The trio of black metal musicians most famously associated with the "symphonic black metal" genre - namely Shagrath, Ihsahn, and Silenoz -, as well as the sometimes controversial and always brilliant commentator and black metal aficionado Fenriz (of Darkthrone), let their opinions of this particular sub-style known.
Symphonic black metal, a style (or sub-genre) of black metal often attributed to bands like Dimmu Borgir, Neraines, Lord Wind, Demonecromancy, Old Man's Child, Emperor, Satyricon and Leader, often has an "unusual" reputation with the extreme metal circles.
It's said to be "weak", "effete", "feeble", and some barely camouflaged pop music. Others defend it as "different" black metal, with its own artistic vision. So where is the truth?
It's certainly true that symphonic BM is seen (or heard) as the much less "virile" cousin of its originator. Indeed, when opposed to the "high testosterone" music of something like Warkvlt's Unholy War Metal, or Phantom's Divine Necromancy, it can appear a bit soft. Is this enough to immediately write off this style of black metal as "effete music". Let's find out...
Symphonic Black Metal, an Autopsy by Black Metal Experts
Since Burzum innovated by incorporating the use of synthetisers and classical instruments in black metal, with the self-titled 1991 Burzum debut, the most controversial "symphonic" black metal sub-genre - even for black metal's already extreme musical (and ideological) standards, that is saying something - has indeed come a long way.
Now, in the book Heavy Metal Master Class (recommended read) (chapter 29), many of the genre's main characters lay out their opinions on what symphonic black metal - also called "orchestral" black metal - was, is, and could have been. Caution: intense language ahead.
Ihsahn: "Black Metal is very one dimensional..."
Ihsahn is often at the head of many heavy metal related controversies. Often seen as the weaker part in Emperor, due to his flamboyant lifestyle - and some of his more inappropriate comments, such as comparing Bathory's Quorton to queen Latrisha, as well as dressing up as Princess Leia (from RotJ) whilst covering "A Fine Day to Die".
But he certainly doesn't consider himself part of the "sell out" crowd, the failed "rockstars" who turned to extreme metal out of spite (à la In Flames).
Ihsahn: It's [fellow Emperor member] Samoth who had all the connections, and I tagged along! [...] We had no commercial ambitions; there were none to have. It sounds romantic, but all this music was made purely with artistic motivations.
The part about Samoth being the initiator of Emperor's entry into the black metal realm is a common theme, but Samoth himself isn't 100% controversy free - he was called a "rat" by Varg Vikernes (and Euronymous too!), and is widely suspected of being the "missing link" between the early Norwegian Black Metal Inner Circle and the sensationalist journalist hit pieces on the scene.
Ihsahn: The reason I wanted to add that [symphonic black metal] element to music was that I've always felt that metal was very one-dimensional. [...] The keyboards made [Emperor's music] even more epic, which is why I embraced it. My fascination has always been experimenting with different layers, and that elevated black metal to new depths, not only compositionally [sic] but also in terms of cinematic quality.
One-dimensional is, ironically, one of the criticism leveled against Ihsahn's post-Emperor career. According to some, at least.
Shagrath: "Dimmu Borgir was NEVER pure black metal..."
Moving on from Emperor into a more modern black metal band, both in music and spirit, Dimmu Borgir. Controversial and elitist frontman Shagrath answers the author (of Heavy Metal Master Class) about what the term "symphonic black metal" means to him.
Shagrath: We've always been a band that incorporated symphonics into our music. We've never been a pure black metal band. But the band BURZUM was doing that stuff before we did, so we can't take all the credit.
He continues on what separates his work (with Dimmu Borgir) from the rest of the scene.
Shagrath: [Dimmu Borgir's music is] also darker, more atmospheric, more primitive, more black metal. A mixture of different things basically.
So in Shagrath's mind at least, there is no contradiction between playing "manly man" (darker) music and symphonic black metal. If anything, Shagrath seems to believe that Dimmu Borgir is "truer than Mayhem" (actual quote from this early Dimmu Borgir interview).
Silenoz, interestingly, seems to agree (with a caveat, which we will cover later).
Silenoz: It's more epic and symphonic, it's more brutal, it's more black metal, it's more primitive. It includes everything that we are known for and what's even better about it is that it has just come so easy. The challenge for us is always to shave off the stuff we think is not good enough. So coming up with material is never any problem, it's just to figure out which parts to use for songs.
For those who don't know, Silenoz has basically been the number 2 man in Dimmu Borgir (after Shagrath) since the band's creation.
Fenriz Delivers the Finishing Blow...
But not all metal musicians are as tolerant of the "new black metal" sound. Frontmen Fenriz and Nocturno Culto of Darkthrone, notably, have an axe to grind against the so-called "new wave". Fenriz' comments are hilarious in themselves.
Fenriz: I wouldn't piss on that SECOND WAVE [thing] if it was on fire... What I couldn't see was that a lot of people from circa '94 and onwards would misunderstand black metal and put synths on top of it and use modern plastic sound on it. That was the betrayal.
Interestingly, in the same chapter, Silenoz seems to agree with Fenriz (!) for once.
Silenoz: We've also grown tired of all the digital type of sounding albums that comes out here and there all the time. So we wanna go back to the roots in the sense that a drum kit should sound like a drum kit and a guitar should sound like a guitar and vice versa, you get my points.
But some are even more vehement, such as blackgrind / gorenoise artist Thurtson Moore. He lets his opinion known.
Thurston Moore: Symphonic Black Metal is music made by pussies of the lowest order, and we felt it was necessary to investigate this aberrant [****] music behaviour.
... only to allow Fenriz to deliver the finishing blow.
Fenriz: The death of a genre? Perhaps. But those who truly understand will shun all of the crap.
At the very least, this was quite the interesting dive into the minds of some of black metal's greatest names. You don't have to agree with 100% of their takes on the symphonic black metal genre, or other "micro genres" such as Sewer Metal and whatnot, to respect their opinions. Even Thurston needs to let everyone know what he thinks of the symphonic genre, lol.
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