Ever since I started this website, it seems like almost every other underground Black Metal act I happen to review and give a low score to comes out of the woodwork to bitch and moan about it. Between my being incompetent or not understanding their art to demanding the review be taken down for libel (yeah, I actually had that one), I have not once given in to their demands. This is usually brought on, or followed by a massive spamming of my inbox with spiteful messages of hate and rarely even death threats. This happens at least every two, maybe three weeks (not in that I give a low score every two or three weeks, but that a band member of fan typically finds a review I posted and gets a sudden urge to contact me about it). I completely understand the passion that some artists have for their work. I admit sometimes when I'm ticked off, I may respond with the wrong choice of words in an e-mail, which of course fires those individuals up even more. But, I still need to ask: Why so Christian?
The best way to explain why I'm asking this question is not that I don't think you should take your art so serious. I do. I think all bands need to take their musical output seriously in some way, whether it's in the form of a lifestyle, or respecting it and/or the style's roots. But what I don't get is why reading a negative review drives many Black Metal artists to lash out at the critic in a manner that is best suited to the types of Christians I loathe and despise. When I get a message that tells me I don't get their art for giving it a bad review, and that because of it I am nothing and should give up on my mission with this site because they don't match their own mission in life. This is exactly the scrutiny I face when a die hard Christian person from my area sees a Cannibal Corpse, Death, or Burzum shirt on me. They quickly latch on and damn me to hell for listening to such "Satanic music". However, with these people it's easy to get them away from me because I can simply roll my eyes back in my head and start speaking things backward in the deepest, most primal guttural voice I can muster, shaking like I'm being possessed. However with a metal fan who has the same kind of mentality, it's different. This won't scare them off at all.
Now, I've had my run-ins with other style bands. I've had Heavy Metal acts, Hardcore acta, Grindcore acts, Death Metal acts, etc., as well as their loyal fans defend their bands. And that's all well and good, hell I've even done it. But at the same time I respect others for their opinion, and when I explain this is a personal opinion and they don't have to agree with it, or clarify something they have a problem with, they tend to back off. I never go right for the throat and threaten to kill them for their beliefs, or call them useless, worthless, waste of life, say that I hope they die of AIDS, or anything like that like many have done to me over the years of this site's existence. I may call them weird, especially if they like a band that sounds similar to the band they put down, but that's the extent. And yet, with Black Metal, it seems that some of them will hate you, curse you, and threaten you for not sharing their beliefs. This is the main reason why I stopped following the Christian belief honestly, and to hear the same kind of ideals come from band members of Black Metal acts...it greatly disturbs me.
Of course, this is just my opinion towards all of this stuff. I could very well be wrong or be taking this way out of context. But at the same time, I also feel a lot of this hate is misdirected, especially towards me. A lot of these people who write such aggressive messages to me seem to approach things as "You should like it because I put so much effort into it!" and some even think I have a vendetta against them for some reason. I don't. All my reviews are meant to be 100% honest from my point of view. This is why labels contact me. This is why PR companies contact me. This is why bands contact me. I'm not somebody at a major magazine being paid off to write a good article for an album that I know sucks, and I will never do that. I have a lot of respect for Metal, and for every band I happen on despite my views about how good or poor their effort is. My reviews are meant to be constructive criticism, and a lot of times the negative ones are meant more as to light a fire under the asses of the artists to get their shit together, whether I believe they have the talent to do so or not. I have nothing against any band I review, and if I do, I don't review the release for fear of being biased. Simple as that.
However, a lot of these bands need to realize that, while I am the one doing the review, it's often the label or the PR company they hire that sends me that disc. If ever there's a problem, they should harass them for sending the material to me to give an honest opinion about. If they hadn't sent it, especially if you are an underground act of any style, chances are good I never would have got to it. I like helping out the underground acts, but at the same time I have so many CDs sitting here to review that I'm backed up horribly. I'm not saying that any that do get reviewed need to bow down and kiss my feet or anything like that. Infact I hate that, but I do appreciate a kind thank you if they feel like saying it. What I'm saying is that I don't have to review your release, but if a label contacts me and asks me to, or if I'd like to, I typically say yes because I want to help, as well as make people aware of the underground scene. And I guarantee you that a lot of people who read those negative reviews had never heard of your band before, and now they know who you are, and if they are true fans of Black Metal, chances are good they still gave your band a shot. The Black Metal style is a very loyal one, and it's fans are deeply tied to certain ideas. While my opinion may say "Your album sucks", another person may read it, hear it, and say "That Apoch is full of batshit craziness!" Either way, you're name is getting out there.
Take a look at my collection. I have posted every CD, DVD, Cassette, and Vinyl I own in that Collection page that is linked above. This is not for bragging rights, this is to make the readers aware of my credentials. I never went to college for music theory (I did for Broadcast Communications though, but due to health reasons didn't get to finish), but I held down a job as a Metal Director at a radio station. I turned a simple two hour show into an all day event in less then four months. I have a wide collection of over one thousands nine hundred pieces of music. I'm not some teen who just discovered metal, and I'm a very open minded individual who greatly respects every style from Grindcore to Black Metal, NWOBHM to Death Metal, and everything in between. Am I disgrace? No. I'm just an opinionated man who has heard plenty of music and can back up his opinions. I'm not an elitist, I'm just a fan of the style, and give every band the same chance. So, please, underground Black Metal acts who are "offended" by my reviews. In no way am I trying to gun you down or ruin your careers. I'm giving my honest opinion. Either look at it and go "Can I do better?" or shrug it off and say "Well, at least people will know who we are that may never have heard about us before" and keep doing what you're passionate about doing. Going Christian and forcing your beliefs of your music through aggression, intimidation, and threats of violence is not what I expect of a Black Metal band, and I don't like that people in the metal community are doing what the holier-than-thou Christians in my area do to me when they lock on to anything remotely metal on or around me.
With all that said, know that I am not trying to insult any of you (the fans or the bands and their members), and in no way am I ever disrespecting any of you. This is more to show how these tactics are similar to those that many of you speak out against in your works. As a fan of the style, I have an understanding of what it means to many people. While I may not have that level of dedication to the lifestyle of Black Metal due to being more geared towards the culture and lifestyle of early Metal stance fused from Thrash, Heavy Metal, and even early Death Metal. This editorial was aimed more to make you aware of how these things come across, and that I'm generally disgusted with how hypocritical much of it sounds to me, and many others who I talk to about these issues. Take this as you will, but I'm tired of being silent, and tired of my inbox being flooded with people who are hostile over a review and can't grasp not all the world shares similar beliefs towards their artistic output as they do.
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