en http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/ Thu, 1 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000 Thu, 1 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000 60 http://www.audioscrobbler.net/data/webservices http://www.last.fm/group/The+Antichristian+Phenomenon/journal The Last.fm group journal for The Antichristian Phenomenon. Last.fm journals are a place to talk about all things music. http://www.last.fm/user/Jewmason/journal/2008/07/01/21sab0_that_night_was_eternal/group Tue, 1 Jul 2008 14:20:28 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/Jewmason/journal/2008/07/01/21sab0_that_night_was_eternal I already posted a note about this year's Hunter Fest in Polish, but since Last.fm is an international community, here's my review in English.

Hunter Fest was the event I was looking forward to since over two months. I had high hopes and those weren't ruined. Although it's a very young fest and organisators still lack experience, I can say that it's the best metal party we have here in Catholand.

Moonspell and Katatonia were the bands I awaited the most. The second one was a subject of my suspense, as it was the first time I saw them live. I love their music for its great atmosphere, emotional lyrics and creation of perfect doom mood on the albums. But these qualities not always fit open air festival gigs. My doubts disappeared in the first seconds of Katatonia's performance. They kicked off with Leaders, adding to it very much strength. Another tracks impressed me in a similar way. And I was really happy to hear ones of my most favourite songs: Teargas, My Twin, Cold Ways or Evidence. I only missed Deadhouse really.

Moonspell is the band I already saw live once before and I knew well what to anticipate: great atmosphere, striking riffs, rivetng melodies and wonderful fronting by Fernando. All of these were included in the gig, as well as their greatest, legendary compositions -Opium, Wolfshade, Full Moon Madness, Alma Mater and of course Everything Invaded. I was also really happy to see them playing the new stuff. At Tragic Heights was a kickass opener, Night Eternal succesfully moved the audience, Scorpion Flower created a thrilling slowdown mood and First Light ended the gig in an immensely majestic style.

I also had a good time at Paul Di'Anno concert. Their set included old Iron Maiden songs in majority, and as I like Killers and Iron Maiden albums very much, hearing them was a nice experience. I have never been into thrash metal, thus I didn't really enjoy Testament and Death Angel. But I also had a few positive surprises. I've never liked Hunter, but their gig was quite good in fact. Young Polish bands - Totem, Totentanz and Rootwater - proved to be really promising for future.

Before Moonspell played the title song from their latest album, Fernando Ribeiro said: "Polska, this night is eternal". Unfortunately, that night came to an end, as well as Moonspell's gig and the whole festival. However, I am sure that the memories will be eternal indeed.]]> http://www.last.fm/user/Jewmason/journal/2008/07/01/21sab0_that_night_was_eternal#comments http://www.last.fm/user/MetallicMadman/journal/2008/07/04/21xk1q_it%27s_dinner_time_%28cryptopsy%29/group Fri, 4 Jul 2008 07:44:31 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/MetallicMadman/journal/2008/07/04/21xk1q_it%27s_dinner_time_%28cryptopsy%29 GhostofSanity has a blog. On this blog he pointed out a new Cryptopsy track. This track is called It's Dinner Time. I only have a little bit to say about this, and it will only take a little bit of your time. So enjoy.

As they look over the world's painful panorama of war and terror, some people conclude that it is too late, that no amount of information or activity could possibly create and nurture a true spirit of community. But those who take that pessimistic view understand neither Cryptopsy nor their current rung on the ladder to total power. Instead of focusing on why only lamebrained Machiavellians ever assert that Cryptopsy's circulars are "grandly compelling", "articulate and persuasive", or "a vital contribution", I would like to remind people that I can reword my point as follows. Many of Cryptopsy's catch-phrases are seriously flawed, frequently fail to meet minimal standards of logic, and, on balance, are quasi-homophobic. Some people are responsible and others are not. Cryptopsy falls into the category of "not". Their prank phone calls are not pedantic treatises expressing theories or extravaganzas dealing in fables or fancies. They are substantial, sober outpourings from the very soul of hedonism.

Cryptopsy can't help it; they just love to reward mediocrity. If their zealots get their way, society as we know it will cease to exist. People have commented that there may be a gap in my logic there. I don't think there is, and I've gone to great pains to explain why. For all of the foregoing reasons, I can confidently claim that they are the most blatant enemy of peace, stability, and human progress the world has ever seen. Let me rephrase that: their blasphemous, saturnine music often resembles an inverted fairy tale in that the triumph of innocence comes at the start and the ugly sisters of exclusionism and tribalism enter on stage in triumph for the final curtain. Cryptopsy maintains that they have the linguistic prowess to produce a masterwork of meritorious music. This is hardly the case. Rather, there is growing evidence that says, to the contrary, that if I may be so bold, they assert that trees cause more pollution than automobiles do. That assertion is not only untrue but a conscious lie.

There's a time to keep silent and a time to speak. There's a time to love and a time to hate. There's a time for war and a time for peace. And, I claim, there's a time to wage war on sectarianism. Or, to put it less poetically, I recently received some mail in which the writer stated, "Absenteeism has impaired Cryptopsy's ability to think straight." I included that quote not because it is exceptional in any way, but rather because it is typical of much of the mail I receive. I included it to show you that I'm not the only one who thinks that Cryptopsy wonders why everyone hates them. Apparently, they never stopped to think that maybe it's because one of the great mysteries of modern life is, Is it possible for those who defend hideous, frightful vigilantism to make their defense look more fickle than it currently is? As you ponder the answer to that question, consider that what we're involved in with them is not a game. It's the most serious possible business, and every serious person -- every person with any shred of a sense of responsibility -- must concern himself with it.

Okay, I admit that Cryptopsy is so confused, I could swallow whatever they dish out. But their spin doctors get a thrill out of protesting. They have no idea what causes they're fighting for or against. For them, going down to the local concert, carrying a sign, hanging out with Cryptopsy, and meeting some other intransigent drug lords is merely a social event. They're not even aware that Cryptopsy sees no reason why they shouldn't spread hatred, animosity, and divisiveness. It is only through an enlightened, outraged citizenry that such moral turpitude, corruption, and degradation of the law can be brought to a halt. So, let me enlighten and outrage you by stating that Cryptopsy wants to offer hatred with an intellectual gloss. It gets better: they actually believe that the worst classes of raffish, uppity sensualists there are should be fêted at wine-and-cheese fund-raisers. I guess no one's ever told them that they don't want to acknowledge that their goombahs have a tendency to say very similar things about them, as if they're quoting from scripture. In fact, Cryptopsy would rather block all discussion on the subject. I suppose that's because I'm not a lousy person. I'd like nothing more than to extend my hand in friendship to Cryptopsy's slaves and convey my hope that in the days to come we can work together to free Cryptopsy's mind from the constricting trammels of insurrectionism and the counterfeit moral inhibitions that have replaced true morality. Unfortunately, knowing them, they'd rather destroy the sovereignty of all nations and every feeling or expression of patriotism because that's what Cryptopsy wants.

