Back To The Folk

Back To The Folk

A Black Metal retrospective.

When J.R.R. Tolkien “created” the fantastic world of Lord of the Rings, he built it upon the linguistic and mythic foundations of ancient pre-Britain & Scandinavia. This is how most myths are built, as a palimpsest, one layer built over the next, whether we are talking about the early mythological personification of Jesus from earlier male Gods of death & resurrection (Osiris, Tammuz, etc), or more modern inventions- such as black metal.

For hardcore fans of this genre, this comes as no surprise, but for those who have only glanced at it’s murky surface, I suggest you take a deeper drink before spitting it out. Though its first wave was retroactively named thanks to thrash metal bands like Venom, it grew new legs in Norway. The real pioneers of this ear splitting genre take as much from the ancient folk music and traditions of the surrounding cultures as they do from thrash metal. Like any genre, this road is littered with garbage and half-wits trying to jump on a bandwagon they don’t even completely understand, so with the curatorial assistance of P. Emerson Williams, who is something of a veteran in the genre, I would like to introduce you to some of the stuff worth listening to.

Though many of its roots come from earlier so-called “pagan” traditions, Black metal would not be what it is without a strong reaction to the Christian influence (or oppression) of their culture. When a young person gets into this stuff in Norway and realizes that their original culture and spirituality was eradicated with a sword, that can cause a bit of anger. The end result of this, of course, is the

much publicized church burnings and even murders that mar, or at least define, Black Metal’s image in the mainstream.

Much of this music glorifies a lost sense of personal and cultural identity, which may explain why it has caught on in the ideologically if not financially disenfranchised subcultures of the world, rather than just the frozen north. It harkens back to a sense of pride raw energy and empowerment that, at least in this myth, is the heart of the Scandinavian and Germanic peoples. However, you will likely find people of all racial descents waving their fists in the air when they tap into this myth, because this sensation of what Neitzche would have simply called “Will” is a basic human need and experience.

Though in some cases the relation to the folk traditions is nebulous, many bands such as Ulver and Amorphis incorporate the musical heritage as well, through traditional melodies, Norwegian-style drones, and polka influenced beats.

Following is a lineup of some of the (un)usual suspects in this genre:

Amorphis

Amorphis are well known for their use of the Finnish national epic, the Kalevala, as a source for their lyrics. Though they had their start in death metal, I am putting in this lineup because of the heavy influence of Finnish legend and folk music in what they do. Plus, they’re one of my favorites.

Amorphis, My Kantele-

Acoustic reprise version.

Original version.

Hades

Alone

Walkyng – an early move towards folk from first demo. Speaking of church burning, Jørn Tunsberg of Hades was convicted of the burning of a Norwegian church in Bergen in 1993 with fellow black metal musician Varg Vikernes of Burzum, which led to a prison sentance. (Wikipedia ref.)

Bathory

Bathory gave birth to the Viking Metal genre toward the late -80’s with the Hammerheart and Twilight of the Gods, the latter sounding kind of like Sol Invictus with a blend of acoustic and heavy guitars, heavy drums and layered choir vox. Bathory Discography (torrent).