Helvete: A Journal of Black Metal Theory: Issue 1

by Helvete Journal, Andrew Doty, Amelia Ishmael (Editor)

Issue 1 ("Incipit") of Helvete: A Journal of Black Metal Theory. Not to be confused with metal studies, music criticism, ethnography, or sociology, Black Metal Theory is a speculative and creative endeavor, one which seeks ways of thinking that count as Black Metal events — and indeed, to see how Black Metal might count as thinking. Theory of Black Metal, and Black Metal of theory. Mutual blackening. Therefore, we eschew any approach that treats theory and Metal discretely, preferring to take the left-hand path by insisting on “some kind of connaturality between the two, a shared capacity for nigredo.”Issue 1: Incipit includes: Zareen Price, “Dilation: Editor’s Preface” — Janet Silk, “Open a Vein: Suicidal Black Metal and Enlightenment” — Timothy Morton, “At the Edge of the Smoking Pool of Death: Wolves in the Throne Room” — Elodie Lesourd, “Baptism or Death: Black Metal in Contemporary Art, Birth of a New Aesthetic Category” — Amelia Ishmael, “The Night is No Longer Dead; it has a life of its own” [featuring artwork by: Alexander Binder, Gast Bouschet and Nadine Hilbert, Ibrahim R. Ineke, Alessandro Keegan, Irena Knezevic, Allen Linder, Gean Moreno, and Nine Yamamoto-Masson] — David Prescott-Steed, “Frostbite on My Feet: Representations of Walking in Black Metal Visual Culture” — Daniel Lukes, “Black Metal Machine: Theorizing Industrial Black Metal” — Joel Cotterell, “This is Armageddon: The Dawn Motif and Black Metal’s Anti-Christian Project”

Genres: Music

134 pages, Paperback

First published April 9, 2013

Reviews

[xDEAD ENDx · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wow this is a terrible collection. No, just no. Embarrassing.

Basically the pieces felt really disjointed and all over the place. I feel like there was a lot of reading into black metal (and lyrics) that made huge assumptions about the intentions of the artists.

It was sort of like the university class on [theory] where you're given the assignment to write about [theory] in relation to something else, and these writers decided to connect it with black metal. Theory was the starting point of thought and BM was just pushed in there.

A point of interest though (with no credit to this book) is that within punk/hardcore we oftentimes find written explanations of the songs (and sometimes these are even communique-style), whereas in black metal there isn't much of that. An even further thought would be to trace how this relates to moralism.

[Katrin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This journal is a collection of essays loosely tied by the larger black metal stamp. It is scientifically written and such not for everyone to be enjoyed. It includes six essays and some pieces of art. The pieces of art did not show enough connection to black metal and I thought it quite unnecessary. Also the second essay on just one band was absolute bullshit and the author must have been stoned. The pieces on suicidal black metal, black metal in contemporary art, black metal and dawn, industrial black metal and black metal and walking were entertaining and when connected to bands quite interesting. I liked it that some bands like satyricon, immortal, darkthrone and dodheimsgard were analyzed at length. A good enough effort, I will read the second journal now, too because I'm on holidays and still have some time haha

[Julie Austin · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is a mess. It says nothing. I like dense academic/philsophical writing, but this talked and talked about a subject from the perspective of being on the outside looking in, and seeing nothing. If you want to know about black metal, read Black Metal, Evolution of the Cult by Dayal Patterson, or Metalion, the Slayer Mag Diaries by Jon Kristiansen.

[Qrii · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the part about walking. However, Gaahl made it less enjoyable.