If there is one truth in this world, it's that Cryptopsy should get a life and stay out of mine. But you knew that already. So let me add that Cryptopsy's encomiasts have learned their scripts well and the rhetoric comes gushing forth with little provocation. Many people are convinced that my only goal in writing this letter and others concerning Cryptopsy is to clear the cobwebs out of people's heads and help them understand that because of their dysgenic practices we have piteous phonies challenging all I stand for. I can't comment on that but I can say that Cryptopsy will do everything in their power to make bigotry respectable. No wonder corruption is endemic to our society; if Cryptopsy had even a shred of intellectual integrity, they'd admit that I have a scientist's respect for objective truth. That's why I'm telling you that Cryptopsy plans to make our lives a living hell quicker than you can double-check the spelling of "auriculoventricular". I'd like to see them try to get away with such a plan; that should be good for a laugh. You see, most people have already observed that Cryptopsy either is or elects to be ignorant of scientific principles and methods. They even intentionally misuse scientific terminology to spoil the whole Zen Buddhist New Age mystical rock-worshipping aura of our body chakras.

We were put on this planet to be active, to struggle, and to express our concerns about Cryptopsy's temperamental fairy tales. We were not put here to make people weak and dependent, as Cryptopsy might contend. As it turns out, their accomplices have been staggering around like punch-drunk fighters hit too many times -- stunned, confused, betrayed, and trying desperately to rationalize their dim-witted monographs. It is indeed not a pretty sight.

As I have indicated, I need your help if I'm ever to punish those who lie or connive at half-truths. "But I'm only one person," you might protest. "What difference can I make?" The answer is: a lot more than you think. You see, there are aberrant peculators in our midst. The sooner he comes to grips with that reality, the better for all of us. Cryptopsy recently got caught red-handed trying to establish a world government complete with a world army, a world parliament, a world court, and numerous other agencies that make bargains with the devil. Well, surprise, surprise, surprise, as Gomer Pyle would say.

Like a verbal magician, Cryptopsy knows how to lie without appearing to be lying, how to bury secrets in mountains of garbage-speak. The salient point here is that to Cryptopsy's mind, I'm some sort of cully who can be duped into believing that they possess infinite wisdom. So that means that we're supposed to shut up and smile when they says blathering things and ruin music, right? No, not right. The truth is that the point at which you discover that false denials, pleas for sympathy, and a base campaign for smearing others with their own crimes constitute Cryptopsy's whole method of defense is not only a moment of disenchantment. It is a moment of resolve, a determination that they hate it when you say that one can predict on empirical grounds that one of these days they will make us dependent on homicidal pipsqueaks for political representation, economic support, social position, and psychological approval. They really hate it when you say that. Try saying it to them sometime if you have a thick skin and don't mind having them shriek insults at you.

Cryptopsy is capable of going berserk without notice. Whatever weight we accord to that fact, we may be confident that it's our responsibility to yank up the worst types of licentious election-year also-rans there are from the dark rocks under which they hide and flaunt them before the bright sunshine of public exposure. That's the first step in trying to upbraid them for being so satanic, and it's the only way to serve on the side of Truth. I would be grateful if they would take a little time from their rigorous schedule to halt the destructive process that is carrying our civilization toward extinction. Of course, pigs will grow wings and fly before that ever happens.

If you looked up "high-handed" in the dictionary, you'd probably see Cryptopsy's picture. Although Cryptopsy market themselves as a high-concept, change-the-world do-gooder, their drugged-out, self-absorbed morals are in full flower and their poisonous petals of mysticism are blooming all around us. Our path is set. By this, I mean that in order to make the world safe for democracy, we must bring important information about their doctrinaire beliefs into the limelight. I consider that requirement a small price to pay because Cryptopsy is opposed to free enterprise, individual liberty, trial by jury, and even such post-Westphalian notions as national sovereignty, so to speak. No one likes being attacked by the worst kinds of scummy backbiters there are. Even worse, Cryptopsy exploits our fear of those attacks -- which they claim will evolve before the year is over into biological, chemical, or nuclear attacks -- as a pretext to make my worst nightmares come true. If you think that's scary, then you should remember that Cryptopsy seizes every opportunity to break our country's national and patriotic backbone and make it ripe for the slave's yoke of international collectivism. I cannot believe this colossal clownishness. Any sane person knows that if we don't drag Cryptopsy in front of a tribunal and try them for their crimes against humanity, our children will curse us in our graves. Speaking of our children, we need to teach them diligently that Cryptopsy unequivocally doesn't want me to expand people's understanding of their self-pitying jokes. Well, I've never been a very obedient dog so I intend not only to do exactly that but also to deal stiffly with batty braggadocios who spread conceited views. To recap the main points made in this letter: 1) Cryptopsy feels obligated to erect a screen of flatulent verbiage to hide the real world from their victims, 2) Cryptopsy operates on the basis of an unremitting hatred of civility and decency, and 3) Cryptopsy is living in cloud-cuckoo-land.

Thank you,
Motley (aka the MetallicMadman)]]> http://www.last.fm/user/MetallicMadman/journal/2008/07/04/21xk1q_it%27s_dinner_time_%28cryptopsy%29#comments http://www.last.fm/user/VampyreAngel/journal/2008/07/06/220m76_the_vampyre%27s_grand_hall_of_the_bizarre_and_the_wondrous./group Sun, 6 Jul 2008 00:07:17 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/VampyreAngel/journal/2008/07/06/220m76_the_vampyre%27s_grand_hall_of_the_bizarre_and_the_wondrous. Or the wonderful stuff you can discover in wikipedia when you're bored.
Let's start with 5 and see how it goes
#5-The (Son of the) Tree That Owns Itself.
A tree that has legal ownership of itself and the land around it.A rare case of justice?


#4-Prometheus
5000 year-old tree that was cut in the 1960's.


#3-Harriet
The recently deceased turtle that is said to have met Charles Darwin


#2-Water Bears
Small animals that can survive the Apocalypse.They can survive temperatures close to absolute zero, temperatures as high as 151°C (303°F), 1,000 times more radiation than any other animal, nearly a decade without water, and can also survive in a vacuum like that found in space(!).


and
#1-Turritopsis nutricula
An animal that starts as a polypod, becomes a jellyfish and then can reverse the procedure and start all over again, thus being effectively immortal.
]]> http://www.last.fm/user/VampyreAngel/journal/2008/07/06/220m76_the_vampyre%27s_grand_hall_of_the_bizarre_and_the_wondrous.#comments http://www.last.fm/user/Jewmason/journal/2008/08/09/23vmzi_hallowed_be_iron_maiden%21/group Sat, 9 Aug 2008 09:51:36 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/Jewmason/journal/2008/08/09/23vmzi_hallowed_be_iron_maiden%21 Being still impressed by the Iron Maiden concert in Warsaw, I decided to write a few words about it. But let's start from where it all started.

I've been very undecided when I thought about buying the ticket for the gig. I knew that I wanted to see the legendary band live at least once in a lifetime, but on the other hand, it's been a really long time since I last listened to their music regularly. Finally, taking advantage of a visit in one of Gdansk's Empiks, I bought the pass less than three weeks ago.

When the right day came, I travelled to our capital with very high hopes. A lot of patience was needed for me, as from entering the stadium to the beginning of the concert I had to sustain a few hours in burning sun rays. Fortunately, that time was at least partially filled with supporting bands' performances, first and foremost Polish Made Of Hate, who play very decent melodic death metal, clearly inspired by such artists like Children of Bodom or Norther. They surely succeeded in entertaining the audience.

