The case of Axel is quite interesting, because he alone can explain the transformation from proto-edgelord to LGBTQ do-gooder - which he naturally doesnโt do, since he obviously wants nothing more to do with his past.
But how is it possible that someone who once invented his own misanthropic โ14 Wordsโ now holds a doctorate in the (admittedly idiotic) field of โgroup-based misanthropyโ? Did Saul become Paul, or was this Drakh never authentic in the first place?
I tend toward the latter reading, because it makes a lot of sense for a - Iโm assuming this without knowing it for sure - gay boy in the East German provinces of the 1990s to act as provocatively (and at the same time already โanti-Naziโ) as possible, and only come out later during his university years in a much more liberal and tolerant environment. As is well known, that was also when his music career ended.
Personally, I was never interested in Katharsis, but Axelโs career path (weโre the same age) is simply too strange not to keep coming back to it.
Some people may not realize it, but NSBM bands were always Black Metal bands first and foremost. NSBM is flesh of the flesh of Black Metal. RABM, on the other hand, emerged as a reaction to NSBM, and from outside of Black Metal itself. Hardcore and emocore musicians - probably not even particularly successful within their own genres - came into Black Metal as scene tourists and became so outraged by NSBM that they tried to parody or counter it with RABM.
That is also why RABM is, in my opinion, so consistently uninteresting lyrically and musically weak. Does anyone really want to hear a song about someone crying about an Absurd shirt? How can one even remotely take that seriously and place it on the same level as NSBM?
There is hardly any need to discuss RABM at all - it is simply uninteresting and possesses neither musical nor any broader significance for Black Metal.
Continuing Black Metal Friday with ๆญๆฅ็ซ โs second full-length โ่กฐใ่กใๅฟใฎไธญใง (In the Midst of a Declining Heart)โ
ย
Wall-to-wall chaos and spite with transcendent riffage and melody. Love this!
๐ง๐ท Brazil
2026
NEW BAND SIGNING: Death/doom metal band #AbyssalRift
We're excited to work with Abyssal Rift from the US who play dark and filthy death/doom metal. The meticulously written new album elaborates on their sound without abandoning the core elements. It's engrossing and mired in darkness and decay. "Relics of Great Ash" will be up for preorder this month. Listen to a track from it here - https://t.co/yxznTlZTQI
Band's statement, "We are very much looking forward to working with Transcending Obscurity on this release. The roster is stacked with many of our favorite current bands, and the label itself is pushing the genre of metal forward in such a refreshing way. It is inspiring to be working with a label that loves this as much as we do! This second album continues the bleak, despairing vibe of the first while growing and pushing boundaries ever forward."
Line up -
Matt Auxier - Guitars, lead vocals, synths , programming
Mike Sliclen - Bass, vocals
Brandon Smith - Drums, percussion, vocals
Art/Drawings by Brandon Smith
Cover Photo by Mike Sliclen
For fans of - Incantation, Disembowelment, Saevus Finis, Cruciamentum
Nachtheem ๐ณ๐ฑ (@TerraturP) is back and just as bleak, dark, and intensely engaging as the last release, yet have clearly progressed in their overall sound. If you love atmospheric black metal (especially bands like Vemod), this is surely for you.
https://t.co/zQ3mVO8Hyz