History Of The Black Metal; The Evolution Of The ”Black Metal Cult”

Let’s talk about a different topic today: -Black Metal- The Evolution of the Cult is a metal history book by investigator Dayal Patterson, published in 2013.
Black Metal: the evolution of the cult, carries out an exhaustive study about one of the most extreme branches of metal, relying on interviews with its main figures; from the Black Metal pioneers of the 1980s to the genre’s resurgence in Scandinavian bands and its definitive establishment in the 21st century.

Black Metal: the evolution of the cult, demonstrates a great knowledge of the Black Metal scene and its importance within alternative music, away from the sensationalist agenda of the media and documentary makers who have “coloured” Black Metal with all kinds of false stereotypes.

Of course, making a serious history of Black Metal is not a simple matter, nor can it be approached from a perspective other than the philosophy and lifestyle of this remarkable subgenre of metal.
In this context, the six hundred pages of Black Metal: The Evolution of the Cult seriously study the progress of one of the most dangerous and exciting possibilities in metal.

Black Metal: The evolution of the cult covers the  forty years of Black Metal, from its almost underground beginnings to the crazy chaos of popularity that lives these days.
By the way, the beginnings of Black Metal still continue to be the subject of debate among scholars in the field.
In the case of Black Metal: The Evolution of the Cult, it is claimed that true Black Metal, not its already liquefied by-products, was originally forged in Scandinavia, more specifically in Oslo, Denmark, during the early 1980s.
That first stage of Black Metal was peppered with controversy and scandals, for example, murders, burning of churches and desecration of graves on the part of its first and infuriated followers.
These early scandals defined the profile of Black Metal, in a way, forged from a reaffirmation and rediscovery of the pagan.
From there to the acceptance of any emerging anti-Christian, even Satanism, witchcraft and black magic, there was only one step.

Over time, Black Metal was losing its underground facet, emerging in popularity with bands like Venom, Bathory, Mercyful Fate and Hellhammer, which somehow renewed metal in all its aspects.
Contrary to what happens with many metal biographies, Black Metal: the evolution of the cult, makes a detailed study of the Black Metal scene from the inside, that is, from the perspective of someone who knows perfectly the thirty years of the genre, its history, influence and even its significant provocations.

How can Black Metal be defined in musical terms?

The main characteristics of Black Metal are their guttural voices, usually called shriek, which in Spanish means “screech”.
The first wave of Black Metal used raw guitars, infrequent harmonies and extremely fast drums, inheritors of thrash and death; although over the years many bands were including more elaborate techniques.
To all this must be added a really dark staging, where there is no lack of theatricalizations and provocations, in particular religious and pseudo-religious: such as the occult and esotericism.

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