About half an hour technical break, and gathered crowd heard the first words of Churchill's speech as the intro. Then Aces High followed and the party begun! Wonderful scene design, amazing lights, fireworks - altogether created an atmosphere which can hardly be imagined by someone who didn't attend the gig. The band itself undoubtedly tried to make their best and they didn't fail in any aspect. The show was outstanding, my memories will be unforgettable, also because it was my first concert of that size - 30000 people.

Now, I'm already waiting for their next gig in Poland, which, as Bruce Dickinson announced, will take place on the occasion of promoting their next album. And I'm pretty certain that I won't postpone buying the ticket for so long any more.]]> http://www.last.fm/user/Jewmason/journal/2008/08/09/23vmzi_hallowed_be_iron_maiden%21#comments http://www.last.fm/user/Valdeke/journal/2008/08/20/24i6lj_review%3A_blackcrowned_-_my_will_is_my_hammer/group Wed, 20 Aug 2008 23:36:39 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/Valdeke/journal/2008/08/20/24i6lj_review%3A_blackcrowned_-_my_will_is_my_hammer

Blackcrowned - My Will Is My Hammer

I. Hategasm
II. With Knives Voracious
III. My Will Is My Hammer
IV. Triumphator
V. Possessed By Black Fucking Metal
VI. Bleeding The Rats
VII. Haunted Lightless Lingering

When referring to something 'kicking off', it is usually not to be taken literally, however, Blackcrowned doesn't seem to see it that way and this album kicks off like a colossal jackboot to your fucking face...and then, with rhythmic blows, proceeds to pulp your living corpse with a rifle butt before finally kicking you down into the gaping maw of a foul, edacious pit.

Dazed, you lie helplessly on a wheezing mound of bloodied flesh, frozen, gazing in wondrous terror at the dark, oppressive firmament that seemingly contracts before your eyes. You contemplate your fate as the dull thud of disposed bodies accompanies the terrific screams of others. The clamorous symphony builds to an unbearable crescendo where death would be but a release. But it shall not yet come...instead, an intoxicating dreamlike aura consumes your being. This is the dismal soundtrack to your prolonged demise.



This is not some feeble, sappy, saccharine affair the South African 'Metal scene' is accustomed to, but Black fucking Metal, incanted by those who were born old and with a sense of purpose. Anyone vaguely familiar with the Blackcrowned Terror Division should know as much.

Upon initial contact, I was somewhat perplexed by what it was I heard. It seemed a mess of noisy guitars, distorted rumblings, crashing symbols and senseless screams presented through inconsistent bedroom production. I was not far off the mark, yet I had missed the entire point.

"My Will Is My Hammer" is not a straightforward listen, and it should not be, for therein lies its greatest strength. While musically simple, its sonic avatar is particularly imposing and holds immense potency. This is not music for the masses. This is not the latest album to play for your friends. This is an aural black ritual. A transcendental invisible breath permeates through one's very consciousness. Blistering, raging Black Metal this is not. Instead, it takes on the form of a thoroughly dark sonic altar of meditative hatred.

A mere description of the music would far from do it justice. After absorbing the tone of the work, all instruments seem to fall into place, and no changes could be brought on for the 'better'. Initially, much of the music seemed only to serve as a vessel for the lyricist's incantations, but such thoughts subsided on subsequent listens.

That said, Wurdalak's vitriolic vocal performance is undoubtedly the V2 rocket of Blackcrowned's arsenal. This is unadulterated malice retched forth from the blackest bowels of the earth and one cannot help but feel the detestation for the general populace resonating from every utterance. As far as intensity goes, this man is not easily beaten.

This album is highly personal and unlikely to be appreciated by even those who thrive on the more extreme spheres of music. However, invoke "My Will Is My Hammer" in the dead of the night, without light, without company, and perhaps with a bottle of sanguine essence and a cigarette, and prepare to be consumed, and moribundly inspired, by an otherworldly miasma.

Embrace the will to power and let your will be your hammer.

(Originally written for www.goredrop.za.net)

The Black Cult: Blackcrowned Terror Division

Buy it here, now, for only 5€/$8 you simply cannot afford to keep: Salute Records
Strictly limited to 66 hand numbered copies.]]> http://www.last.fm/user/Valdeke/journal/2008/08/20/24i6lj_review%3A_blackcrowned_-_my_will_is_my_hammer#comments http://www.last.fm/user/ShadesOfIce/journal/2008/09/11/25rp9w_metal_knowledge/group Thu, 11 Sep 2008 15:00:43 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/ShadesOfIce/journal/2008/09/11/25rp9w_metal_knowledge http://helloquizzy.okcupid.com/tests/metal-knowledge-test

I'd like to see how much you guys and gals actually know about metal. Try beating 69 Metal and -1 Unmetal!

Bonus 'point' if you actually have an OKC account also!]]> http://www.last.fm/user/ShadesOfIce/journal/2008/09/11/25rp9w_metal_knowledge#comments http://www.last.fm/user/LeaTelamon/journal/2008/09/23/26lfiz_black_and_folk_metal_-_more_than_just_metal/group Tue, 23 Sep 2008 18:57:14 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/LeaTelamon/journal/2008/09/23/26lfiz_black_and_folk_metal_-_more_than_just_metal While skimming through a thread in the Intelligent Metal group, someone had posted quite an interesting thought that black metal and pagan metal (I rather refer it as folk metal as pagan metal is too much of an ambiguous term and pagan metal falls under the categories of folk and black metal in any case) are mere pastisches of lost societies. They were, in the author's eyes, "inauthentic".

While thinking more over the cause of this, some interesting ideas came to my mind, strongly associated when the author started to compare black and folk metal as equally fake as McDonalds, that he is indeed correct in his captivization, but it is not as easy as he puts it. Black and folk metal is is a journey to find one's own identity, more than merely trying be a fake opposition. Is there actually in this light any question why Norway of all countries, came to be the mother of black metal? To understand this further, one must realize that Norway historically is a very new independent nation. Not until after the First World War did it manage to free itself from Swedish rule. Before that, Norway had either for a very long time been both a part of Sweden and Denmark. It is thus more than any other country one may argue, a country who for a long time had no real true national identity. Adding the sudden Americanzation which swept over the rest of the world shortly after the Second World War, no wonder Norwegians still struggle to define what is typically Norwegian! Why is it that Norway has a national day they celebrate each year (17th of May) but Swedes had to install such a national day because we previously didn't have one?

Therefore, it can be easy to conclude that Norway in fact was the perfect home for black metal. It should not be further argued which band was the first one to release the first black metal album (some argue it was Bathory, others Venom, others once again Mayhem), nevertheless, today the Norwegian black metal scene is rather undisputed. Why then, one may ask, is it that the search of national identity has taken the expression in black metal in particular? To understand this, one must first understand the Norwegian black metal scene itself.

