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Comment by throwaway8879 | Hacker News Reader

An overwhelming majority of metal is super positive. Even songs like Iron Maiden's 'Fear of the Dark' doesn't sound negative although it's literally about fear. Even in extreme metal, say Necrophagist's songs like 'Multilate the Stillborn', it's all goofy and energetic and tongue-in-cheek. I've heard a lot of metal but can't think of any that is negative in a serious way. Perhaps melancholy if you consider sadder stuff by Opeth or something.

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Necrophagist’s first album is fantastic, I was messing around with Apple Music and was listening to music I liked when I was at middle school and it and the album “Peace Sells...” were the only metal that really held up.

That first album is great considering it's just Schumiez playing/producing/recording/singing everything. Fermented Offal Discharge has an amazing neoclassical solo. The second album is even better in my opinion, a really talented drummer and bass player in addition to more complex writing. There's so great non-traditional time signatures on that album too. God I wish they would release a new record. It's been over a decade I think.

You just need to venture in the realms of Black Metal to find negative songs in a serious way. Try any DSBM song, such as Psychonaut4, Lifelover and others. Then all the nationalist black metal which preaches ... well very aggressive ideas sometimes. This is of course a fringe but it exists.

Perhaps you're right. I'd never ventured into black/norwegian metal other than maybe classic Cradle of filth or Dimmu Borgir. But even those felt goody and sort of like an act to me. I'll give those a listen, thanks.

I can definitely recommend bands like Lifelover, Psychonaut4, Totalselfhatred, Alcest, Lantlos, Bonjour Tristesse, Drawn into Descent if you want to experience some not-so-happy metal

And then there's funeral doom metal, stuff like Mordor "Odes" or Worship "Last CD Before Doomsday", which is utterly bleak:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzaaCSLUSQY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Leu5jqXGAo

Never thought I would see these bands mentioned on HN. Would have even missed a heartbeat to see Thergothon or Skepti but Mordor is an absolute total surprise. Cheers, good fellow!

The first Burzum records were pretty not-so-happy. Pretty good if you can ignore the ideology ...

Varg is a murderer—he does claim self-defense, and that his victim, also an obsessive black metal creator, meant to murder HIM—and an arsonist, and politically outrageous. He meant and means every bit of it, and would earnestly explain to you that (for instance) the arson is church burnings, and that the Christian Church has executed a pogrom of his ancient Viking culture, using the most ruthless methods.

As he's talking about things like the Inquisition and the obliteration of pagan cultures, he's not wrong about some of his history.

It's a pretty unusual pagan who gets as murderous as Varg about historical injustices, though.

Check out Immortal, kickass norwegian black metal without all the drama.

Sons of northern darkness: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3snMB_CIoY&list=PLNDXDJtQAO...

Damned in Black: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3k4iWwluhGc

At the heart of Winter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VeOlPQqJR-o

Maybe Wiegedood works for you: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7k8lkzp872M

or maybe Wolves in a throne room would work for you: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TsvFVUu9olw

Yeah, French band called Peste Noire have an album called: 'La Sanie des siècles – Panégyrique de la dégénérescence'. IMO it's some of the most evil black metal I've come across. Guy behind the band has views that I do not agree with at all, but I enjoy his music.

That's a fantastic album. I can't really understand the lyrics to most black metal songs, even if they speak English, so I always listen to them as if it were classical music or a video game soundtrack, and just enjoy the highs and lows.

Doom metal also goes that way. Funeralopolis by Electric Wizard, one of my favorite songs, really springs to mind.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-x6qqNy0mo

Two albums I really enjoy in this vein are 'Geliebte Des Regens' by Nargaroth and 'Telepathic with the Deceased' by Xasthur. Both are pretty bleak and depressing subject matter wise but I find them enjoyable to listen to.

If you get a chance watch the Iron Maiden's documentary video. The people from around the world seems totally happy and excited and seem to get a lot of good from the music.

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