Terror Incognita Musica

I like Heavy Metal, and by that, I mean old school HM from back in the 80s and beyond. These days, when people say they're a metal fan, they frequently mean extreme metal. Bands I never remember the names of, but which remind me of Slayer's rabid little siblings. Also these days, there are something like three billion and umpty-hum different sub genres of metal. Some have been with us for ages; thrash, hair, prog, doom, etc. Some are 'fresher'; nu, metalcore, and devil only knows what. (Yes, he DOES get all the grooviest tunes.) I gave up trying to make sense of genres long ago. I simply stick with metal, for which I have a relatively generous definition that goes blurry in the soft end (Europe and Bon Jovi are metal, Journey ain't). If I must, I give examples by band names to point to what I like and what I struggle with. Genres do my head in so they can go sit on Shagrath's spiky warhammer and rotate!

Mostly, I stick with melody, melody and melody. Symphonic/classic basis is also good, as is the more technical stuff. Groove and crowdpleasing tunes is very good, and I love me a huge dose of theatrics. I want the full package! WASP and Twisted Sister, they knew how to rock then joint while looking the part. They knew what fun was. A lot of the modern bands wouldn't know fun if brought nose to Blackie Laweless's crotch circle saw. Yes, costumes and makeup and whatnot won't help if the music sucks, but it will add something extra when things are good.

However, on the far fringe of metal; in the cold, deep forests of the north, there lurk bands who do know the value of makeup and stash. You know the ones I mean, yes? Most of them have no concept of melody, and they wouldn't be caught dead employing actual singers, but they do have vocalists who do interesting things with (or is that to) their larynxes. They're Swedish, they're Norwegian, they're mean, loud and difficult to get into for your average vanilla metal fan (i.e. moi). Or at least they were, back in the 90s. During the last few years, some of these musical extremists have slipped the odd olive branch into their music and I find myself intrigued.

My first proper encounter with one of these bands was four years ago, when I attempted to pass by Amorphis at a festival. Turned out they were both melodic, had an actual singer (who also growled like he meant business), and were not the same band as in the early 90s. Go figure. So I made an exception and bought some CDs. The year after, I went to see Kamelot at a mini-festival in downtown Trondheim. Dimmu Borgir was the main headliner, and I decided to stick around to see what all those musical awards were all about. (Short version: If you ever have the chance to see Dimmu live, don't dither, just do it. In pure musical and theatrical might, I don't think any band today can beat them. Not even Iron Maiden.)

I was impressed by the Dimmu experience, despite slinking off home about halfway through. A band that manages to be mighty, evil and spooky on a sunny, Norwegian summer night, rather than silly and pathetic, have something good going on. Still, I wasn't ready to grab the CDs and start listening, that took a few more years of fermentation at the back of my head.

Fast-forward to November 2011: I've poked around youtube for weeks now, nibbling at Dimmu Borgir and Satyricon mostly, but also others (notably Arch Enemy, because their woman vocalist Angela Gossow is amazing on so many levels). I've read interviews, I've pondered, and nibbled some more. The biggest problem I have is the vocals; I've never liked the growls and grunts of, oh alright let's use the genre names, black and death metal. But....but, at the same time I've dealt with it just fine for years when those techniques have been used as spice. Epica is probably the main example, but Kamelot's 'March of Mephisto' and Volbeat's 'Evelyn' make me more than a little giddy. And the growly parts are a big, big part of the giddy. Clearly, I can't be completely immune, so I went and made some purchases.

Yesterday, the mailman brought me Dimmu Borgir's two latest albums (In Sorte Diaboli, Abrahadabra), and Satyricon's latest and third latest (Age of Nero, Volcano). The next few days will see me researching the two biggest exports Norway has to offer the metal world, to find out what, if anything, I've been missing out on during the aughties. I'm going to write about this journey, for shit and giggles. Wish me luck.