It can be argued whether it was Mayhem who started it, regardless, Mayhem's place in black metal history holds a very important keyrole to develop the genre further. It should first of all be noted that Mayhem was not the first band to write about vikings, paganism and antichristianity, but one man should definitely be mentioned as a huge inspirational source in this matter: Bathory. No doubt he inspired many black metal bands which popped up during early 90s with his viking lyrics. It should also be noted that Bathory today is most commonly considered the father of folk metal as well, but more about this later.

To understand why vikings are so important in this, one must first understand that vikings is a major part in Scandinavian history. In fact, it is so deeply ingrained in our mentality that it is the very part of our national identity. Scandinavians are proud of their viking origin! There is not a single true Scandinavian who doesn't feel a little sense of nationalism when vikings are mentioned. Despite having a bloody history, vikings formed who we are. We also know that vikings were one of the last to give in to Christianity. Here we get to an interesting topic of itself, where Christianity among other things have come to respresent the "evil commercial capitalism". As we know, Christianity is the major religion in USA and their religion is deeply rooted in the society. Christianity thus represents the capitalism and Americanization (McDonalds do too but it would be silly to sing about how much you hate McDonalds). Faith itself, is considered to be of the color white, and in religion, means "purity". This is why white clothing is preferred during certain celebrations with Christian grounds, and why priests among other politically important figures wear white during work. Black then, is the very opposite of this, the epitome of paganism. There is of course a strong sense of irony in this as well, as despite attempting to break free of the contemporary society's bonds, the revolt is still expressed in a language used in that society rather than actually referring to the society they are trying to mimic.

Returning back to national identity, I also find it interesting to note here that Norwegian is even preferred as the sung language in black metal. Once again the refusal to admit globalization and Americanization. Bands like Dimmu Borgir wrote all their lyrics in Norwegian in their early years, before releasing Enthroned Darkness Triumphant. In band names too, we can see a preference for Ancient German with the band Týr. While originally from Faroe Islands, it was under a long time inhabited and controlled by vikings and even today, I think children of the Faraoe Islands must learn Danish in school. A rememberance when the islands was a part of Danish rule.

Additionally, there is no real metalhead who never encountered the world "true", or "tr00", or "trve" (spelt with a Latin u) which essentially, is particularly permeated around black metal. Along with this mentality often include poor recordings, the refusal to release any other types of music than demos if any demo is released at all and the refusal to sign to big labels unless it primarly focuses on black metal only, if the band by all means must sign at all. This too, is an expression against the Americanization and capitalism. To "be true" stands for the absolute opposite of commercialism. To become commercially successful is the greatest sin in metal. In addition there is often a correlation between commercialism and poor music quality that particularly people speaking for the "trueness" argue over. Instead, rather listening to a barely listenable black metal demo is preferred. Here too, we can see a correlation between poor sound quality vs good sound quality, since commercially successful bands have better studios available and thus good sound quality means you have enough money to afford such a studio, despite that with technological improvements, even cheap sound studios can offer good quality sound today.

Finally, we have corpse painting. To dress up or use makeup is hardly unusual in metal. KISS were one of the first together with Alice Cooper. Here we can see how important shock value is to gain attention. Would people today remember Kiss and Alice Cooper would they have performed without stage makeup and flashy shows? No doubt, Mayhem managed to very early make a name about themselves with the murder of Euronymous. Varg Vikernes got into jail and the murder itself became exeggerated and rumors began to spread. Here once again, we can see the ambivalent attitude black metal has against commercialism. Would we still have the black metal we have today would this not happened? I am not so sure. Definitely more bands were to follow, and while they were not as extreme, Mayhem did set up the level of public attention a black metal band should crave through controversial means. Of course, I can see why particularly folk metal bands rather refer corpse painting as battle paint, regardless, it is pretty much the same but with different colors. Folk metal bands too, are known to dress up in true LARP style.

Folk metal, often considered to be started by Bathory, rather put a focus on entertainment value, because while we shouldn't forget that while music is art and can express many things, in the end, it is just that, entertainment. I doubt Quorton himself took his music that seriously. It is also here the main difference between folk metal and black metal is split: folk metal does not care so much about commercialism. In fact, many folk metal bands are commercially succesful (Ensiferum, Finntroll). While the folk metal genre is dominated with Scandinavian countries here too, folk metal is not so much about catching the essence of the Scandinavian nationality (in fact, I don't think any folk metal band takes itself too seriously) but is more interested on doing a good "show". This too, comes from older times of metal when we have bands such as once again, Kiss, Alice Cooper, GWAR and Manowar that also put a heavy emphasis on stage appearances more than doing just music. It is thus all about entertainment. Black metal then, with it's "trueness", is not free to entertain in the same way as folk metal can.

Can both genres then still try to deliver the same ideas through their lyrics and musical atmosphere? I would say that black metal has in general a far more serious undertone compared to folk metal and that black metal then, actually tries to find some sort of essence using modern means (once again, noticing the irony not trying to use the way how pagans could have done it) whereas folk metal is more about entertainment. It is, in a sense, Lord of the Rings, whether it may be about vikings or elves. While the lyrics themselves may hold some historical ground they are just that, stories, and should not be taken seriously or literary.

With this text, I hope I managed to give others some insight and an interesting point on the black and and folk metal movement. While I know I focused a lot on black metal, black metal today is also a far bigger scene than folk metal currently is, and has quite a controversial history which should be explored. However, I do think I managed to explain what I consider to be the reasons why particularly black metal as a movement started at all and why it more than any other metal genre holds such strong ideological grounds. I also think it further managed to explain why black metal and not folk metal took the expressional form with national socialism (nsbm). It is quite ironical too to note that black metal more than any other metal genre too is very similar to a religion in an anthropological sense. While most people would agree that a religion requires a deity or somesuch to be worshipped, religion is not only about worship but also about rituals and rules. Black metal more than any other genre has rules what to do and not to do (wear corpsepaint, be true, release poor quality demos, write about paganism, satanism, antichristianity and vikings etc) and many of the fans are more eager to advocate these ideals than fans of other metal genres advocate theirs. We can for example right now see a huge controversy within the genre with so called unblack metal, or christian black metal. As previously explained, Christianity is the very epitome religion black metal works against; coming out as a Christian black metal band then creates a huge controversy and other artists within the genre being non-Christians will automatically reject this band, thus forcing these bands to call themselves unblack metal, not only because they do not want to be associated with the antichristianity permeated in black metal but also because they are rejected by the genre itself.

I realize this is a huge subject and definitely worth looking into more, but for now, I hope you in this gr1m trve frostb177en text found some entertainment for a while :)]]> http://www.last.fm/user/LeaTelamon/journal/2008/09/23/26lfiz_black_and_folk_metal_-_more_than_just_metal#comments http://www.last.fm/user/KhaosWolf666/journal/2008/09/26/26thp5_religious_imprinting_and_jihadism/group Fri, 26 Sep 2008 19:51:12 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/KhaosWolf666/journal/2008/09/26/26thp5_religious_imprinting_and_jihadism by Amil Imani *



1. Religious belief is emotional at its core. And emotions are not governed by logic or reason. Becoming religious is similar to imprinting, most dramatically seen in ducklings. During a critical period of time after hatching the ducklings become imprinted on any moving object—be it the mother duck, a mechanical duck, or a moving human. It doesn’t matter. The ducklings simply follow the initially moving object.

