Does the Mainstream Virus exist in Black Metal???

[LiakosVikernes666]

Well, judging by the image and music of Dimmu Borgir and Cradle of Filth, I am pretty sure that even Black Metal has got some mainstream titles. If you are aware of more Mainstream "Black Metal" bands please share with me

[RelentlessOblivion]

Re: Does the Mainstream Virus exist in Black Metal??? yep the mainstream cancer is spreading rapidly through the metal world unfortunately and there is no cure

[forge]

Re: Does the Mainstream Virus exist in Black Metal??? I was pretty surprised the other day, listening to Cradle of Filth on an Internet station, and I thought, "Wow, this band was supposed to be a lot different..." Disappointing.

[RelentlessOblivion]

Re: Does the Mainstream Virus exist in Black Metal??? they have some good stuff but I've hated their new stuff since Thornography they lost their way big time

[LiakosVikernes666]

Does the Mainstream Virus exist in Black Metal??? Well the fact that they have like over a million+ views and sales, while the rest have like 1.000 means that either they are very famous cuz of their music, or that they are just mainstream

[BlutAusNerd]

Re: Does the Mainstream Virus exist in Black Metal??? Cradle of Filth got popular because of their crossover appeal to the goth crowd initially, and have more recently had crossover appeal with the Hot Topic crowd as well. They also have progressively dropped their extreme metal elements in favor of more melodic/gothic elements, which makes their newer stuff easier to listen to for the masses than The Principle of Evil Made Flesh.

[LiakosVikernes666]

Does the Mainstream Virus exist in Black Metal??? Easy for the masses...I think it's pretty self-explanatory, but I think you are saying the same thing that we did, just in different words.

[BlutAusNerd]

Re: Does the Mainstream Virus exist in Black Metal??? What I was saying is that they have become more mainstream over time, but that because of the gothic influences they have had from the beginning, they have always appealed to a wider market than just the narrow black/death metal market. Becoming less extreme over time is hardly an anomaly for any metal band, a certain degree of "mellowing out" can almost always be expected, and while this has most definitely helped them to draw in more fans, I don't think I would call it a simple ploy to make more money and become "mainstream".

[LiakosVikernes666]

Does the Mainstream Virus exist in Black Metal??? Ok, you've got a point. Can't disagree, because you are right.

[RelentlessOblivion]

Re: Does the Mainstream Virus exist in Black Metal??? if anything it's the bands the become more extreme with time which are an anomaly, metal is littered with examples of bands that became more or less tame over the years but how many bands get heavier as they grow up

[LiakosVikernes666]

Does the Mainstream Virus exist in Black Metal??? I'm only aware of Deicide getting heavier over time, but they are a death metal band, so this is kinda off topic

[RelentlessOblivion]

Re: Does the Mainstream Virus exist in Black Metal??? don't worry at the metal forum we love off-topic discussions, well the mods don't but everyone else does

[BlutAusNerd]

Re: Does the Mainstream Virus exist in Black Metal???

I'm only aware of Deicide getting heavier over time' date=' but they are a death metal band, so this is kinda off topic [/quote'] Legion was maybe heavier than the debut, but that's about where it stops with them. They became a lot less vicious and heavy after Legion, and have been getting pretty melodic recently.

[Loucifer]

Within metal circles, Black Metal has become pretty mainstream - particularly the symphonic stuff (such as the aforementioned Cradle of Filth and Dimmu Borgir). However, outside of metal, I don't think it's very mainstream. So I'm not too concerned - I'm pretty sure that Top Shop and the like will not be stocking Dimmu Borgir t-shirts in the near future. Additionally, whether or not a band (or genre) is classed as 'mainstream' is irrelevant to me. I like what I like - it doesn't matter if nobody else likes it or if 50,000 people like it. I listen to music for my own enjoyment, sod everyone else *edit* I've just noticed this is a pretty old thread! Sorry for resurrecting old stuff!

