DAGON, INQUISITION
The lineage of black metal does not begin in one country and with one band only. There is this romance with the thought that one band—one man—one nation started it all. Wrong. It was a collective campaign during the late ’70s/early ’80s, throughout Europe and the United States, which “morphed” into what later became the Norwegian scene and gave us what we know as today’s black metal.
Dagon
WRATH, AVERSE SEFIRA
I have been active in the underground for almost twenty years, and as far as I know there were virtually no American black metal bands before the Norwegian incursion other than Profanatica, Demoncy, and Absu. Up until then, a majority of American acts were death metal, so while there are a lot of people who are desperate to deny that USBM owes most of its roots to Norway, it is pretty hard to prove otherwise.
Wrath Sathariel Diabolus
ANDEE, AQUARIUS RECORDS/ tUMULt RECORDS
If you asked most black-metal musicians from the U.S., and American black-metal fans in general, I’m pretty sure most of them would cite the Scandinavian bands as the true roots of black metal—sonically and visually. Taking USBM at a purely sonic level, it’s obvious that it owes a huge debt to the Swedes and the Norwegians. It’s pretty undeniable
...You have reached your article limit
Sign up for a digital subscription and continue reading all new issues, plus our entire archives, for just $1.50/month.
Already a subscriber? Sign in