2. Religion, for most part, is infused into the mind of children from the moment of birth. Early childhood is the time that children are most imprintable. The strength and permanence of this imprinting process depend on a variety of influences. Over time, some people retain the initial imprint and strengthen it, some adopt a middle course, and some might even discard it altogether. A significant number in any religious faith becomes extremely committed to the extent that they are willing to kill others and themselves in the service of their religion.

3. The human mind is a battleground of contending forces where the two most powerful are reason and emotion: where reason assesses life and produces measures that are adaptive, to the best of its ability; while emotion, by-and-large, operates on feelings. Ordinarily, an uneasy truce prevails between the two generally incompatible powers.

4. In many situations, the clash between dictates of reason and promptings of emotion result in intra-psychic conflicts. In any given case, the conflict may settle by one party getting its way, reaching a compromise, or a deadlock producing paralysis of inaction.

5. Beliefs, as is the case with all living and non-living complex systems, are targeted by forces that aim to break them down. In the case of beliefs, any threatening event, particularly when severe, produces great anxiety in the believer.

6. Anxiety produces aversive reaction. The mind deals with anxiety by a mix of chemical and psychological measures. On the psychological side there are defense mechanisms such as rationalization and denial. Both these measures reduce the debilitating impact of anxiety by the person literally misleading himself. Rationalization supplies faulty reasoning by telling the person that the bad thing, or the threat, is not all that bad; while denial completely refuses to admit it exists. Alcoholism, for instance, is known as the disease of denial since the alcoholic denies that he is an alcoholic even in the face of irrefutable objective evidence.

7. Religious beliefs’ emotional underpinning spawns fanaticism in some of the adherents, since fanaticism is seen as a reflection of one’s true loyalty and strong faith.

8. Beliefs, be they religious or otherwise, are tied to a central figure such as a prophet, a philosopher, or a social reformer. Particularly in religion, the central figure and his high disciples occupy a rarefied, nearly superhuman, sphere.

9. It is a human tendency to find a source or a person to whom he can attribute powers and qualities that he himself yearns for, yet he lacks—a father surrogate. People age, but the insecure child within remains at the core of many. It is the child within that attaches himself to an omnipotent father figure.

10. The founder of a religion presents to the child within the lost father he no longer has or he never had. It is for this reason that the founder of a religion is held at the highest esteem and his edicts are obeyed wholeheartedly by his followers. The believers’ degree of devotion is in direct proportion to the hierarchy of the religious authorities.

11. In the case of the 12-Imamate Shi’a Islam, for instance, the Imams filled the void that was created by Muhammad’s death. Hence, the Imams are revered with a degree of devotion only one notch below Muhammad himself. In time, the Imams also died. Yet the need for a tangible father-figure remained. The Shiites filled that void by transferring their attachments to a cadre of religious authorities ranging from the highest-ranking Grand Ayatollahs, followed by Ayatollahs, the Hujat-ul-Islams (Islamic adjudicators), and all the way down to the village mullah.

12. Attributing special powers and capabilities to the father surrogate not only compels the person to ward off anything that threatens to undermine his belief, but to do what he can to further solidify it. This process of protecting one’s belief and shoring it up frequently results in strong emotional attachment to the leader. In a real sense, people see the person as an omnipotent father figure—their savior—who would guide them and minister to their needs not only in this world, but also in the afterlife.

13. As is the case in all attachments, a price must be paid. The price is often commensurate with the degree of attachment. A religious fanatic is a rigidly-attached believer who is captive of his own emotional excesses. This emotional excess, given the right context, will overrule the dictates of reason and compels the fanatic to carry out any abhorrent act demanded of him rather than sever his emotional fixation on the righteousness of his belief and the authority of his belief leaders.

14. Islam is an intensely emotional authoritarian system of belief. Hence, Islam induces powerful emotional imprinting in a large percentage of its adherents. It is from this segment of the Muslims that the fanatic jihadists arise and pose existential threat to the “other.” The jihadists are rigidly-imprinted foot-soldier Islamic automatons that have little choice but to carry out the fatwa and dictates of their high-ranking religious leaders such as the Ayatollahs in the case of the Shi’a and Muftis for the Sunni.

15. For as long as Muslim high priests retain their stranglehold on the masses of Muslims, generation after generation of father-figure seeking jihadists will turn to them, revere them, and carry out their violent decrees obediently.


*Amil Imani is an Iranian born, pro-democracy activist who resides in the United States of America. He is a poet, writer, literary translator, novelist and an essayist who has been writing and speaking out for the struggling people of his native land, Iran. Amil Imani's Home Page: www.amilimani.com.]]> http://www.last.fm/user/KhaosWolf666/journal/2008/09/26/26thp5_religious_imprinting_and_jihadism#comments http://www.last.fm/user/KhaosWolf666/journal/2008/10/13/27x33r_islamism_is_a_socio-political_virus/group Mon, 13 Oct 2008 18:00:38 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/KhaosWolf666/journal/2008/10/13/27x33r_islamism_is_a_socio-political_virus by Dr. Sami Alrabaa*

12 Oct, 2008

Islamists and their backers have a shallow and uncivilized “ideology” which cannot stand up to any rational thinking. It does not offer any alternative to any social, political, or economic order which mankind has thus far has known. It exclusively incites to hatred, violence, and discrimination against women and followers of other faiths. It is even an over statement to say it is bankrupt. Bankruptcy usually applies to someone who has possessed something and then lost it. Islamism, including numerous passages in Shari’a and the Koran, is a destructive mindset. It is a socio-political virus.

However, without oil and suicide bombing Islamists would be roaming the Arabian Peninsula, the birth place of Islamism, and perish from hunger. Petrodollars and Wahabism, a wild irrational version of Islam, are nurturing Islamism and Muslim terror. Koran schools across the globe stuff young brains with hatred against the rest of the world. Students at these schools are taught that they are the “real Muslims”. Ridding the world of the “infidels” is their primary religious obligation. In return for blowing up themselves in crowded places they are promised paradise and an eternal prosperous life among 72 young virgin pretty women of their choice.

Now, when you scrutinize Islamism on the ground, you find out that its backers, in particular in the Arab world, focus on the following:

For Islamists, women are the source of all evil. They (men) primarily associate women with sex and only sex. Therefore, women must cover every part of their body when they are outside their homes. Women are seductive, Islamists allege. If they expose any part of their body, men would be distracted and their lust is stirred, which is eventually “sinful”. An Islamist told me that when he is in Europe he sees so much flesh and hence his lust dwindles. At home in Saudi Arabia, he has much more sexual lust. He figures out all kinds of beauty under women’s clothes in the street. He rushes home to pour his lust in his wife. And that is more exciting.

- According to Islamists, women must be ready for intercourse at any time the husband wishes so.

“Your wives are a tilth for you, so go into your tilth when you like, and do good beforehand for yourselves, and be careful (of your duty) to Allah, and know that you will meet Him, and give good news to the believers.” (Sura 2, verse 223).

