American Black Metal: A Beginner's Guide

It's been nearly two decades since a rash of church burnings and the murder of Euronymous fanned the flames of black metal's infamy to reaches far beyond the Norwegian woods of its birth. Fifteen years after the influence of progenitors like Venom, Bathory and Hellhammer crystallized in the form of Emperor's genre defining "In The Nightshade Eclipse", Norwegian black metal remains an inimitable source of inspiration and controversy for both metal fans worldwide as well as those more interested in pop culture at large. There can be no denying that mainstream attention has forced Norwegian black metal into a constant state of agitated self-reflection. Not that I can blame it - a coffee table book dedicated to any genre's aesthetic couldn't help but stir the pot. Pity the modern day Norweigian black metal band which, along with more classical problems like ridding Norway of Judeo-Christian influence, now has to deal with its kvlt status being constantly endangered by mp3 blogs.

While no one will ever deny Norway as black metal's permanent ancestral and spiritual home, issues like those outlined above, not to mention the sheer amount of time that's passed since the genre's inception have helped other countries forge their own particular brand of black metal. I keep hearing about the strength of the black metal scene in Pakistan, and I'll be honest: I'm dying to know what that shit sounds like. Oddly enough, though, for my money the black metal that's been springing up closer to my door, just south of the border in the US, is what's been pushing the boundaries of the genre in the most rewarding dimensions. Here's a quick run-down of some USBM that's been weighing heavily on my winter-shrouded, cosmically-damned soul.

Xasthur
One-man outfit Xasthur could be said to be emblematic of USBM, especially its healthy respect for yet distance from its Norwegian ancestry. Taking Burzum as a starting template, Xasthur's Malefic jettisoned both Vikernes' NSBM bullshit (huzzah) along with his folklore obsession. Rather than paganism or racial myths, depression and suicide, those standbys of American youth culture, begin to emerge as dominant themes (although the corpse paint remains). It's a strictly low-fi affair with no frilly guitar or keyboard wankery, making Xasthur a formative influence on the ambient black metal and depressive (no, that's not a typo - it's "ive", not "ing" - don't ask me) black metal sub genres, which have flourished in the US.
Xasthur, "Black Imperial Blood"


Leviathan/Lurker of Chalice
Another solo group, Leviathan's Wrest has a history as a prog metal drummer. While he shares Malefic's love of lo-fi monotone, Wrest's rhythm sections are slightly more dynamic than Xasthur's, even if they're hardly flashy. Leviathan also unleashes a tad more traditional black metal brutality, but Wrest's side project, the puzzlingly named Lurker of Chalice, goes off the reservation in some provocative ways. Shoegaze harmonics and distortion are applied to black metal compositional structures, with the odd hint of melody to boot.
Lurker of Chalice, "Granite"


Velvet Cacoon
A Portland group shrouded in mystery, it still remains unclear if Velvet Cacoon are a "legitimate" band or an elaborate prank upon the black metal scene's insatiable desire for ever more extreme and outlandish band mythologies. Stories of drummers falling off of forest cliffs in drunken stupors, connections with the E.L.F. and the "dieselharp" (a guitar amplified through an aquarium full of wine and blood) have been discredited, but a small clutch of releases (not to mention "fake" demos of other bands' material deliberately released by VC to confuse fans) still exist. Velvet Cacoon embody the paradox of low-fi: by not giving a fig about production quality, they draw the listener ever further into their recordings' textures. Black metal's ambient possibilities become apparent through sheer repetition rather than ever softening itself.
Velvet Cacoon, "Avalon Polo"


Twilight
Ah, the great American tradition of the supergroup. Malefic, Wrest, and a handful of the US' other darkest lights worked on a single LP by correspondence. Who'd have thunk that solo black metal dudes wouldn't play nice with others? In any case, the tracks range from the grey skies of Xasthur and Leviathan to the rawness of Twilight's other members' pedigrees in Nachtmystium, N.I.L. and Isis.
Twilight, "White Fire Under Black Text"


Wolves In The Throne Room
Another environmentally-minded outfit from the Pacific Northwest ("If you listen to Black Metal, but you don't know what phase the moon is in, or what wild flowers are blooming then you have failed.") bereft of Norwegian aesthetic and thematic concerns, Wolves In The Throne Room are poised to become the defining band of USBM. Welding psychedelic and ethereal influences to black metal, Wolves' releases seem effortlessly free of any of the pigeonholing to which black metal is too often subject. They've adopted black metal as a means to an intensely personal end and owe no fealty to anything which doesn't take their music where it needs to go. My personal favourite of all of these bands, Wolves In The Throne Room could do to USBM what Ulver did to Norwegian black metal: completely redefine it by leaving it all behind.
Wolves In The Throne Room, "Cleansing"