Unblack Metal - Controversy

Controversy

Certain critics, such as Jussi Lahtonen of the Finnish indie rock magazine Sue, have argued that separating Christian from non-Christian black metal artists "feels rather pointless". However, early groups such as Horde and Antestor refused to call their music "black metal" because they felt that the style was strongly associated with satanism. Horde called its music "holy unblack metal," and Antestor preferred to call their music "sorrow metal" instead. Stefan Rydehed, director of the metal documentary, Light in Darkness – Nemesis Divina, says about the Christian black metal musicians based on his interviews:

Many current Christian black metal bands feel that black metal has changed from an ideological movement to a purely musical genre, and that is why they refer to their music as black metal. The Swedish group Crimson Moonlight's vocalist Simon Rosén, for example, says in an interview with WhiteMetal.it site that "First of all, we don't want to call our music unblack metal or white metal, we play black metal." In an interview with Ultimate Metal, Rosén further explains this view:

On the other side, many in the black metal scene see "Christian black metal" as an oxymoron. On the British black metal documentary Murder Music: A History of Black Metal (2007), all interviewed musicians stated - when asked about the matter - that black metal cannot be Christian. The term "Christian black metal" drew mocking replies from the black metal musicians, for example Martin Walkyier of the English metal band Sabbat commented: "'Christian black metal?' What do they do? Do they build churches? Do they repair them? (laughs)" Jonathan Selzer, editor of the British metal magazine Terrorizer discussed his experiences and thoughts in the documentary:

While the Indonesian band Kekal has been labeled as unblack metal, the band itself has distanced itself from the movement. When asked if he was bothered by the fact that the first black metal bands were against Christianity, front-man Jeff Arwadi replied "I think you're wrong if first black metal bands were highly against Christianity. I dig the very first black metal bands a lot.. those 80's bands like Venom, Bathory, Hellhammer/Celtic Frost, early Sodom, etc. By my knowledge, none of those bands were against Christianity. They only had those kind of 'satanic' image which is more like some high-school Halloween movies or parent-shocker rather than Satanism as a philosophy or ideology". Earlier in the interview he even went as far as to say that "Even bands like Celtic Frost were once considered 'white-metal' from some 'true' black metal fans because the band thanked God on album thanks list, and one member wearing a cross necklace instead of inverted cross. It's a totally relative issue, depending on how 'extreme' you would go, right?" Whereas Arwadi claimed that to his knowledge, "none of those bands were against Christianity", Bathory founder Quorthon rejected Christianity in numerous interviews.

In a 2007 Beat the Blizzard webzine's article, the writer Jan Lindsø states that "Many metal fans are of the opinion that Christians should 'not be allowed' to use the black metal aesthetics musically since they do not inherit this evil and perhaps misantropic trait that many people say is necessary in order to be convincing as black metal musicians." Kittil Kittilsen, who left Mayhem in 1988 after becoming a born-again Christian, expressed his concern for the Christian black metal musicians: "I think they’re completely off the mark. I cannot seriously understand how they even manage to do it. They have missed the target completely. I mean, if you want to be a Christian, be it with all you’ve got, and if you want to be metal, be it with all you’ve got. If those people really took their faith seriously, and followed the instructions of the One they profess to believe in, they would never be found in a context like that. They are on collision course with Christian life and teaching. I say this because of my own experience, and because of what is written in the Bible; rock music, metal music has nothing at all to do in a Christian setting!" In an interview with Screams of Abel webzine, former Antestor member Morten Mageroy reacted with caution to the proliferation of unblack bands: "I really hope that people (who play christian black metal) know what they are doing. I know this sounds very rough, but I have seen people being pulled into something they do not know. I am not saying that I know that these musicians are going to mess their lives up, but I have seen it happen to some people and it frightens me very much." Mageroy, however, defends the Christian black metal bands' intentions: "A lot of Christian bands have done amazing things being led by God. I know that God is using many types of communication, and it is important that Christians is present in every field, in every genre, privately and in work. God might just as well use heavy metal to bring salvation to people."

Some of the original Norwegian black metal musicians believe that black metal does not need to hold any ideologies. For example, Jan Axel Blomberg of Mayhem has said in an interview with Metal Library: "In my opinion, black metal today is just music. I will tell you that neither I nor other members of Mayhem never really were against religion or something else. We are primarily interested in music." Although rejecting the idea of "Christian black metal", Satyricon's vocalist Sigurd Wongraven stated in the Murder Music documentary that black metal "doesn't necessarily have to be all satanic as long as it's dark."