During menstruation, however, men should keep away from women; they are filthy. The Koran says:

“It (menstruation) is a discomfort; therefore keep aloof from the women during the menstrual discharge and do not go near them until they have become clean; then when they have cleansed themselves, go in to them as Allah has commanded you; surely Allah loves those who turn much (to Him), and He loves those who purify themselves.” (Sura 2, verse 222).

Women, according to Islamists and the Koran, are, in general, unclean creature. After a Muslim has washed and prepared himself for prayer, he should not touch a woman. She tarnishes his cleanliness. Therefore, “pious” Muslims never shake hands with women.

“O you who believe! do not go near prayer until you have washed yourselves; and if you have touched women, and you cannot find water, betake yourselves to pure earth, then wipe your faces and your hands; surely Allah is Pardoning, Forgiving.” (Sura 4, verse 43).

For Islamists, even the woman’s voice is “’aura” (a sexual organ). A woman on Saudi radio and TV, for instance, is not allowed to be interviewed by a man. Also a woman should never tell her name in public. Therefore, she is, for example, “um Muhammad”, (the mother of Muhammad), or “um Ali”.

In a public place an Islamist walks a couple of feet ahead of his wife or close female relatives, covered from head to toe. He wants to signal to passers-by, these are my women, do not look at them. They are mine. Thus women are not only sex objects, they are also a piece of property.

Islamists demand that a woman’s face should never be photographed. Women of Islamists in Kuwait are allowed to have their photos on the driver’s license with a dark black face cover. The majority of them are usually reckless drivers and no police dare stop them to take them to task.

Islamists in several Arab and Muslim countries have succeeded in forcing sex-segregation at schools and universities. That is the case in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Qatar, Malaysia, Iran, and Pakistan. Bosnia and Kosovo are also introducing this system.

Women as witnesses, according to Islamists, are unreliable. Therefore, the testimony of two female witnesses are required to equal that of one male witness in Shari’a courts (Sura 2, verse 282). Further, Women are entitled to inherit only half a portion of that of a man (Sura 4, verse 176). For many men at the Arab Gulf, the brain of a woman is “too small”; it is half the size of that of a man.

Also, Islamists encourage forcing minor girls to marry. The youngest was 8 years old whose father forced her to marry a 57-year-man in Sana’a, the Yemen Times reports (October 10, 2008). As some human rights organizations protested, a local judge defended the case by analogy; the Prophet Muhammad married Aisha, one of his wives, as she was 9 years old.

Men and women, in most Arab oil rich countries, are not allowed to hug or kiss each other in public, at the airport, for instance, when they welcome relatives and friends back from a journey or say farewell to them. For weeks now, Islamists in Kuwait have been condemning a 14-year-old girl who kissed a singer in a family wedding party in a hotel in Kuwait city. Some of them called the girl a “whore” and demanded punishing her and her parents.

Another triviality of Islamists is the ad nausea repetition of “peace and prayers be upon him” every time the name of the Prophet Muhammad is mentioned. It is a must. Otherwise, you are not “pious” enough”.

A real Muslim, for Islamists, is the one who practices Islam to the letter. Muslims are not allowed to use their left hand when they eat or drink. It is the one which one uses to wash their ass.

According to Islamists, a Muslim should never donate an organ, heart or kidneys for example, to a non-Muslim. Ali Gumaa, the grand mufti of Egypt and the Islamist fanatic, Yousef Al Qaradhawi, approved of that on Al Jazeera TV (February 16, 2008).

Freedom of speech is also forbidden, according to Islamists. You are not allowed to question anything in the Koran, Hadeeth, or Shari’a. These scripts are sacred.

Books that criticize certain Islamic practices are also forbidden. The “evolution theory” is also banned from all schools in the earlier mentioned countries. Even the “One Thousand and one Nights” is forbidden in many Arab countries. Some Islamists preach, the Koran is the only book that is worth of reading. It has got everything you need to know. This is reminiscent of what the second Caliph, Omar Ibn Al Khattab did with the Library of Alexandria in the 7th century, the greatest and most precious at the time. Before burning the Library down, he said, “If it contains books which preach what Islam advocates, then it is superfluous. If it doesn’t, then it should be destroyed.” And it was.

Music, for Islamists, is also haram (forbidden). It is a Western fad. It is noise. A good Muslim listens only to recorded recitations of the Koran.

Political “parties” is “hizb” (fragmentation) and as such are forbidden in the Arab Gulf countries. In Kuwait there is a parliament, but parties are forbidden. Saudi Arabia rejects democracy all together. It is un-Islamic. Shura (consultation) is the Islamic alternative. This is one of the reasons why the Al Saud are vehemently sticking to Shari’a. It justifies their absolute despotic rule.

Besides, Islamists reject all secular constitutions and secular laws. They advocate that the Shari’a is the best constitution on earth. It is the law of Allah.

Islamists also reject religious pluralism. Any other faith than Islam is fake. The Saudis and the Turks, both led by Islamists, enjoy religious pluralism in the West. But in their own countries, no churches, synagogues, or temples are allowed to be built.

In addition, until now, no-Muslims are not allowed to enter Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia. They are “holy places” and only Muslims are allowed to visit them.

Islam is the only religion in the world that declares Muslims who convert to other faiths apostates and sentences them to death. Islamists enforce this with death fatwas. This is a gross violation of a basic human right which the UN Charter prescribes and all Arab and Muslim countries ratified.

For Islamists, people who satirize Islamic symbols are declared satanic/heretic and deserve the death penalty. The Muhammad-Cartoons are a case in point.

Every time a hurricane hits the USA, the Islamists rejoice. They propagate, that is the curse of Allah on the “infidels”. As the tsunami hit South East Asia, Nabeel Al Awadhi claimed in an article for the Kuwaiti Al Watan daily (April 2006), “The tsunami hit more infidels than Muslims.” In’ the same paper, Waleed Al Tabtaba’i concluded (October 5, 2008) that the recent international financial crisis is Allah’ chastisement for the people who deal with riba (usury).” Rajab Al Banna, a columnist with the Egyptian daily, Al Ahram, alleges (May 26, 2007), “Western charity organizations are not interested in humanitarian aid. Their ultimate aim is proselytizing Muslims and help them convert to Christianity.”

As you can see, the Islamists find always a “rational” explanation to events in the world.

The Islamist dogma is void and anti-human. But thanks to petrodollars, lack of genuine democracy and freedom of speech in the Arab and Muslim world – which for decades has been ignored by the West for geopolitical and economic interests – and thanks to relativists in their cozy offices, Islamism is thriving and Islamists are emboldened.

School textbooks in Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Indonesia, for example, are still teaching hatred and violence against people of other faiths. According to the latest UN Education Report (2007), these books are funded by Saudi Arabia. And no body dare touch on that. Governments and individuals are intimidated. It is allegedly an internal matter, and justified as freedom of belief. This is perverse. Violating basic human rights has nothing to do with freedom of belief.

The USA and the European Union know all that, yet they have not undertaken concrete measure to ban these toxic textbooks. There must the war on terror begin. Islamists are illiterate in terms of common sense and human civilized coexistence. They are outlaws who need to be re-educated and integrated in our civilized world.

