“Django sacrifices a goat on stage while intimidating slave chants roar and screeching guitar riffs burn in the background. Then the rhythmic chain rattling evoking a satanic summoning makes way for the eerily familiar melodies of Norwegian black metal,” band Zeal and Ardor describe themselves on Bandcamp. Although this is a succinct summary of their work, there is so much more to Zeal and Ardor…
Continue reading “Zeal and Ardor: Slave Songs in Black Metal”
Hey Fab Bats! Must give cred where cred is due: I’ve been getting some good sleep lately and for that have terrifying tunes to thank. Thought I’d share several favorite albums with those of you weary from lack of winks. Here’s to insomnia:
“Blasphemy have one of the harshest and most extreme images, and the music to back it up, in metal. I can see why extremists would be attracted to the band, but the truth is the truth – a black person is the co-creator of Blasphemy.” – Death Lord for Zero Tolerance Magazine
You know what the world needs? A good taking over. If I had to trust someone to do the job right, it would be Aeon Fux. I was pulled in to discovering this being of another planet – who also goes by the name Elytra – through the otherworldly groundedness of her work. Keeping with the now in word, they detach from the present in theme and sound. Listening to their tracks feels like entering another dimension of extraterrestrial insects talking about Earth while sipping Long Island Ice Teas on a hot summer day. With a fascination for herpetology and entomology, Aeon Fux builds a safe space for the strange in sight and mind. All here for that! I ran up to this beautiful bug of a Bat to catch some wise words: Continue reading “Bug Bat: Interview with Aeon Fux, Serpentine Sound Master”
“I can say that raw feelings make a good sound. Because we are not machine. We could shed blood, could vomit and have feeling of hate. … I wanted to express the mental instability and mental cruelty which a girl has. Now we are holding up pride, hate and life in the front. We are not wearing that dress.” – Vivian Slaughter
“I place the highest importance on staying connected with the truest part of myself and not moving away from my core being…” – Skin of Skunk Anansie