| JRA wrote: |
| Syd Lexia wrote: |
| Mercyful Fate are influential. Metallica covered them and stuff. |
If that's sarcasm, I'll have you know that the black metal scene consistently credits them as an influence. Granted, I don't understand that influence considering they sound nothing like modern black metal, but hey... |
Black Metal is generally classed in three sub categories, referred to as first, second or third wave. Wave being the standardised term because the change was basically linear, and progressed with the age of what was originally deemed "Black" metal.
In a nutshell, first wave sounds nothing like what you're used to hearing now, because you obviously only listen to modern 3rd wave bands, and maybe know that you should drop a few 2nd wave band names just to be safe, so that the insane
trve black metal fans dont threaten to do unnameable things to your person. Bands like Venom who had far more in common with classic Heavy Metal groups like Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, and Kiss.
It was the 2nd wave, in the early 90's, where black metal began to share more common bonds with the rapidly expanding area of death, and then totally established genre of thrash. Darkthrone are a great example, completely abandoning thier death styled entry to the industry, despite the objection of thier label, to pursue this new, rawer, more primitive exploration of the techniques and roots of metal. Deliberately gritty production, thrashy, minimal drums and guitar with punky d beats, and repetative power chords, blended with deathy blasts and tremolo picked minor scales.
3rd wave took on the same dissonant, minor melodied and somewhat baroque qualities that 2nd wave proved to be popular, and went further. They added glorious keyboard and synth instruments to the mix, though the production values changed, forsaking the previous requirement of the gritty, dirty, static atmosphere. 2nd wavers mostly shunned this style and its fans, as too much of a deviation from what they had come to recognise as the expression of "black" metal. These are bands like Dimmu Borgir, Old Mans Child etc. Lots of them are fucking AWESOME, but unfortunately many are not, yet this style is typically what punters decide need be held candle to.
[edit][/asshole][/edit]