Metal Jew

Jesus metal

Metal Inquisition has a fun overview of Christian metal. Given the generally sarcastic tone of the blog (which by the way I love), the overview is surprisingly fair-minded, giving due props to Believer and admitting that SOME Mortification and Tourniquet is okay. It doesn't mention the pretty credible pseudo-black metal Antestor (for whom Hellhammer apparently guested on drums one time!); bizarre joke 'unblack metal' band Horde; or my favourite (which isn't saying a lot) Christian hardcore outfit Living Sacrifice.

I've always been fascinated with Christian metal. I love it when it's awful and confirms every awful stereotype you had about anemic Christian rip-offs of secular culture. But I also love it on the rare occasions it's great because it subverts conventional metal culture so completely. Basically, I win either way!

What does annoy me though, as I've mentioned before on this blog, is when people become 'born again' they generally choose the most reactionary form of Christianity. What would be cool would be a non-fundamentalist/liberation theology Christian metal band. That would pretty much piss everybody off and create unity between Christian and Satanist....

Deciblog goes Metal Jew

The Deciblog surprisingly goes all Metal Jew on your ass in a post entitled 'Don't Bogart the Charoset':

Let me tell you about my friend Dan. He’s a semi-observant Jew, but he also worships at the altar of Cliff Burton. Dan listens to Ride the Lightning every day while he’s in the shower, driving in his car, reading the newspaper and cooking dinner. He listens to it at work, too (as a part of an extended playlist with Kill ‘Em All and Master of Puppets) — he just turns the volume down on his speakers to avoid annoying his co-workers. Dan eats, drinks and sleeps Ride the Lighting every single day of the year except for the first night of Passover when, in accordance to some tradition he probably made up when he was 11, he only listens to “Creeping Death.” Like, a bunch of times during the day and then once more right before the start of the seder, at full blast, because “Elijah is the original headbanger.”

Read the rest here (actually just 3 youtube videos of covers of Creeping Death, but hey it's all good).

Don't you just love how goddamn tenuous my blog is????

More metallers claiming they are not Nazis

Blabbermouth reports:

Finnish folk/pagan metal band MOONSORROW and Faroe Islands metallers T�R, who are currently touring European together under the Paganfest Europe banner (alongside ENSIFERUM, KORPIKLAANI, and ELUVEITIE) have released a joint videotaped statement rejecting rumors that they are Nazi sympathizers in the wake of reports that their April 17 concert in Berlin may be cancelled (as a result of pressure from a local anti-fascist organization).

See the rest of the post for more info and a video of the statement.

I don't have any special knowledge here but I am 99% sure that this is yet another case of volkische, nineteenth century-style imagery being confused with Nazism. In Germany particularly, the connotations of volk metal may touch on peoples' sensitivities, but for the most part this kind of metal is simply too silly (usually in a good way) to be taken seriously.

Global metal movie

Global Metal, the sequel to Metal: A Headbanger's Journey (in which I have a bink-and-you've-missed-it appearance) will be out soon. By the looks of the trailer, it will look at metal in the Middle East (including Israel), Japan and China at least.  Looks interesting.

Israeli metal - 10 years on

Ten years ago, as part of my PhD research, I spent a memorable month doing research on the Israeli metal scene. What I found was a scene that was not only highly marginal in the country's musical community, but also marginal in the global metal scene. Scene members were acutely aware of their location in Israel and many of them thoroughly resented their perceived marginality. At the same time, the scene still had a certain vibrancy. There were some good bands, most obviously Salem and Orphaned Land, but also long-dead groups like Betrayer and Dalmerot's Kingdom. Heller productions (now metamorphosed into Raven Music) put on gigs, club nights and ran a good distro. 

I met some great people during my period during research and had some great experiences. Most memorably, the band Melechesh (then unsigned, now on Nuclear Blast and living in Holland) took me into the west bank to see the desert scenery that inspired them. I also watched them and Arallu (then just getting going as a one-man project) rehearse in a converted air-raid shelter in Jerusalem's Independence Park.

I've tried to keep in touch with the Israeli scene ever since, including during my year living in Jerusalem and on several subsequent trips.  I'm not as connected as I once was but one thing is clear to me - the scene has come a long way in the last 10 years. Salem and Orphaned Land go from strength to strength, both on respected labels, both playing out of Israel (which no Israeli band had done 10 years ago). Betzefer had a shot with glory on Roadrunner. My favorite Israeli band of all time Rabies Caste (now sadly no more) were signed to Earache for a time and toured the UK a number of times. My sparring partner (ie she doesn't like me very much) Aviva at Metal Israel does great work promoting the scene. Most impressively, Israel is going to have its first metal festival this summer, featuring Dark Tranquility, Opeth and Within Temptation.

The Israeli scene is still small in global terms, but it has a well-established infrastructure and produces bands every bit the equal of those anywhere else in the world.  I have to confess though to a certain nostalgia about the  time I spent discovering the scene ten years. It felt underground and counter-cultural and the anger and resentment felt by many scene members was thrilling to witness at times. I'm not in touch enough to know how veteran scene members feel now, whether they too are nostalgic for the old days. Certainly, when I was around 10 years ago, many scene members looked back fondly to the early 90s scene.

There's an excitement that comes from obscurity. But when all is said and done, but I would guess that most Israeli scene members prefer things to be easier. In a country where things are often tough, I can't say I blame them.