I had envisioned my piece to transition into a fully fledged black metal song, elevated by the preceding passages of analog synthesizer atmospherics and the suspended tension of the overdriven guitar chords. Despite my ambitions, I have continually struggled with the dynamics of the flow into this section. I assembled a series of familial chord groups, composed of layers in such as way as to be impossible for one guitarist alone to play. They were designed to be triggered by Ableton’s Simpler, and to seamlessly switch from chord to chord to create an overwhelming progression.
The guitars throughout the piece have been recorded with a Line 6 Pod XT, mostly modelling an 18 watt amp. I attempted to capture the same passages by mic’ing a higher wattage Marshall combo amp, but the recordings were far too noisy with interference to use. The Line 6 Pod provides a median between grit, versatility and immediacy. I chose this unit originally because I noted its appearances in Noisey’s ‘One Man Metal’ documentary series, used by Jef “Wrest” Whitehead of Leviathan and Scott “Malefic” Conner of Xasthur.
Further experimenting in Ableton, I resampled the previous guitar sample with a very short loop in order to make an organ-like pad. Despite being uncertain as to what its ultimate purpose could be, it was worthy exploration. Perhaps suitable as ending material.
I found that looking to reference tracks became helpful in assessing how to move forward with the composition. Mount Eerie’s ‘Waves’ from his 2012 album ‘Clear Moon’ is similarly bright in tremolo-picked guitar tone, yet the drums and wash of distorted cymbals provide a momentous shape to the piece. Much like Xasthur’s ‘The Prison of Mirrors’ from his 2006 album ‘Subliminal Genocide’, the layers and tone of the guitars resemble noise. In my own piece, I imagine the black metal sequence to be a negative mirror to the white and pink noise generators at the beginning, so dense it almost becomes a soft, if distorted white noise. In practice, however, I am reconsidering this. Balancing the weight and brittleness with the more rounded dynamic range of the first two minutes has proved to be something of a time sink. It has been extremely difficult to close in on a noise-like tone without it becoming shrill or painfully caustic.
Texturally, metal as a sphere is deeply engaging to me. There is a possibility for hugeness and the greatest intensity, while containing hypnotic granular detail. Not just because music is a large part of my sonic vocabulary, or because it could be used as shorthand for the genre’s long-aligned, dogmatic history of revisiting the same subject matter again and again, but because it speaks to me as a textural palette for exploring the natural elements. I’m interested in harnessing the genre’s topical clichés and re-interpreting them.
Moynihan and Søderlind (2009, pp. 386) noted the metaphysical, historical romance of black metal: ‘The eternal recurrence of certain leitmotifs, the dark blazing atmosphere, the obscure, viscous sonic landscape of many songs – often lasting more than ten minutes – have at times an almost psychedelic effect. In the heaviness and darkness of certain compositions it is possible to realize some subliminal melodies only after listening to these works several times. Black metal is a werewolf culture… black metal is Oskorei romanticism.’
Exploring the unique aural and emotive catharsis that can be found within the intersecting boundary zone of darkness and comfort. The night carries the scent of danger, but also of peace and beauty. I hope that I can imbue this same environmental, spiritual characteristic in my piece. I am reluctant to fully let go of the idea, a degree of overwhelming obscuration powerfully stimulates the imaginative space for both artist and listener. However, I have been struggling with the balance of having faith in pure sound and seeking to land an emotive reaction. I will have to further work on my piece, allowing it to tell me what it requires.
Bibliography:
Mount Eerie (2012) ‘Waves’, Clear Moon [Digital]. Anacortes: P.W. Elverum & Sun.
Xasthur (2006) ‘The Prison of Mirrors’, Subliminal Genocide [Digital]. Alhambra: Hydra Head Records.
Moynihan, M. and Søderland, D. (2003) Lords of Chaos: The Bloody Rise of the Satanic Metal Underground. Second Edition. Los Angeles: Feral House.