Black Metal Music Gaining Ground In Islamic Countries
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.
__
Courtesy:
1.Springer: “I am Satan”! black metal,
Islam and blasphemy in Saudi Arabia and Turkey
2.
“ “ “ “
URL:
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