Saying that new CoF is more black metal than FOAD / TCIA is fucking nuts. Darkthrone playing New Kids On The Block covers would still be more black metal than anything CoF has ever done, because it would still be ugly, raw and no bullshit.


I'll go so far as to say any thing after In The Nightside Eclipse by Emperor is not black metal.
Symphonic black metal is a phrase I hate (though I have used it for lack of a better description)... might as well call something Symphonic punk.

All I'll say is that CoF know how to play, they know how to write decent songs, but they're not spectacular, nor do they retain your interest for more than a few songs. I don't give a flying fuck about the genre identifications.

Jesus... do you have any idea what your talking about, do you?

There's more to Black Metal than blastbeats, is what everyone's trying to tell you, Mr 316.

There's that, of course, but we're talking about a whole 'nother aesthetic altogether here.

Although the terms grim, necro and cult (notice: spelled with a "C") get thrown around derisively all too often, they are actually apt descriptions for this aesthetic.
Bands such as CoF, Dimmy, and the rest are diametrically opposed to this, of course.

Personally, I prefer using the term melodic black metal to describe bands like Dimmu or Graveworm, but you can say symphonic BM, because they merge orchestra/orchestra style keyboards with (sometimes) black metal riffs.

Amazing how this thread has developed.

Haha, this thread has gone wild in a short time!

As for the term "melodic" black metal, I think it applies more to the likes Catamenia, who are melodic indeed but don't go overboard with the keyboards, only using them as background atmosphere. The melodies are mostly driven by the guitars. For me, that's "melodic" black metal. Symphonic only refers to using orchestral sounds, real or digital. But let's not get into semantics, shall we?

Yes, thats's true, but Godspeed on the Devil's Thunder has more to offer, namely evil, grim, dark, violent, satanic melodies and riffs.

And the production needs not to be necro to be Black Metal.

Um, no. There's a difference between true atmosphere, and the theatrical atmosphere that CoF put on.

And I would recommend to listen to songs like "Tragic Kingdom" or "Midnight Shadows Crawl to Darken Counsel with Life" or "Sweetest Maleficia" the Title track. They are grim and evil enough to play in league with satan.

But, production aside, when I listen to songs like Canadian Metal, Hiking Metal Punks, Fuck of and Die, These shores are Damned, The winds they called the dungeon shaker or Too old too cold, I'm thinking about anything but not grim, necro Black Metal. EDIT: If you want grim, necro and cult, I can recommend Hellhammer's Demon Entrail Demo or Sodom's "The Final Sign of Evil" rerecording. THAT is the real deal and as dark as Darkthrones a Blayze in the northern Sky.

And I'm not saying that COF playing "true" Black Metal, BUT it is more true than the current Darkthrone or e.g. Satyricon albums.

Sounds strange but it is so.

The furious franticness on GotDT is just crazy shit and the same as on albums like The Principle of Evil Made Flesh or Vempire or Dusk and Her Embrace.

EDIT: And yes it is often very melodic, but that is Darkthrones Transilvanian Hunger or Under a Funeral Moon too. Just search on youtube for "Under a Funeral Moon Live" where Nocturno Culto is playing with Satyricon. It doesn't sound not so much different than other modern BM Bands who have no necro atmosphere.