Posts Tagged ‘black metal’

Phew! I don’t know about you, but October has been a crazy month for me. I’ve travelled across New Zealand and back – twice, slept for four days in a Viking tent, interviewing metal bands, running Metal Guitar Week on my blog, being interviewed on Rock n Roll bride, planned my Halloween costume, ran a photo shoot and worked on the launch for my new heavy metal webcomic – Corpsepaintkitty.com!

With all this going on, the only thing keeping me sane is the constant pounding of heavy metal in my ears. Here are some of the albums that are making me happy right now.

The Physicists – Observation

This unusual Finnish outfit combine death metal, lyrics about mad scientists and mathematics gone awry, and electronic bleeps and bloops to create a crazy sound described only as “Mathdeathboogie”. Observation is catchy as hell and one of the most original metal albums released this year.

The Universe Divide – Dust Settles on the Odontophobes

Instrumental albums are always a bitch to pull off – they either end up drawn-out and boring, or overblown exercises in guitar virtuosity. Dust Settles on the Odontophobes is neither – it’s a piece of poetic, progressive mastery that draws you in right from the first note.

Oak Pantheon – The Void (EP)

A killer debut EP from one of the most sophisticated melodic black metal bands I’ve heard in a long time. Oak Pantheon use keyboard and acoustic guitar sections to create a masterpiece of atmospheric BM. Fans of Agalloch will dig this album.

Opeth – Heritage

If you fell in love with Opeth’s beautiful, haunting progressive death metal and lead singer Mikael Akerfeldt’s mix of clean vocals and growls, Heritage may come as a bit of a surprise. On this album Opeth have done away with the harsh vocals and much of the death metal and created a purely progressive rock odyssey. Fans of porcupine tree and Jethro Tull will find much to enjoy here.

Pain – You Only Live Twice

Germany’s answer to nu-metal bands like Disturbed, this project of Hypocricy’s Peter Tägtgren kicks out another album of punchy riffs and hard rock groove mixed with 80s electronica and techno.

Van Canto – Break the Silence

Van Canto started off as a metal covers band with a difference – they sing acapella (unaccompanied by instruments). That means every riff, every solo, every bass line is done for the five vocalists. What started off as a bit of a joke has now turned into four studio albums and headlining shows across Europe. Van Canto’s forth album, Break the Silence, is a great mix of covers (Sabaton, Manowar, Running Wild) and originals from the fun German band.

What are you listening to right now?

Who am I? I’m Steff. Born in New Zealand, raised on a steady diet of metal and out-of-print archaeology books, I’m now a freelance writer, accessible formats producer, and full-time iron maiden.

You can keep up to date with all the metal madness at my Steff Metal blog. I update 4 times a week with reviews, articles, advice and silliness about living the metal lifestyle. And, for alternative biz owners, I run a creative business community for the dark side at Grymm & Epic.

Keep it brutal \m/

Steff

Unholy Forces of Pink

Story by: Dan Barrett (a devout aficionado of unintelligible black metal band logos)

“Call the rest of your brothers – I’ll give their hearts to the wolves!” The trees trembled as she spoke. Sickly stench of the dead lingered in the air around the Throne of Cupcakes. Sadly, there were none left with the strength to adequately answer her proposition. “Psh!” She shook her head in disdain and produced a small cylindrical container carved from white oak. Her slender fingers massaged the lid as she methodically uncorked it; from its bowels leaked the fair scents of lavender and cherry frosting, mingling with the odor of rotting bodies until they overtook the foulness completely, like an insurmountable army crushing a rebel faction.

The princess of the Rouge Empire of Cuteness sat aloft in her ancient carven throne amid the woodlands beyond the parapets and ramparts of the castle walls. The failed siege by the pirates of Rosencrown lay covered in moist earth before her. Plant-life and moss had begun to entomb the oldest of the collapsed bodies. Like many other wayward cultures, they wanted unauthorized access to the Rouge Vaults of Cute Cats, which could only be granted by the Matriarch. This treasure would not fall into the hands of foreign nations. Though this battle was over, there would inevitably be many more to come.

She rose from the magnificent throne and lifted high the great skull of a long- horned beast which rested atop the chair. From her entrancing lips she issued a vicious warning to any who might hear it: “Twenty thousand have raised their swords against this kingdom and all have fallen, trembling at my feet. My blade thirsts for the blood of my adversaries. May the four winds carry my battlecry; if any others should desire to come against my kingdom, let them hear my words. All men who harbor aggression towards us shall leave this earth with the taste of steel in their mouths and their bodies ravaged by my weapons. No peril shall befall my blessed dominion.”