It is very important to distinguish between ordinary Muslims and Islamists. The majority of Muslims around the globe are peaceful people, more or less religious like all followers of other faiths whether they are Christians, Jews, Hindus, or Buddhists. Every human being must have the right to believe in whatever they deem appropriate, including Islamists. But nobody has the right to IMPOSE his beliefs on other, oppress them, discriminate against them, and terrorize them, as Islamists are doing every day.

The so-called Mutawa’s, religious police in Saudi Arabia, are empowered to force all women to cover their bodies from head to toe, even 5-year-old girls. Pedestrians during prayer times are forced to go the mosque and pray, sometimes even non-Muslims are forced to do so. Women who travel by taxi alone are accused of adultery. Both the woman and the taxi driver are imprisoned and tortured. In Gaza, Basra/Iraq, south Lebanon, and Iran no woman is allowed to walk in a public place without a hijab (headscarf). In most Egyptian towns, women without a headscarf are denigrated and treated as prostitutes.

More and more governments in the Middle East, for example, in Egypt, Syria, Kuwait, Pakistan, Morocco, Algeria, Yemen, and Iraq are allying themselves with Islamists in a bid to appease the latter. Demonizing the West would partially appease the Islamists and essentially debilitate the demand for democracy in these countries.

The problem is not Islam; it has existed for 1400 years and will still, realistically speaking, exist. The problem in the 21st century is the Islamists. They have hijacked both Islam and moderate Muslims. The resources of these thugs must be dried out and this is the responsibility of all of us. We must not be intimidated by them under any circumstances. They are a socio-cultural virus that must be eradicated by all means.

Finally, a colleague told me, Islam is sick. And its disease is called Islamism. The world community must fight this devastating disease, this Black Death. It is disrupting peace and stability in the whole world. Abdul Hadi Palazzi, an Italian Islam expert said several times, “The Americans should have invaded Saudi Arabia, instead of Iraq. It IS the source of all evil.” I would add Egypt, Qatar, and the UAE. The Islamist establishments in these countries and their media are fostering Islamism. All these regimes proclaim that they are friends of the West, but at the same time they fund and support Islamism. It is, however, clear that America and the West at large would not want to antagonize these regimes for well-known geopolitical and economic considerations.

*Dr. Sami Alrabaa, an ex-Muslim, is a professor of Sociology and an Arab-Muslim culture specialist. Before moving to Germany he taught at Kuwait University, King Saud University, and Michigan State University

Thanks to: http://www.islam-watch.org

Full Article: http://www.islam-watch.org/Sami/Islamism-Socio-Political-Virus.htm]]> http://www.last.fm/user/KhaosWolf666/journal/2008/10/13/27x33r_islamism_is_a_socio-political_virus#comments http://www.last.fm/user/Incinerator666/journal/2008/01/12/b6v23_blazebirth_hall_reports.../group Sat, 12 Jan 2008 22:33:58 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/Incinerator666/journal/2008/01/12/b6v23_blazebirth_hall_reports... Stellar Winter Records lost ~120 CD's due to the "trade" with Leonidas INFO-BLACK/ISO666:
--------------------------
To: blazebirthhall
From: Stellar Winter Rex.
Subject: INFO-BLACK

Hails!

Kaldrad of FOREST, BRANIKALD, NITBERG, BlazeBirth Hall here. With this official letter we would like to inform everyone who consider themselves as our comrades and all those who deal with dishonorable thief, notorious ripoff and bootlegger Leonidas Yallas of INFO-BLACK Records, ISO666 Distro, CHAOS ebay webshop etc. that up from September 2007 we (FOREST band) take away all the rights of re-releasing, selling, trading et c. all FOREST albums from INFO-BLACK Records and all the virtual "structures" affiliated to this person. Currently we're going to find a trustworthy and professional label with true attitude and ability to re-release all 4 early FOREST albums in CD format with original and enriched designs in the nearest future, in order to completely remove INFO-BLACK's bootlegged shit from the scene.


All the FOREST CD's you may buy or trade from Leonidas Yallas and INFO-BLACK Records up from now on are considered as bootlegs by the band itself. This means that if you buy or trade any FOREST CD from Info-Black or Iso666 you support dishonourable attitude, cowardice, thievery, bootlegging and shameless ripoff attitude, by getting those CD's you help Leonidas to steal from the real Creators of these albums further on.

Thus, we have to warn all the individuals who consider themselves as a honest and real supporters of underground Black Metal in general and FOREST in particular:



DO NOT BUY OR TRADE ANY
FOREST CD's FROM INFO-BLACK / ISO666.



Thanks for your attention. Any bands, labels or distros ripped off by Leonidas Yallas of INFO-BLACK Records / ISO666 feel encouraged to get in touch with us as we're forming a small website dedicated to exposure of the true attitude and real activities of this ripoff rat. If you support FOREST in their intention to cleanse the scumbags who cowardly steal from the bands out of Black Metal scene, feel free to spread this official letter.

For those interested in detailed reasons of this situations, everything is provided below.

***

Although we verbally (without any kind of contract) agreed on re-releasing 4 first albums of FOREST (namely "Forest" '96, "Like a Blaze Above the Ashes" '97, "Foredooming the Hope to Eternity" '98, "As a Song in the Harvest of Grief" '98) on Info-Black Records back 5 years ago (in 2002), as some time passed, it turned out that the label's owner Leonidas Yallas never intended to deal with us honestly during all this time.
The first serious problem we got with Leonidas was, when back in 2005, he was supposed to
print our 3rd and 4th albums ("Foredooming..." and "As a Song..."). Once we sent him the full layouts forth both booklets and traycards, he started to whine that they have too many pages (16 pages are "too much" for Info-Black) and are all in fullcolour, so he can't afford printing "such expensive layouts".


Thus, completely without our agreement he "designed" solely by himself and printed shitty small
4-pages black/white layouts with different frontcovers and as a money-grabbing pig already started to announce those albums as available for sale and trade. So we had to confront him with our demands to burn his shitty and unappropriate self-made booklets and print the real ones with lyrics and all images et c. as the band provided, but Leonidas continued to whine that he can't afford it and still tried to sell and trade those versions. He didn't said he doesn't agree to work with us and stop releasing our albums, he actually offered nothing to us, just complained about his expences and the need to sell those CD. Only due to the compromise (which we regret now) reached due to the help of our trusted contact we "solved" this problem in a way, so Leonidas had to print half-ass small cards with the true frontcovers for both albums and put them inside of his shitty selfmade 4-pages booklets and spread these CD's that way.


During all these years Leonidas were printing uncounted copies of all 4 FOREST albums and were sending us 60 CD's out of each 500 _officially_ printed as the only kind of "payment". Of course, as we discovered later INFO-BLACK was printing much more than officially stated. For example, if to trust Leonidas' words and calculations, during whole 5 years of our collaboration he printed (and sent us our "share" of copies for) only 1000 or 1500 FOREST "Forest" CD's. These Cd's are being on and off in alot of distros during these 5 years since it was released and now many distros are getting this album again and again. Just for your information 1500 copies of FOREST "In a Flame of Glory" were released by Stellar Winter less than 2 years ago and 1200 copies of it were sold out / traded within 3 months after the release date, now you could rarely run into a distro which still have this CD available. Thus, learning about the demand in the underground and distributional dinamics of FOREST albums while comparing 3 months it took SW to spread the same amount which _allegedly_ took Info-Black 5 years to spread, we clearly understood that Leonidas rips us off by printing at least 2 times more CD's than this thief openly declares to us.


