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michplunkett's review
3.0
Something to take into consideration: I've never been one to listen to black metal, but the corpse paint and fanaticism caused me to want to take a deeper look into the genre.
The book provided a very thorough explanation of the themes and trends that created and shaped black metal, at least from my rather naive understanding of the genre. The clash of Viking culture and Christian invasion felt like the most compelling aspect of the book; I wished they would have touched more on that topic, but I'll take what I can get. The main personalities in the culture were also pretty interesting (from Varg to all of the academics that took the time to comment on the scene), even though they could get a bit annoying at times.
All in all, it was a good read, though it did lag at small points throughout the novel. It was a good read and gave me a view of subcultures other than anarcho-punks, which will hopefully give me the ability to get more from the music I listen to.
The book provided a very thorough explanation of the themes and trends that created and shaped black metal, at least from my rather naive understanding of the genre. The clash of Viking culture and Christian invasion felt like the most compelling aspect of the book; I wished they would have touched more on that topic, but I'll take what I can get. The main personalities in the culture were also pretty interesting (from Varg to all of the academics that took the time to comment on the scene), even though they could get a bit annoying at times.
All in all, it was a good read, though it did lag at small points throughout the novel. It was a good read and gave me a view of subcultures other than anarcho-punks, which will hopefully give me the ability to get more from the music I listen to.
kmk182's review
2.0
Probably the most hyped book I've read in a long time. People have been telling me for years to read this so I finally did. I was pretty disappointed. First off the style is all over the place with different fonts and random interviews, I found it didn't work very well as a narrative. Second, most of the people in this book are not good people but the authors let their hate speeches and lies go uncommented on for the most part. You can only read so many people talk about how they use propaganda in a book before the book becomes propaganda. The main points in this book, the church burning and Satanism really get lost in the shuffle when it comes down to it. It mostly tells the point of view of people in a scene trying to justify who is cooler and why they are important.
katherinejanewright's review
5.0
This book is a veritable goldmine of information on the origins, development and ideology of the second wave of black metal. The first section deals with the musical and thematic predecessors of the scene, running from the birth of the Devil's music in Mississippi Delta blues, through Sabbath and Zeppelin and into the first wave bands like Bathory and Venom. The central section looks at the rise of the key Norwegian second wave bands themselves, focusing on Mayhem and the stories of that band's three central characters: Euronymous, Dead and Count Grishnakh. Grishnakh, or Varg Vikernes, is a particular focus, and much of this section is made up of interviews with the man himself and a detailed exploration of the motives behind his actions and those of his contemporaries. The final section pulls back to look at the scenes in other countries, such as Germany, Sweden and Russia, as well as a more abstract assessment of the ideologies at the root of black metal culture. The book overall is very interview-driven, and its assessments of the interviewees' words are mainly objective; only at a few points do the authors' own views creep through. The book is also not really focused on the music itself, looking more at the psychology of the scene and its members, and given its focus on criminal behaviour and extremist thought is not a book for the faint-hearted. However, it is a definite must-read for anyone interested in black metal's dark past, or in the influence of Satanism and paganism on modern culture more generally.
nycterisberna's review against another edition
4.0
Un libro que hace mucho tiempo quería leer y no decepcionó. Un completísimo reporte al llamado "metal satánico noruego" y sus personajes clave: Euronymous y Varg Vikernes. Muchísimo material como entrevistas, recortes de prensa, análisis del satanismo y posterior paganismo nórdico que sirvieron para nombrar bandas e inspirar la escena (análisis a la figura de los lobos y los berserkers). Un apartado especial a la controversia por la quema de iglesias y cómo la prensa termina inspirando toda la escena, que en principio era muy pequeña. Y cómo el seudosatanismo en verdad tenía que ver más con Tolkien que con Satanás.
lkkirk75's review
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
3.0
emmanoble's review
4.0
the stories are wild, but the more i read the more these metalheads sound like weenies. great first half though.