Black metal has always been a divisive subgenre, known for its extreme aesthetics, dark lyrical themes, and penchant for pushing the boundaries of musical conventions. Bands like Venom, considered pioneers of the movement, have earned a cult following for their unapologetically provocative and often absurd lyrics.
Obviously, within the metal community, there is room for diverse opinions. And in a recent interview, on the We Go to 11 podcast, Metal Church guitarist and founding member Kurdt Vanderhoof didn’t mince words when expressing his strong aversion to extreme metal music, and particularly black metal. Vanderhoof called the genre “satanic screamo stuff” and said that he doesn’t understand the appeal.
“I hate it. I hate that black metal, Satanic, screamo stuff. It’s garbage to me… I don’t like black metal. I don’t like any of that kind of stuff. I like the stuff that I initially liked. The New Wave Of British Heavy Metal stuff — I love that stuff. I don’t listen to the new Satanic stuff at all.”
When the interviewer mentioned that Venom were considered black metal, but they also were kinda thrashy, Vanderhoof chuckled and added: “They were awful. But they were funny. They made you laugh. You listen to the lyrics and you’re, like, ‘Yeah, right.’ … It’s not my bag — never has been,” he quipped.
Metal Church recently released a new studio album Congregation of Annihilation, their first with new singer Marc Lopes, who joined the band after the tragic passing of their former singer Mike Howe.
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