2003-02-11
Back in past days of innocence, when the Extreme Metal scene was still considered an infant sprouting from the sordid ground of our degrading world’s musical scene, being ruled by the burden of parasitic pseuodo-moral values, it should be addmited that the cloning phenomenon did have a justified right of existence, as dubious as it may be. In order to help the spark of nihilism to evolve to the state of an infernal fire, to maintain the insidious rippling movement underneath the despised surface of legitimacy, a certain fascist-like sense of forgiveness was necessary. Regardless of their creative ambitions and quality, underground bands deserved praisings, even if merely for their active existence. However, as we all know, the Extreme Metal has long trascneded above the status of an obscure, flickering initial idea. Nowadays, as being statued upon a stable, fertilized commercial and cultural pilaster, every uncreative bromide appearing within its realms should be instantly denounced, not only for its pathetic concept and aesthetic superflousness, but also for representing a horrible evolutional stage, threatening the legitimacy of the whole genre: The rise of enslaving Capitalism. Take Bloodshed, for instance.
The Swedish Black Metal group play aggressive, strict Black Metal, combining influences of numerous Scandinavian bands (Marduk, Satyricon, Mayhem and so on, for those of you who require pinpointing). Their technical performance is usually of a satisfactory manner: they manage to set a decent rhythm section, finely held by a technical drummer, and while leaning on the mighty props of well-distorted timbre (some of the clean and acoustic parts are mediocre, others are simply embarassing), assisted by a modern, proffesional production, the whole affair sums up to a decent aesthetic effort. Nevertheless, any aspect of their quasi-creativeness beyond the outwardly one is nothing short of infuriating: Bloodshed seem to lack any spirit of innovation or renewal whatsoever; their compositional mannerism sounds like an artificial one-dimensional array, mixing bits of earlier influential creations, adding no supplemental input whatsoever. The way I see it, this band should be refered to as an unnecessary mirror, reflecting past ideas, while absolutely and thoroughly sterlizing them, leaving them stripped of any actual, active value or porpuse. By sticking to the most ordinary riffs, the horrifyingly banal phrases and rhythmical structures, they mock and humiliate every sublime idea of rebellion and inventiveness their ancestors strifed for, achieving the ultimately reversed purpose: a conformist, characterless, positivist effort of pseudo-Nihilism. In Black Metal terms, this is sheer sacrilege - in the worst possible incarnation of the idea.
As I mentioned earlier, such display, while being acceptable in past eras, is nowadays completley unforgivable. Surely, if one wants to set a band to immitate and embody the aesthetic features of his inspirational idols is fully understandable - while he realizes that his products are of essential superficiality, worthy to his ears only, not deserving any promotion nor publicity. The sinful folly is the commercialization of such product; By launching it as a tradeable merchandise, it gains the reeking stench of our present capitalistic society of hollow consumption. Any aware, venturing fan of musical expolration, hoping to keep the Metal field fit for new exciting achievements, must restrain his pointless, nostalgic collector’s urges and avoid getting such releases.
Tom Orgad
