The Art of Grimness, Ep. 9

His dubious right-of-right-wing politics notwithstanding, Robert Fudali (alias Rob Darken) is nevertheless a pretty snazzy dresser. Truth be told, he's also a pretty good musician. Hailing from Wrocław, Poland, Rob Darken is the driving force behind the well-known Black Metal band Graveland.

Though Graveland took many cues from predecessors such as Bathory and Burzum (and who among early Black Metal bands didn't?), Rob Darken injected a certain idiomatic and epic style into his music. Whereas the majority of Scandinavian Black Metal bands concerned themselves with garden-variety Satanism, Graveland set aside the corpse paint and explored the unfamiliar territory of Slavonic Paganism instead (although with the prerequisite anti-Christian hoopla largely intact). Rob Darken's secondary project, Lord Wind, takes that theme one step further and plays a brand of Medieval folkish music.

Along with Kaldrad of Branikald over in Russia, Rob Darken of Graveland has inspired legions of Slavonic Pagan Black Metal acts across Eastern Europe, both ideologically and musically. Among their followers may be counted such notable projects as Kroda, Temnozor, Nokturnal Mortum and Drudkh.

The Art of Grimness, Ep. 8

Marduk is the brainchild of Morgan Steinmeyer Håkansson. The Swedish guitarist convened the band in 1990 with the intention of forming the "most brutal and blasphemous metal act ever". The jury is still out on whether or not Marduk has actually achieved that title, but I will admit that they are among the most intense Black Metal acts in existence. Their style has inspired scores of imitators, almost none of whom have been able to break the Norsecore mold.

Not coincidental to their influence, Marduk is also one of the most popular (and commercially successful) bands in Black Metal. They have toured Europe and South America extensively (as often seems to be the case with Scandinavian Metal bands, however, they have had trouble getting into the United States).

The Art of Grimness, Ep. 7

Nortt, a one-man project hailing from Denmark. Nortt refers to his music as "Pure Depressive Black Funeral Doom Metal." It's a mouthful, but it fits. His third full-length LP, entitled Galgenfrist, was released earlier this year, and like its predecessors, the album is full of the darkest, most soul-crushingly depressive music one is likely to hear (and I mean that it the best way possible). In one interview, Nortt had this to say about his music:

...the philosophy of Nortt is to dwell around death, which is viewed as an inevitable and alluring phenomenon. Death is described from the perspective of the dying and from the dead. The uncertainty of death is preached as more thrilling than the well-known pain of live [sic].

I'd say he captures that essence pretty damned well in his music.

Artists of Grimness: Peter Beste

If there's such a thing as the George Hurrell of Black Metal, American photographer and Houston native Peter Beste is probably it. Beste recently released a book (appropriately entitled True Norwegian Black Metal), which showcases his portraits of prominent figures in the Black Metal milieu, including Abbath of Immortal, Gaahl of Gorgoroth, Frost of Satyricon and 1349 (pictured above), and the members of Mayhem. Aside from being technically impressive--Beste, like Hurrell, is a photographer who knows how to work with lighting--the photography featured also highlights excellently the atmosphere of Black Metal, and the music's connection to the geography of Norway.

Samples from the book are available for viewing at Peter Beste's website. Though not related to Black Metal, Beste's other work is also quite good. His portrait photography captures the pathos of his subjects, at times quite poignantly. I particularly liked his Rural America series.

The Art of Grimness, Ep. 6

I'm surprised I've made it this far without mentioning Immortal. Though they started out playing Death Metal under the name Amptuation, Immortal soon shifted to the Black Metal style (thanks to Euronymous) which has made them so famous. Yet despite their status as one of the most influential Black Metal acts in existence, there's no denying that Immortal can be downright silly--just look at those ridiculous get ups! Indeed, Immortal is responsible for many of Black Metal's more humorous elements--anytime you hear something being referred to as "grim"or "frostbitten," you can thank Immortal, since they coined the phrase with their song "Grim and Frostbitten Kingdoms."

The Art of Grimness, Ep. 5

Euronymous--born Øystein Aarseth--was one of the pioneers of the so-called second wave of Black Metal, and is by and large the archetypal guitarist for the genre. To put it simply, Euronymous did for Black Metal guitars what Greta Garbo did for women's fashion in the 1930s. Euronymous famously met his rather grisly end at the hands of Varg Vikernes as a result of personal rancor over recording contract disputes. That having been said, it's kind of hard to feel sorry for someone who was, by most standards, an out-and-out asshole--a brief skim of his wikipedia article reveals that he was anything but a nice guy--it's tempting, in fact to say that he probably had it coming. After all, if I were to come home to find that a bandmate of mine had shot himself in the head with a shotgun, my first reaction probably wouldn't be to rush out and buy a disposable camera so that I might take pictures of the body. I'd at least call the police first.

The Art of Grimness, Ep. 4

Finnish Black Metal outfit Behexen doing what they do best--being blasphemous. Not coincidentally, Behexen released a boxed set of three 7" EP vinyls, entitled From the Devil's Chalice, on 15 January. In addition to that their latest LP, entitled My Soul For His Glory, will be available on 8 February (one day before my birthday, no less!).

The Art of Grimness, Ep. 3

Finnish Black Metal expert Satanic Tyrant Werewolf (alias Nazgul) of Satanic Warmaster fame, among numerous other projects.

The Art of Grimness, Ep. 2

It (also known as Tony Särkkä, the Black Metal midget), the evil genius behind Sweden's Abruptum, described by Euronymous as the "audial essence of pure black evil". That's some mighty high praise. Image originally found here.

The Art of Grimness, Ep. 1

Euronymous, Dead and Necrobutcher of Mayhem engage in some stage blood-soaked shenanigans. Image found on Last.fm.