New Age Islam Special Correspondent
1 February 2021
Black Metal is a subgenre of modern music originating in the 70s and assuming a distinct identity in Norway in the late 80s. The genre owes its name to the musical band Venom's album titled Black Metal appeared in 1982. The genre became popular in Europe and North America in 1990s. The main characteristic features of this musical phenomenon were its unconventional music, its revolt against authoritarianism and Christianity. It criticised in harshest words religious hypocrisy of adherents of Christianity and other organised religions. It criticised the bloodshed perpetrated by the followers of religions in the name of religion and God.
However, their criticism is most of time blasphemous. In fact blasphemy is central to black metal music.
Other characteristic feature of the black metal music is its harsh and heavy blasting music. It is filled with high pitched intense vocal sounds accompanied by blast beating drumming and music played at high tempo. Thanks to this, sometimes the lyrics is difficult to understand without printed lyrics.
During the 1990s, many black metal bands came up in Europe and North America. Some of them are Mercyful Fate, Bathory and Hellhammer.
The Black metalists are generally Satanists and occultists. Often the covers of their albums have images of Satan. They criticise religion, particularly Christianity and Judaism. One of the lyrics of the Norwegian band Golgororh is as follows:
When Jehovah's hordes are slaughtered
When disciples twelve are dead
When beheaths of Easter lands
And raped and raped again
When the whore of Babylon rides
When fury turns of hate
When all sons of Satan
Sodomise the lands of Christ
This lyrics gives an idea of the style, diction of black metal poetry and attitude of the black metalists to religion. Therefore, the authors of “I am Satan”! black metal, Islam and blasphemy in Saudi Arabia and Turkey” describe black metal phenomenon in the following words:
"Black metal is highly multi-model expression and both the lyrics and the brutality of the musical and visual expression ate central to understanding the genre's metanarrative which reeks of anti-establishment and anti-authoritarian rhetoric, part of which is provocative resistance to and disdain of religion. The bands very often use consciously blasphemous verbal expressions and images putting blasphemy at the heart of black metal meta narrative." 1
Since blasphemy against Christianity or Christ does not become a religious issue in Christian or Jewish society as it becomes in Islamic society, the black metal bands thrived in the western society without facing legal, religious and social action from the church or the governments. But it is surprising that black metal bands have come up and thrived in the conservative Islamic societies. Black metal bands have been reported from Turkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia and other Islamic countries where blasphemy laws exist that prescribe death for blasphemy.
Black metal bands have come up in Saudi Arabia and Turkey since 2005 or even earlier. Probably Witchtrap is the first black metal band formed in Turkey in 1988. Some of the prominent bands are Zifir, Hellsodomy, Engulfed and Sarinvomit are based in Turkey while Al Namrood, Immortal Seth and Mephisophilus ate based in Saudi Arabia. Though these bands do not hold public concerts in Turkey or Arabia, their mere existence in these Islamic countries demonstrate their courage because their lyrics is highly blasphemous and critical of the establishment and clergy. They hold secretive concerts in private houses and they produce their albums through production houses in Europe. For example, Al Namrood's album was released through Shaytan Productions of Canada in 2008. The lyrics of these bands contain highly blasphemous verbal expressions against Islam and Islamic clergy. One of the lyrics of Turkish band Sarinvomit is reproduced here:
Infinite aeon began for hellish nuclear dominance
Pandemonium began to devastate the holiness
Goetic demons gathered, tubes of VX gas were filled
During the circumambulation Kaaba was encircled
Pleasures of massacre, escape of worshippers
Shameful religious supplication
Drowned in their vomit while they are praying
Paramount viewz of depravation
Islamic scriptures were totally destroyed
By the sacrilegious abhorrence
Ejaculation of goat-lord who stands on dead prophets
Hadjis ate agonising under the radioactive mass blood of the devil stoners of Mina
Emblazoned goats are inseminating their wives with semen mixed with VX gas
Genocide weapons created miasmatic black sky
End of fucking sanctified lives
Tempestuous lethal gas for the victory of slaughter rites
Celebration chemical armament against the devotees
Befouled divine bodies exploded and spilled out around
Those who fled to shelters were impaled on poles in heat
Spreading VS gas over Kaaba, lust of mass poisoning
Spreading VX gas over fucking Kaaba
Finally coming of radiational whirlwinds
Spreading VX gas over fu king Kaaba
Collapsing of fucking Muslim empire
One of the lyrics of Saudi band Al Namrood titled "Jabroot al Shar" is reproduced here:
The Arrogance of Evil
Let the demons run towards great destruction.
A straight path laid for them.
I am Satan and in proudness I reside.
My power rises and to me is clear victory.
To play on the desires of people.
I am the tale of a terrifying subject.
Blood and amputations.
Hammer and axe.
There is no escape and no retreat.
Because I am close.
The soul of satan covers these bones. It has taught us old hatefulness, lo humanity.
There is no reconciliation between us and no peace.
Lo, soldiers of evil, come to battle. Spread fear into the hearts of the slaves. Ring the bells and play the instruments of sadness.
The screams of the demons between the snakes and the crows.
Lo, you who are in love with yourself.
O, human.
You are dead.
Immediately, the convicted reaps vengeance.
It is not that the bands are not known by the governments of Turkey and Saudi Arabia. There are reasons that the media and the judiciary have ignored them. Since they do not express their ideas in the open and the general public is not directly influenced by their ideology, the media and the government choose to ignore them to avoid giving publicity to them. The bands perform in western countries and post their lyrics and songs on the internet. But still iit is a matter of research why Muslims of conservative Islamic countries like Saudi Arabia and Iran and revivalist Islamic countries like Turkey have witnessed such "anti-Islam" musical bands. The reason of their growth may be found in a statement of a member of Al Namrood:
"We hate religion and anything connected to it. You are the reason we hate it because we are severely abused by the Islamic people; since childhood they were trying to intoxicate our brains with their religious bullshit." 2
Such rebellious black metal trends also exist in other Islamic societies. For example, a folk artist of Bangladesh, Rita Dewan was booked under the Blasphemy laws for singing "Allah is the greatest Satan". Rita’s song was very much in line with Lebanese band’s song “Alahiya Khinzir” (My God is a swine). Though she may not consciously subscribe to black metal ideology, she also demonstrates her unhappiness over the hypocritical behaviour of the clergy and the genocidal behaviour of the Islamic governments bent upon killing their own brethren in the name of religion with the help of chemical weapons.
Therefore, the growth of black metal music in Islamic countries where blasphemy means death merits in-depth research.
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Courtesy:
1.Springer: “I am Satan”! black metal, Islam and blasphemy in Saudi Arabia and Turkey
2. “ “ “ “
New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism
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