A few times already, we also ocassionally ran into the info that he bootlegs the CD's of other bands and prints more copies, do more represses than he officially declares. He does so to give less copies for his bands (it's what some other bands who were formerly on Info-Black said in the private).
Be it true or not with the others (we still have to find out the direct proofs to expose even more
facts about Leonidas), it is the exact dishonest and ripoff way he dealed with FOREST .
We could inform everyone officially that during the last 1,5 years or so Leonidas didn't sent a single CD to FOREST, although all 4 FOREST albums released on Info-Black are constantly available for wholesale and trades even now (which means he contantly represses them without our agreement and without providing anything to the band).


Even when warned by us and our comrades, he continued to ripoff and bootleg FOREST CD's for a couple of years already by violating and ignoring all the demands from us. So, I, being the main person behind FOREST, passed my demands and the new terms of a possible collaboration between FOREST and INFO-BLACK to Leonidas through a trusted contact a few times - 1 year ago (Autumn 2006), last Winter (2006/2007), 2 months ago (July 2007) et c. and I warned him that if he will not follow our demands we are going to act accordingly. We gave him time till 15th of September 2007. Leonidas firstly gave some excuses, when turned off, he didn't said he doesn't want to work with us anymore, he agreed on our terms and asked for more time to fullfill our demands (it was 1 year ago), then just openly ignored everything and stopped to answer the emails or sending us even our copies due to our old agreements, those he owes us for more than 1 year already. During this year he re-released again all 4 FOREST albums in A5 Digi-pack format solely on himself again, without any agreement with us and without sending us even a single copy of it.

We still havn't even seen with our own eyes how these shitty bootlegs look. Ignoring us and ripping us off never prevented Leonidas from getting money on our music. In the first decade of September INFO-BLACK sent a mass email to all his contacts proposing them his new releases and reprints, incl. all FOREST albums of course. I got informed about it and asked the trusted contact to write to Leonidas and tell him that we (FOREST) take away all the rights for all 4 FOREST albums from Info-Black, so until 15th of September Leonidas must trade or sell all his "remaining" FOREST CD's he has on his label/distro/shop and stop releasing/repressing/selling/trading anything from FOREST once and for all. Leonidas wrote us ridiculous reply claiming he doesn't care for what our contact passes to him and he wants to speak with FOREST directly. Actually Leonidas tries to invent everything just not to admit his faults, lies and stealing. So, INFO BLACK demanded to hear from us, thus my wife Katya (who is also FOREST/BBH member and painter) wrote Leonidas an official email from the behalf
FOREST and send it from both our official email blazebirthhall@front.ru as well as carbon copy from her private email. This was our letter to Leonidas:

===

Salutes!

This is Katya of BlazeBirth Hall / FOREST , Kaldrad's wife. I have an official word from Kaldrad to you. He already passed this a couple of months ago, but I see you prefer not to listen. Our dealing with your label were based on a verbal agreement without any written contract or anything, so this is the way it ends. We take away all the rights for (re)release/repress/sale/trade all FOREST albums in any form Info-Black Records, Iso666, Chaos Shop or any other structure you're behind up from 15th September 2007 due to your constant violation of our demands and innability to resolve this matter until the very deadline (Gorruth warned you about it months ago). So you were given enough time to solve everything or at least to spread the remaining bootlegged copies of FOREST you did during the last year and didn't paid to us for in any form. From now on all our relations with you and your label end. This is the will of FOREST and Kaldrad personally, not of Gorruth and Stellar Winter. Whoever will release and re-release
all FOREST albums past and future up from now - is only our business and our decision, you have no rights for them anymore. If you will not follow our word till the day we gave you 2 months ago, the 15th of September, we would have to inform all your and our contacts about your dishonourable behaviour and about your rip off, bootlegging activities.

===

Leonidas openly ignored our letter and demands again, here is the only thing he replied with:

===


I' do not agree to whatever you say or plan to do with Forest cds.
i will wait for your move...

LEONIDAS
www.info-black.com
www.iso666.com

===

As you might see, this rip off and bootlegger openly admits he will not comply to the demands of the band, will not pay us what we demand and he will continue to print and sell our CD's despite any warnings etc. without any rights to do so. He demanded to hear from me directly still, but denied even to give his mobile number, so all I had to say to him after all the warnings is "just fuck off". This leaves FOREST no other choice than to do what we did. But this might not be the end of Leonidas troubles, because the liars and thieves must pay for their crap one day, sooner or later, who knows, Leonidas, perhaps we will meet one day in real and you will not be able to hide behind your PC and the distance of 2500 km 's? ;)

This is the nidh (a skaldic curse) aimed on Leonidas:

As a finest dinner to the Hag herself,
As her dearest lover to be
Sionidas is appointed
By the word of the High one

More pitiful scumbags are hard to find
Than the those who slave for the gold
These words of mine to impale the empty heart
Of male concubine of Yehova, sionidas

Spineless as a worm and even less of the honour
A lion of sion is made of,
Now suffer the curse,
The greedy wife of Yehova

====================================================================


VIII

Now just some words of support from a few people on the scene:
----------------------------------
To: blazebirthhall
From: Werwolf / Werewolf Records
Subject: Re: INFO-BLACK/ISO666 is a ripoff and bootlegger - an official letterfrom FOREST band

All my support!

Just tell me if you want and I'll smash the remaining Forest cds from ISO (I traded from them over a year ago) right away, hahahaha.

Just to let you know if this reaches BBH directly, that the FOREST " FOREST " DLP should be here very soon,
and I'm eagerly waiting for the possibility to do more BBH material on vinyl.

Werwolf / Werewolf records
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To: blazebirthhall
From: "agelorm@libero.it"
Subject:

Heil BRANIKALD/FOREST!
Here G.G./BYLEC-TUM Magazine & Prod. writing from Italia.
First of all, you have to know that I follow your hordes (Branikald,
Forest...) since the early demos unleashed by Stellar Winter, I have those tapes since their unleashing, and then the CDs unleashed by that CODARD behind Iso666 (Gre).
I know what happened with that jew, I am very well informed into the Underground. I milit with BYLEC-TUM Mag. from 1996, and before I worked on OBSCURITY `zine (1995-1996). I know about his bootlegs and the rip-off attitude (already The One/Macabre Omen informed me about
his bastard attitude, and then Ive had confirms from comrades).
I also had contacts with Bolverk/Totenkopf Propaganda/Wodulf/Der Sturmer/Ravenbanner...
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P.S. We have other countless witnesses from other bands and labels like f.ex. GRIFFAR band from France and HUMANITY'S PLAGUE PRODUCTIONS who were ripped off and bootlegged (in the case of the band) by Leonidas Jallas of Info Black / Iso 666. Be careful, you may be the next.

P.P.S. Please do not repost this on forums, just add the link to this page on the web (here you can always get updated information about the thief of INFO-BLACK and his rip off activities):]]> http://www.last.fm/user/Incinerator666/journal/2008/01/12/b6v23_blazebirth_hall_reports...#comments