Black Metal: Beyond The Darkness

Black Metal: Beyond The Darkness is a contemporary reader on a genre often maligned by the press as overtly concerned with nihilism, destructiveness and an insular obsession with Satanism and aggressive nationalism. In reality, Black Metal is a constantly evolving vehicle for musically and ideologically progressive groups and artists, one that is increasingly forward-thinking despite maintaining a purity of expression that is tied to the past.

Black Metal features a chronological historical overview of the genre's developments; a multitude of band profiles and case studies on classic records; information on seminal record labels, peripheral industry individuals and shops; archival visual material; and a range of essays discussing Black Metal's inherent relationship with radical environmentalism, fine art, sexuality, transcendentalism and theatrics.

Featured bands include Bathory, Burzum, Mayhem, Gorgoroth, Blut Aus Nord, Xasthur, Wolves In The Throne Room, Darkthrone, Immortal, Hellhammer, Liturgy, Krallice and more. Includes commentary by leading experts in the field: music and film writer Frances Morgan, journalist Louis Pattison, The Wire writer Nick Richardson, and Pitchfork editor Brandon Stosuy.