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My Black Metal top 25

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 13:58:02 GMT

Time for another portion of my fave music. This one is going to be about Black Metal, the extreme genre which has shaped much of my musical perceptions throughout my mid and late teen years. From my teen years, up till 7-8 years ago, no other music existed for me (but then i started to expand my interests rapidly, initially through gothic, and then it exploded into the present myriad of genres that i'm interested in). Today, probably the only music genre which i cannot stand, even if i was tied to a tree, is opera. But lets return to Black Metal now...

BM is one of the most extreme subgenres of heavy metal. It employs fast tempos, shrieked vocals and growls, highly distorted guitars, double-kick drumming, and unconventional song structure. Thats what Wikipedia says. But there's of course such a huge variety of sub-sub-genres within BM that it'd be impossible to discuss them all. The first thing that comes to mind when i'm speaking of BM is that its fucking good for live shows! I've been at W:O:A several times, and out of the myriad of bands and genres, the one which made the greatest impression as a whole were always the BM ones, and thats no coincidence. Because Black Metal is loud, fast, fun, and, surprise-surprise! - its melodic!

There's really a huge variety of themes and ideologies in BM, but one immediately sticks out: many BM bands profess Satanism, or some kind of anti-theism. Surely, its a PR stunt which is aimed at appealing to the target fan group (which are predominantly very young). It seems to work.

Perhaps you'll notice that the most frequently cited BM band is Dimmu Borgir. Thats no coincidence. Dimmu Borgir is named after a mystical rock formation in north-east Iceland, a place of witches and ghosts, which, according to legend, serves as a portal between our world and the Underworld - i've been there many, many times and it truly is an enchanting place. The band Dimmu Borgir is without any doubt by far the best representative of Black Metal. Its a Norwegian band, which has had so much success that they've become world icons, while being criticised by many for becoming too "commercial" (but i have my own specific opinion - if an artist earns a lot of popularity and makes huge sales, it must mean they're talented enough and skilled enough, so having a "commercial" status is not necessarily a negative trait). If anything, its been a delight to watch them evolve over the years. ('94, '96, '97, '99, '01, '03, '05, '07).

Its also no coincidence that Dimmu Borgir are Norwegian. Black Metal has the biggest base in Scandinavia - Norway (Satanic BM, Viking metal), Finland (folk metal, power- & prog-metal), Sweden (symphonic, gothic, etc). The other big name in the guild is the UK band Cradle of Filth, of the famous frontman Dani Filth. The list of names is really big and very diverse, so i'll let the videos speak instead.

There's also this widely established cliche that most BM fans are mindless headbanging drones of the teenage breed who are either depressed or angry with the world for no reason, and this kind of music is their way of escaping into their own world, fleeing from their own complexes. I wouldnt go that far, as i've always mostly seen music as just that - music - but i have to admit BM has provided inspiration for me in my dark moments (and teen age tends to be full of those; now when i look back, i'm aware most of these had ridiculous reasons - but some were not so ridiculous). I've also had my "moments", if you see what i mean. Fortunately, i didnt go too far with this, and i've always seen BM purely as music that i could appreciate (i've sometimes used it for bedtime lullaby to put me to sleep, or an ambient background whilst reading my homework for exams - shocking, isnt it!?) I could say for sure that the peak of my "metal-ness" was at the time when my father died (thats understandable), but i was already much into gothic-metal by that time, rather than still into BM. I soon went through the more contemporary subgenres of metal, like power-, symph- and progressive metal, along with many other, more cheerful and meaningful genres of music. As soon as i moved to UK, i was already under the influence of jazz, punk, rap, trip-hop, Brit rock, indie, etc. And here in SA, i opened myself to ethno, afro-pop, kwaito, and especially the so-called "world music".

But there'll always remain a certain place in my soul for the good auld, mind-blowing BLACK METAL. And i dont care what they say.

