Blackgaze
| Blackgaze | |
|---|---|
| Stylistic origins | |
| Cultural origins | Early to mid-2000s, France |
Blackgazeis a fusion genre combining elements ofblack metalandshoegaze.[3]The word is a blend of the names of the two genres, described byThe Guardianas "thebuzz termfor a new school of bands taking black metal out of the shadows and melding itsblast beats,dungeonwailingand razorwire guitars with the more reflective melodies ofpost-rock,shoegaze andpost-hardcore."[2]According toExclaim!,blackgaze "marries the harsh, alien instrumentation of black metal with the mellower, dreamy soundscapes of shoegaze."[3]
Influenced byatmospheric black metalbands likeUlverandSummoning,the genre was pioneered by French musicianNeigearound 2005 through the projectsAlcestandAmesoeursand has risen to prominence with the success of American groupDeafheaven.[3]The Guardiannamed Deafheaven "blackgaze's de facto poster boys, the most likely to open up black metal to an even wider audience",[2]andExclaim!described their second albumSunbather– the most critically acclaimed album of 2013 onMetacritic– as seminal to blackgaze.[3]
Development[edit]
Michael Nelson ofStereogumtracks the origins of blackgaze to the early work of French musicianNeige,who pioneered the fusion through projects includingAlcest,Amesoeursand Lantlôs. According to Nelson, Alcest's 2005 EPLe Secretwas "the birth of blackgaze"; he noted that it sounded "like aCocteau Twins/Burzumcollaborative split "and that" [r]oughly half the time, vocals were delivered in an angelic coo; the other half, they were a raw, distant shriek ".[4]Natalie Zina Walschots ofExclaim!also credits Neige with pioneering the style, while noting that American bandDeafheavenhas pushed the genre to "greater prominence".[3][5]Deafheaven's vocalist George Clarke himself cites the work of Alcest as "the blueprint" for the band's musical direction.[4]
Reception[edit]
Some fans of traditional black metal andheavy metalmore generally have criticized the genre for its success among those outside of themetal community,[6]most prominently after the release of Deafheaven's 2013 albumSunbather.However, this reaction was vastly overshadowed by critical acclaim for the album, which became one of the defining releases of blackgaze.[7][8][9]Deafheaven have also managed to gather widespread appeal by way of playing mainstream music festivals, often being one of the sole metal-related acts performing.[10][11]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^Michael Nelson (January 3, 2014)."Deconstructing Alcest's Shelter And Metal In A Post-Deafheaven World".RetrievedJanuary 22,2018.
- ^abcdHowells, Tom (October 5, 2015)."Blackgaze: meet the bands taking black metal out of the shadows".The Guardian.RetrievedJune 7,2020.
- ^abcdeWalschots, Natalie Zina (February 26, 2014)."The Translator Blackgaze".Exclaim!.RetrievedApril 15,2016.
- ^abNelson, Michael (January 3, 2014)."Deconstructing: Alcest'sShelterAnd Metal In A Post-Deafheaven World ".Stereogum.RetrievedOctober 5,2015.
- ^Hughes, Josiah (September 23, 2015)."The Plight of Deafheaven".Exclaim!.RetrievedJanuary 24,2016.
- ^Stewart-Panko, Kevin (March 3, 2015)."Debunking the" hipster metal "myth".Alternative Press.Archived fromthe originalon May 31, 2016.RetrievedMay 24,2016.
- ^Sunbather by Deafheaven,retrieved2015-10-05
- ^"Deafheaven: Sunbather".Retrieved2015-10-05.
- ^"Deafheaven's Sunbather Was Featured in the Apple iPhone 5c Keynote".MetalSucks.Retrieved2015-10-05.
- ^"Hunt-Hendrix broadens black metal sound with Liturgy".Retrieved2015-10-06.
- ^"Crossin' Over with Deafheaven's George Clarke".Archived fromthe originalon 2016-03-04.Retrieved2015-10-06.
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