Metal Jew

Israeli Volk Music

Laibach , everyone's favourite industrial-techno-ironic-volkisch-totalitarian-anarchist provacateurs have covered 'HaTikvah', Israel's national anthem on their latest album 'Volk':

VOLK is a collection of interpretations of national anthems and beside others it also includes the transnational anthem of NSK State in time. All other tracks are based on and inspired by original anthems. The opening track, Germania uses Das Lied der Deutschen, originally written in 1797 and used after World War I as the national anthem of the German Empire at the time of the Weimar Republic, while the single, Anglia, uses John Bull’s God Save the Queen/King as its inspiration. The tracks are mostly sung in English but each song has a guest singer, often singing in his national language.

Laibach created this record in collaboration with Boris Benko and Primož Hladnik - both members of Ljubljana music group Silence and they co-produced and co-write the project. Boris Benko also created vocal interpretations and arrangements on several songs.

The album is released as a standard CD with 16 page booklet with lyrics and illustrations and also in a limited edition hardback book format with watercolour artwork by Laibach in a 32 page booklet with sleeve notes explaining each track.

Link: Laibach - Volk.

Season of Mist signs Salem

On the signing side again, we're proud to let you know that Israeli band SALEM recently joined the Season of Mist fold. The band's new material, described by the band as "heavier, modern, dark and highly unique", is expected to surface on the "Necessary Evil" album in the first half of 2007.

For now, you can check the band's MySpace page and official website.

Link: Season of Mist's News.

Art and Metal

This from Earache records:

Early Napalm Death cited by UK Turner Art Prize Nominee Mark Titchner

Mark Titchner, one of the Art world's nominees for 2006's prestigious
‘Turner Prize’ has declared the music of Napalm Death as distinctly
influential in his work. Titchner explains the appeal of ‘abrasive music’
and describes his interest in how bands such as Napalm Death are able to use
the voice as an instrument and push the boundaries of language.

Titchner sees a vivid resemblance between the style of Napalm Death’s music
and what he depicts within his art, choosing one of the founding members
Nicholas Bullen to speak on behalf of his work. In an interview about the
artist, Bullen describes the similarities between the two stating that “I
think in the work that I’ve made in the past in terms of music, we’ve always
tried to be very dense, to distil, to compress sound into sudden bursts and
forward movements, to try and move towards what we would perceive as the
future, and I think Mark does that in the sense of, his work, whilst never
stating a utopian vision, always hints at that and hints at a sense of joy
of being alive”.

You can take a look at Mark’s work and listen to Nicholas Bullen’s opinions
on it at www.tate.org.uk/britain/turnerprize/2006/marktitchner.htm

My book is out!

I'm massively chuffed to announce the publication of my book, 'Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge' (Berg Publishers). Here's the blurb:

Extreme metal-one step beyond heavy metal-can appear bizarre or terrifying to the uninitiated. Musicians of this genre have developed an often impenetrable sound that teeters on the edge of screaming, incomprehensible noise. Extreme metal circulates on the edge of mainstream culture within the confines of an obscure 'scene', in which members explore dangerous themes such as death, war and the occult, sometimes embracing violence, neo-fascism and Satanism. In the first book-length study of extreme metal, Keith Kahn-Harris draws on first-hand research to explore the global extreme metal scene. He shows how the scene is a space in which members creatively explore destructive themes, but also a space in which members experience the everyday pleasures of community and friendship. Including interviews with band members and fans, from countries ranging from the UK and US to Israel and Sweden, "Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge" demonstrates the power and subtlety of an often surprising and misunderstood musical form.