So, usually i present my Top 10 songs of the discussed genre, but because BM has had the most impact on my musical tastes thus far, i couldnt possibly shrink my selection down to just 10 tracks. So i'm presenting my TOP 25 Black Metal songs. Put your volume on max, and enjoy! :)

But first, the historically best live performance of the best song by the best band in Black Metal. Ie, the epitome of the entire genre:

MY TOP 25 BLACK METAL SONGS

Dimmu Borgir - Mourning Palace
Cradle of Filth - From The Cradle To Enslave
Dimmu Borgir - In Death's Embrace
Finntroll - Jaktens Tid
Rotting Christ - Among Two Storms
Graveworm - A Dreaming Beauty
Catamenia - Dreams of Winterland
Orphaned Land - Birth of the Three
Arcturus - Ad Astra
Nokturnal Mortum - Goat Horns
Cradle of Filth - Her Ghost In The Fog
Moonspell - Opium
Children of Bodom - Are You Dead Yet?
Cradle of Filth - Nymphetamine Fix
Dimmu Borgir - Master of Disharmony
Satyricon - Mother North
Cradle of Filth - Dusk And Her Embrace
Dimmu Borgir - The Serpentine Offering
Rotting Christ - A Dead Poem
Dimmu Borgir - Puritania
Rotting Christ - Semigod
Agathodaimon - An Angel's Funeral
Finntroll - Födosagan
Dark Funeral - My Funeral
Old Man's Child - Doommaker

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Hand of Frog

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 17:43:08 GMT

The title is an allusion to the Hand of God incident. Mayhaps some have heard of the huge scandal around the 2nd leg of the France v Ireland World Cup play-off, which caused an unprecedented row. Two weeks ago, France had won 1:0 in Dublin. On the return leg, the match ended 0:1 for Ireland in regular time, so 30 minutes of extra time were to be played. In the 13th minute of extra-time, this happened:

France eventually held the 1:1 score and thus avoided the penalty shoot-out, winning the play-off, 2-1 on aggregate. The Irish were outraged by this injustice. The referee refused to acknowledge a hand-play from Thierry Henry prior to William Gallas' goal, whereas everyone saw hand-play.

For fairness sake, Henry immediately admitted of breaking the rules. He said he noticed there was something wrong with that situation, but the ref didnt blow the whistle, so he continued to play. Come the end of the game, Henry went to the ref and to the devastated Irish players, and he confessed that he had used his hand.

The scandal grew over the media, and Henry was fair enough to admit everywhere that he had broken the rules, but it was the referee and noone else to decide whether its a goal or not. Henry said that the only solution is to replay the match. It made me proud with him, being an Arsenal fan myself (and he has been very respectful to all his opponents, including some praising statements about his former team Arsenal which really made my heart melt).

So all the blame fell on the ref of course. The Irish football association said that it'd be fair if the game is replayed, but FIFA said they saw no reason to authorise that - unless the French FA issued an official request for a re-play. So now the ball was in the French field.

But the French, in their typical froggish greasy style, refused! They said the match is officially over, and the case is closed!

Another reason for me to vomit whenever i hear the name France.

Of course i'm not surprised. They wouldnt risk being eliminated in a play-off and being thrown out of such an illustrious competition like the World Cup, by someone like Ireland. And why would they? The match is officially over, game over for Ireland.

I suspect FIFA are feeling an enormous relief too, that France will come to South Africa next year, albeit absolutely undeservedly, instead of Ireland. After all, its all about the money, yeah? And France is supposedly the bigger golden hen in terms of revenue (from TV rights, commercials, and match tickets) - though that, too, is rather disputable IMO.

Btw, FIFA again showed a tremendous amount of stupid by finding Henry himself to be the scapegoat, and now contemplating over the prospect of banning him for 3-4 international matches (which means he'll potentially miss the first half of France's campaign on the World Cup - provided they manage to emerge from the group, of course).

So, at the end of the day, Ireland is screwed, man. Screwed big time! And from now on, anyone who dares to mention in front of me about the "famous Irish luck", would have a nice sharp kick in the teeth, damn it.

(But meanwhile, Irish legend Roy Keane has a point, when he's saying that if the Irish had converted their goal chances, all of this mess would've been moot).
...