[BlutAusNerd]

Re: Does the Mainstream Virus exist in Black Metal??? Indeed, even the most mainstream of black metal bands are still far from being pop music. I don't like Dimmu or Cradle's black metal material (neither have really been black metal for a while) as much as stuff like Abigor or Lunar Aurora, but I still enjoy them. Sent from my HTC PH39100 using Tapatalk 2

[That Dude With The Shades]

To a certain extent, yes. But honestly, I think black metal's biggest problem is actually trying to stay too underground and inaccessible; bands deliberately recording their music in the cheapest manner possible to sound kult, with the result being their albums sounding like a wall of shit.

[BlutAusNerd]

To a certain extent' date=' yes. But honestly, I think black metal's biggest problem is actually trying to stay too underground and inaccessible; bands deliberately recording their music in the cheapest manner possible to sound kult, with the result being their albums sounding like a wall of shit.[/quote'] This is true with many of the "bedroom black metal" stereotype bands, but just as many black metal bands have a thick and full production. Even early on, it was mostly just Scandinavian black metal that emphasized this approach, and even then bands like Marduk, Arckanum, and Dissection eschewed that production technique in favor of more warm and clear production. The truth is that most of it started for lack of having a budget to make it sound better, but the technique stuck for many bands that worshiped the old Norwegian and French sounds, but you can hear plenty of black metal from the same time with much better production, like in the Czech, Italian, and Greek scenes.

[Loucifer]

I think the use of shit production for the sake of it is a bit rubbish. However, I do also feel that there is a time and a place for the harsher sound. Sammath recently released a demo track from their forthcoming album and I think the low-fi production gives it a really raw and uncompromising atmosphere. I think the track is going to be tidied up somewhat before its actual release, so it'll be interesting to compare the two versions when the album becomes available. Just in case you're interested, here's the track I was talking about: rlszQkcCuqY

[BlutAusNerd]

Sure, it does lend itself well to some albums, but it's also a stereotype that doesn't exist for everything. I get sick of hearing about how black metal is "always so under-produced" and "intentionally sounds like mud", but this is nowhere near always the case, and when it is it's often because it's a demo or debut album. It's not cheap to make an album, so I can understand the feeling of just wanting to get it out there and save some money, but many black metal bands do go for a bigger production that does work for them in most cases.

[Loucifer]

Sure' date=' it does lend itself well to some albums, but it's also a stereotype that doesn't exist for everything. I get sick of hearing about how black metal is "always so under-produced" and "intentionally sounds like mud", but this is nowhere near always the case, and when it is it's often because it's a demo or debut album. It's not cheap to make an album, so I can understand the feeling of just wanting to get it out there and save some money, but many black metal bands do go for a bigger production that does work for them in most cases.[/quote'] I agree with you - there's a place for both.

[ReturntoCarthage]

Some bands deserve their success after toiling and releasing quality albums in the underground, Behexen, Inquisition, and Watain (yeah, they're shit) but all of these bands have paid their dues and have persevered relentlessly to get where they are. Defining "mainstream" success on the level of Cradle of filth is one thing, but when I see these bands getting shit like Inquisition for playing 70,000 tons of metal its kind of aggravating. It's like fucking hell guys how many years do you expect exceptionally talented musicians, to limited their albums to 500 7' hand numbered copies of black vinyl that and constantly playing smaller regional fests- until you finally realize some bands have worked their way to where they are. I love underground black and death like most other guys, but if a band plays well and earns their success who cares who they play with ESPECIALLY when they keep their original sound.

[Loucifer]

Some bands deserve their success after toiling and releasing quality albums in the underground, Behexen, Inquisition, and Watain (yeah, they're shit) but all of these bands have paid their dues and have persevered relentlessly to get where they are. Defining "mainstream" success on the level of Cradle of filth is one thing, but when I see these bands getting shit like Inquisition for playing 70,000 tons of metal its kind of aggravating. It's like fucking hell guys how many years do you expect exceptionally talented musicians, to limited their albums to 500 7' hand numbered copies of black vinyl that and constantly playing smaller regional fests- until you finally realize some bands have worked their way to where they are. I love underground black and death like most other guys, but if a band plays well and earns their success who cares who they play with ESPECIALLY when they keep their original sound.

I agree completely. Well, aside from the Watain comment - haha! If a band works hard and remains true to their sound, then I'm happy for them to achieve some sort of commercial success.