By Kloghole
I made it through the first bit of the bible enough to get to the story of Adam and Eve. Everything is perfect, but god put some fucking fruit tree in the “garden” that they shouldn’t touch. Then tells Adam and Eve how fucking cool the fruit is (apparently satan lays it on thicker and heavier), but god also says you don’t want that shit. Unsurprisingly, Adam and Eve eat the fruit. We’re all fucked now because god didn’t know better than to leave the fucking fruit tree out of the garden. He is omniscient for christ’s sake.
So, there is no way in hell I would worship someone whose thought processes are no better than a fucking alcoholic with mental health problems who fucks with people in a group home.
By the way, I am not a satan worshiper or even remotely inclined to pray to any deity. However, if someone forced me to choose between the fucking asshole who created mosquitos, flesh eating bacteria, and butt cancer and the one who spends eternity torturing evil fuckers in hell, I think the choice is pretty fucking obvious.
The absurdity of organized religions is what makes the absurdity of Black Metal appealing. There is a bit of rebellion in that you are willing to listen to, or wear a t-shirt of, something that is associated with satanism, but it is really about the cheekiness of thumbing your nose at religion generally.
I came to know Venom very late in the game. I was at Extreme Noise in Minneapolis flipping through the used bins. Whether I liked the album cover or SoDak handed it to me (which happens often), I cannot recall exactly how Black Metal ended up in my hands. When I played it, I got excited that a “new” band could be so fucking good. Then, I came to learn that they started in the 1980s, and I was crushed that I had missed out on them for so many years.
The screamed chorus, “Countess Bathory,” fucking rocks. Venom has very hooky chants and a leaden sound that pounds your soul. Because I had come earlier to stoner, sludge metal like Trouble, Venom sounded like a speed metal version of the dark, heavy grooves that I sought in the Mushroom River Band and others.
Obviously, “Black Metal” is a signature song, defining the genre. Some of my other favorite tunes are “Manitou,” “Live Like an Angel - Die Like a Devil,” “Welcome to Hell,” “Angel Dust,” and the ultimate track, “In League with Satan.” I cannot overstate the power of the rhythm section to drive the songs forward. They rumble, bounce, drone, and crush everything in their path. The choruses demand singing along: “Eviiiil in league with satan, Eviiiil in league with satan!” The drums (boom boom boom boom-boom) and bass / guitar (doom dada doom dada doom) are pounding along. I am not doing it justice, but it is a powerful riff and rhythm driving the whole song forward.
Over the years, I have come to understand how there are some people who see themselves as Adam and Eve. They feel vulnerable to “evil” influences from outside. At the end of the semester, I dress down for finals. One year I wore a shirt with a red pentagram of forks with the phrase, “Praise Seitan.” One of the students up front looked very concerned and asked me what the shirt meant. I told her seitan (I pronounce it “satan”) is a fake meat made from wheat. The tenseness in her face receded, and she said, “Oh.”
This is not limited to religion. I have students who, when learning new, more accurate information about how the world works, reject it. They exhibit a fear of the information as if by accepting some piece of information that disagrees with their previous stereotypes and ignorance, they may lose themselves to the spell of critical thought. Accepting that Columbus was a genocidal manic is a slippery slope to becoming an atheist, commie, transsexual. For these folks, confronting information that disagrees with their ignorant, small-minded worldview is terrifying to them - as if they are being tempted by the devil himself.
What they do not know is how utterly fucking terrifying it is to have the majority of people in society believe that some magical mystery man in the sky has any influence over their daily lives. How incredible it is to think that these folks base their actions on what they perceive as an invisible force in the ether would want them to do. For me, as an atheist, I have to live with the reality that the world’s major institutions are run by people who have the same intellectual maturity of a child who still believes in Santa Claus. What is so fucking hilarious about organized religion is that the behaviors associated with it are classified as psychosis. My guess is that the DSM somehow creates exceptions for religious practice, but the definition clearly includes talking to folks who aren’t there, listening to the advice of someone who is not there, etc.
Black Metal and the genres of “satanic” musical traditions tend to poke at these contradictions and terrifying realities of religious extremism. My guess is that some satanic references in music are less informed or serious than others, but remember that, as Slayer screams, “god hates us all.”
Satan is scary. He is meant to be a warning. However, I see the story a little differently. Given the reality that we live every day, an omniscient, omnipotent entity should be able to design a reality free of daily suffering. The natural world is full of pain, suffering, death, and horror. Anyone who believes in their heart of hearts that a divine entity willingly created such tragedy as an unavoidable fact of life has got some serious mental health problems. If they “blame” the misery on satan, they still forget the fact that their “god” is all powerful, e.g., is too fucking lazy or uncaring to do anything about it.
Venom and other death metal/satanic artists wallow in this misery, rub it in your face, and celebrate it. Metal generally is the release of the dark emotions that permeate us. Black Metal allows us to resonate for a while, get some shit out, and let shit go. While I never saw Venom live, metal shows used to leave me exhausted and invigorated at the same time.
I do not know much about Cronos or the history of Venom generally, but I am saddened that we lost this artist. We always lose potential for more music or that one new song that really hits home. I would say something about looking forward to seeing him in hell, but I think the world we are living in is the closest that anyone will come to hell. However, if I am wrong, Cronos, tell satan that I am coming for the punk-ass bitch who burned my brother and sister alive.
Sweet Dreams Motherfuckers.