US + EU = luv

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:32:23 GMT

There was a recent post on TP about EU and the coming election for new European institutions (actually, selection). Its going to happen today (the selection, that is). Some European smartheads will gather around a table, perhaps smoke a few cigars (such a cliche), drink whiskey and then decide who's going to be put on the throne to be their puppet. Business as usual, ya know. All this stuff has been already explained at great length by smarter people than myself, so i won't go much into that. Here i'll focus a bit more on the US-EU relations. We all remember what a reception Obama got in Berlin. Has the perception of Obama changed very much in Europe since then? And how have the EU-US relations evolved since then? If at all? Its no secret that Bush was not trusted by the majority of Europeans and respectively he didnt trust any of them either. So lets try to see how this has this changed now?

( Some more on US-EU relations )

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ In Joy And Sorrow...

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:54:21 GMT

♥♥♥♥♥ TODAY IS OUR 10TH ANNIVERSARY! ♥♥♥♥♥

Wow, time flies so fast! 10 years have slipped by since that awesome day. The day of our first kiss. The day i met the love of my life. The day my life truly began.
The DAY I BECAME A HAPPY MAN!

Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou Ani, thank you so much for being beside me all this time!

My Ghazal top 10

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 21:00:59 GMT

YAY!!! Ani is back home! The whole family is together again! <3<3<3

I have no proper words to express my joy right now... So, instead i'll just bring in something unique here. A good friend of mine (Karim) brought me a nice DVD with Hindi/Urdu "ghazal" music, which is one of the most distinct styles of Pakistan/India. Very lyrical and melancholic, spiritual and mystifying. They sing about love all the time. Makes me melt...

I've been much into the music of the world for a lot of time, and i've heard Ghulam Ali before. But now after some extensive listening, i think i could splash my Top 10 Ghazal songs of all time. Pretty much corresponds to my sentimental mood right now. <3

Ghulam Ali - Chupke Chupke Raat Din
Pankaj Udhas - Niklo Na benaqab
Jagjit Singh - Parakhna Mat
Abida Parveen - Hazaron Khwahishain aisee ke har
Mata Ali - Hoon ajeeb kashmakash mein
Chitra Singh - Humko dushman ki nigahon
Masood Khan - Khuda ham ko aisi Khudai na de
Pankaj Udhas - Aap Jinke Kareeb Hote Hain
Ghulam Ali - Yeh Dil Ye Pagal Ye dil Mera
Jagjit Singh & Asha Bhonsle - Jab Saamne Tum Aa Jaate Ho

RIP, Robert Enke...

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 08:26:17 GMT

German international football goalkeeper Robert Enke died in the early evening on Tuesday. Enke had been crossing a railway and was killed by a train. It was a suicide. He left a suicide note at home. The death of the 32-year-old football player from Hannover 96 has shocked the football world.

His daughter died in 2006 when she was just two years old. The enormous personal drama eventually led to Enke's suicide.

I hope he'll find peace. And i hope his young wife and their adopted little daughter will somehow manage to go through this....

Apagão!!!

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:17:04 GMT

Yesterday evening (Brasil time), a power failure of monstrous proportions at Itaipu caused a huge power blackout affecting shockingly large parts of the country, and leaving tens of millions of people stranded as underground railways, traffic lights, street lights and electric gates were hit. There've been all kinds of versions, some of the probable explanations were bad weather (after it had been ruled out as a possible reason, huh!?) The president denied allegations that the problem occurred due to lack of investments in the infrastructure. The worst thing is, this enormous incident is putting a shadow of doubt on Brasil's ability to organise the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympics...

Whats for sure is, the residents of the entire southern section of Brasil, plus the whole of Paraguay, but especially in the two largest cities, Sampa and Rio, spent nearly 3 hours in chaos and confusion because of the disruptions.

Now they're awaiting answers.

...And i'm trembling with anxiety, cos i'm supposed to go back there in less than 3 weeks!

Tribute to Mama Africa

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 11:57:42 GMT

A big heart stopped beating one year ago. The Empress of Africa is now in Heaven. But there'll be a place for her in our hearts. Forever.

