lördag 27 Nov 2010, 20:41
(Reflections based on my first few listens to black metal as a total newbie; in particular, written shortly after listening for the first time to Tristesse Hivernale)
The radically lo-fi production of black metal records make for a quite unique listening experience, one marked by a curious sense of distancement. It is like the listener, instead of feeling lost amidst one of those oft-evoked snowy wastelands, finds him/herself watching from the top of a mountain some helpless wanderer. Or, while in hiding, catching a glimpse of a brutal scene through a peephole… the screamed vocals projecting unintelligible lyrics only add to this impression. The possible psychological effects range from shiver induction to mere detachment from the music, with the latter being more common in my (very brief) experience.
In any case, the black metal conventions make a very interesting way of interacting with the record possible: countering said distancement by mentally "zooming into" the music, using the power of imagination to add extra layers and projecting how the piece would sound with a clearer presentation. Another thing that draws my attention is that, once one gets past the production and the screams, black metal is hardly "extreme", brutal or ear-destructive - just moody, ominous and minimalistic mid-tempo metal. That should not be surprising - after all, sonically assaulting the listener would never work when coupled to the distancement effect. As far as I am concerned this non-brutality is not a problem at all; however, as a total neophyte I wonder about how (un)conventional black metal sounds live, without the thousand curtains of lo-fi sheltering the music…
Bottom line: listening to black metal can be an interesting experience, and I am puzzled enough to explore the genre further.