One part Gorgoroth, two parts Hello Kitty

Inspiration List: Bones, Ruthlessreview.com’s notorious “Top 10 Most Ridiculous Black Metal Pics of All Time” list, Hello Kitty, Conan the Barbarian, my undying love of taking over-the-top black metal parody photos, deconstructing “kvltness”, Immortal’s “Unholy Forces of Evil”, the color pink, grim forests of New Jersey, Lords of Chaos (one of my favorite books of all time), scratching the itch to pose with cloven-hooved ungulate skulls and Bill’s fancy throne.

Black metal strives to embody 100% pure evil. No filler, no preservatives, and naturally: NO CORE NO TRENDS NO FUN NO MOSH. In their everlasting (and oddly similar to gangsta rap) crusade to keep it real, the artists which dominated the genre grew notorious for setting houses of worship ablaze, stab- happy Norwegians, and stages decorated with staked sheep heads. And Satan help you if the mainstream took a liking to your musical stylings. MTV airplay surely meant getting 86ed from the “kvlt klvb”.

Ironically, black metal’s unmistakably signature style of reveling in obscurity allowed for instant recognition. Slavishly cultivating a predictably uniform affinity for completely unreadable band logos, lo-fi black and white album covers completely undistinguishable from each other, constant flip-flopping between Satanism & Norse Heathenism, and vehement opposition to good production left little room for an element of surprise. That said, there’s certain comfort in knowing that one can blindly pick any CD emblazoned with arbitrarily placed disembodied goat heads and runic symbols and still hear the same old cum-gurgling goblin vocals they’ve come to know and love.

The wardrobe serves as an extension of one’s malignant soul: colorless and humorless. Burzum shirts and bullet belts for day; getups that could only be described as an unholy bastard child of Medieval LARP-ers and an achromatic Ronald McDonald for nights of demonic evocation Under a Funeral Moon. By “demonic evocation”, I clearly mean taking promo shots for scene-mandated obligatory bedroom projects. And a promo photo it ain’t until hooded robes, Thor’s hammers, corpse paint, and spiked gauntlets cover every last available inch of flesh (that isn’t tattooed with Nordic knotwork). The grimaced visages of all parties present must be frozen in a permanent expression of sheer terror brought forth by unexpected yet, nonetheless, secretly enjoyed surprise buttseckz. Let it be noted that snow-blanketed nighttime forest settings make for the only admissible location.

If willing to overlook a distinct lack of dragons and cod pieces (the power metal scene laid claim to those individually wrapped little slices of processed cheese product) one is likely to notice a definite Conan-esque flair to the imagery. Barbarians of sword and sorcery epics tend to be celebrated for their wanton brutality, perpetual bloodthirst and adherence to Nordic pagan values. Alas, one must take care not to take their Cimmerian cosplay too literally, lest they risk veering into Manowar territory. Horned helmets and beastly pelts are generally considered acceptable, while sandaled feet and chainmail underwear which do little to uphold the sacred tenet of “black metal ist krieg” are strictly verboten. For as the covenant between Euronymous and the unwashed masses states: “Thou shalt be necro at all times!”

Today’s fashion objective lies in sourcing style elements from iconic black metal trappings, re-imagined with unexpected elements of frolicsome pink. Let us happily de-saturate the levels of “tr00 kvlt”, by coloring outside the traditionally blacker than pitch lines with gleeful notes of My Little Pony hues. While we’re at it, let’s cast Hello Kitty in the upcoming Conan the Barbarian remake. After all, nothing beats relaxing with a cupcake in hand all curled up under your Barbie blanket after a long hard day of crushing your enemies, seeing them driven before you, and hearing the lamentation of their women.

Cute meets grim in…

• Nocturnal Rendezvous Ruffle Shrug #38-116 in the black/magenta colorway.Puffed sleeves are the girlie girl’s answer to spiked shoulder pads. No football armor, trips to Home Depot, nor any assembly required!
• Undeniably Dem Bones cami top #56-296 in the black/white colorway comes standard in the grimmest of all prints. No bones about it!
• Pink PVC platforms of ankle-snapping height pose no threat to the talus bones of the enthroned.
• Swap an inverted cross necklace (and no there’s nothing wrong with those, thank you very much) for a vinyl cameo brooch pinned to the side of Lolita Candy Snap Front Neck Collar #28-426 in the black/pink colorway.
• Threatened by the prospect of showing up at Fenriz’s Annual Virgin Sacrifice & Keg Party ‘11 donning the same ensemble as Dark Funeral (again), I opted for a solid black PVC ruffled bustle skirt over the leather pants and shin guards.
• The leopard print underbust corset appeases the savage beast inside.