Rest in peace, Mama Africa...

Freu dich, Deutschland!!!

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 19:05:37 GMT

...Ich kenne einen ganz besonderen Berliner, dessen Herz heute schlägt mit großer Freude!

Just a thought

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 17:41:19 GMT

I seldom put links to TP on my own LJ, but i was kindof intrigued by this discussion on religion, initiated by mahnmut .

I came across a statement: "But then, aren't we all sinners?"

It made me thinking:

Oh really??? Then look at this and tell me what you think.

By which standards [are we sinners]? I could say i'm not:

1. You shall have no other gods before me.
I have no gods, so i've never had no other gods before him.

2. You shall not make for yourself any carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
I've never made a carved image, nor a likeness of heaven or earth, nor have i bowed down to anything or anybody.

3. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.
I never evoke any godly names because i dont care enough to do it.

4. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your manservant, nor your maidservant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.
Sure, i take a looong nap on Sundays and i procrastinate for the rest of the day. Thats a law at my family (including my cattle).

5. Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.
I adore my mother and i honour the memory of my father.

6.You shall not murder.
I've never murdered anybody.

7. You shall not commit adultery.
My wife's consent and participation in 3somes means i've never commited adultery.

8. You shall not steal.
I've never stolen anything.

9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
I've never born false witness against anybody.

10. You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's.
I've never coveted my neighbour's house or wife or servants or ox or donkey or anything else but their friendship.

Doesnt this technically make me sinless?

Or there are some amendments to this constitution as well, which i've missed?

My Greek top 10

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:51:49 GMT

I was listening to my Greek music collections today, and i was thinking of a selection to put on a new audio CD for the car. So i came up with this list of Top 10 Greek Songs of all time IMO. Absolutely stunning masterpieces...

Top 10 Greece

1. Natasa Theodoridou - Oute Mia Leksi

2. Notis Sfakianakis - Soma Mou

3. Thanos Petrelis - An Den Eixa Ki Esena

4. Anemos - Miazis me Fotia

5. Vassilis Karras - Fenomeno

6. Notis Sfakianakis - Gyftisa Mera

7. Thanos Petrelis - Adiorthoti

8. Despina Vandi - Thelo

9. Christos Kyriazis - Epimeno

10. Antique - Opa Opa

U were right.

Thu, 05 Mar 2009 19:28:35 GMT

This is just a short announcement. Those of you who advised me against being too open on LJ were right. And i was wrong.

There were some events... which i won't discuss now. I thought it over a little, and consequently i made some changes.

1. From now on, all my personal stuff automatically goes into the f-protected column - following Ani's example [1][2], which seems to work well. Additionally, all stuff which is older than 1 month periodically goes into the archive and will also get blocked. Whoever is interested about it, would better contact me. All my f-list will still be able to read it of course. Stalkers, begone.

2. One more thing. I may've expressed my disagreement with this before, and i've never done it until now, but i performed some purge of my f-list. In case you found yourself among the removed ones, you probably:

a) have never really shown any interest, or have clearly shown me that you dont care to read my LJ anyway, or you contribute with nothing to it;
b) i've repeatedly been finding myself skipping, or outright avoiding to look at your LJ (for various reasons), and i cant feel any "chemistry" going;
c) your LJ has been dormant for quite a while, which makes me think you're not using LJ anymore (with a few exceptions that i know for sure who actually are).

3. Additionally, there have been a couple of users who are no more able to comment on my LJ or send me personal messages. They know why. Commenting from non-friends will remain screened.

4. As i've always been aiming to improve, i may change the contents and form of my LJ - that is, until now i've done my best to post every single day. Now, i'll aim at less quantity, but more quality.

To all of you who are still with me, THANK YOU SO MUCH! Its a pleasure and honour to have you. Thank you reallyreallyreally much!

This is a final statement on the issue, period. Comments have been disabled on this thread. The more curious ones could get info thru personal msg, though i doubt i'll be much online in the next week or so.

See ya around! Stay cool and keep having fun :)

Greetings to all with a local song which is very popular here --> ♫

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