From nihilism to transcendence: Black Metal as a spiritual phenomenon

In the early Nineties, when the most important Black Metal records saw the light of day, I had an “alternative” music shop. I can testify that a good number of those who bought Black Metal records were looking for something that would enrich their spiritual horizon. Many years later, I see many former punks who talk about "struggle" but are completely tamed without knowing it, while other Black metallers keep that small light that cleaves the darkness and makes them fascinating.

Personally, my listening to Black Metal has always been occasional, probably a product of the period I was going through. To be clear: owning a music shop distances you from authentic listening — you hear lots of things, but you don't really listen to any of them. At least that was how it was for me.

I am therefore grateful to Weltanschauung Italia for the book that gives this post its title. A text that can be interesting as a sociological insight, regardless of whether you appreciate the genre, but which in my case made me long to listen to it again, to fill my many gaps and rediscover the immense variety of an “extreme” genre.

m.m.