Corpse paint has its’ place. Immortal’s publicity photos wouldn’t be the same without it. Giant pandas slither out of the womb sporting their trademark ghastly pallor and those dead, hollow, blackened eye sockets. And for many of us it’s what essentially defined 1990’s Norway. With all due respect, when worn in the streets with reckless abandon, the general public will gladly consider those Dimmu Borgir-esque facial doodles an open invitation to beat you senseless faster than you can utter a muffled “Infernal hails”.

Quench your Transilvanian Hunger (without Juggalos mistaking you for one of their own) with yummy strawberry pink frosting lips and Carpathian Forest inspired green gradient eyes.

General Prep Work

You will need:

Moisturizer, Primer, Concealer, Matte liquid Foundation, Foundation Brush, Translucent Powder, Powder brush, Eyeshadow primer

1. Wash your face with a cleanser formulated especially for your skin type. Rinse thoroughly and pat dry with a soft cloth. Prep your skin with moisturizer before applying concealer in order to ensure a smoother, flake-free application.
2. Before proceeding any further, allow your skin to properly absorb the moisturizer. This should take about 10 minutes.
3. Since foundation worn alone often has a nasty habit of settling in the fine lines around your mouth, near your eyes, and on your forehead, I highly recommend using a primer after you’ve moisturized your face. Utilizing a small amount of primer helps to fill in unflattering expression lines, pores, and scars, thus allowing foundation to actually do its job!
4. Nix blemishes and skin discoloration by gently patting concealer over the trouble area. Follow by blending with your ring finger.
5. Apply a matte liquid foundation which best matches your skin tone to your face and neck with a foundation brush (a full dome shaped brush works beautifully). Start by applying small dots in the center of your face and then moving outward.
6. Set everything in place by finishing off with a thin coat of translucent powder. Use a full, round shaped powder brush for optimal results.
7. Prep your lids with eyeshadow primer to neutralize the colour of your lids, which in turn makes for brighter more vibrant shadow. It also prevents said shadow from creasing.

Eyes

You will need:

Rounded edge brush, deep forest green pigment, emerald green eyeshadow, fluffy shading brush, neon yellow-green eyeshadow, small blending brush, neutral beige eyeshadow, white eyeliner pencil, eyeliner brush, black mascara

1. Using a slightly dampened rounded edge brush, apply deep forest green pigment to the outer 1/3 portion of your eyelid, starting at the lashline and extend it slightly past the crease.
2. Blend a lighter emerald green eyeshadow into the middle 1/3 of your lid with the help of a fluffy shading brush. Yet again, start at the lashline extending the shadow slightly past the crease. Take extra care to blend the edge of the emerald green into the deep forest green you added in Step 1. You’ll want this transition to be as smooth and seamless as possible.
3. Fill in the innermost 1/3 corner of your eye with neon yellow-green eyeshadow applied with a small blending brush. The color should be blended up, outward and into emerald green shadow you used in Step 2.
4. Highlight your browbone with neutral beige eyeshadow applied with a cleaned fluffy shading brush.
5. Dab a small amount of the same deep forest green pigment you used in Step 1 onto a lightly moistened eyeliner brush. Tap off the excess. Line ¾ of your bottom lashline starting at the outer corner of your eye, slowly making your way toward the inner corner.
6. Use a hint of neon yellow-green eyeshadow to line the remaining ¼ of your bottom inner lashline in an identical manner.
7. To really open up the eyes; line your lower waterline with a white eyeliner pencil.
8. Curl your eyelashes with an eyelash curler and top off with 2 coats of black mascara.

Cheeks

You will need:

Matte light taupe blush, dusty rose blush, blush brush, highlighter (optional)

1. Swipe some matte light taupe blush onto your blush brush. Starting mid-cheek, going towards your ear, apply this warm, slightly brownish-gray shade (it’s less scary than it sounds) into the hollows of your cheeks using short, up-and-down vertical strokes. Darker shades will give the illusion of the hollows of your cheeks receding, which enhances the overall definition of your cheekbones.
2. For a soft yet sculpted finish, brush a dusty rose blush along the cheekbones, starting at the apples, working your way toward the temples.
3. Dabbing a small amount of highlighter onto the tops of cheekbones creates a visual lift.

Lips

You will need:

Hot pink lipliner, Magenta lipstick

1. Use a hot pink lipliner to fill in your lips, starting at the center of your natural lip line and moving toward the outer corners.
2. With the help of a lip brush, deposit a small amount of intensely hot pink lipstick onto the center of your mouth, carefully pulling the color out toward the corners. To ensure lipstick-free teeth, place a finger horizontally in your mouth, close your lips around it and pull out slowly.

Credits

Photography:Bill Tracy Photography

Model:Vanity Kills

Location: “Trondheim, Norway”(errrrr Montague, NJ)

Infernal Hails!

Vanity Kills

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