On about 300 pages they give insight into a subculture that is in parts more than disgusting. Beginning with an introduction on the history of Black Metal and the core topics of the genre ranging from Satanism over neopaganism to the glorification of war and back they then try to draw the thin line between the usage of national socialism as a metaphor for the supreme evil or the holocaust as a small scale example for the extinction of mankind to come and an extreme right view of the world that is manifesting in the artists’lyrics and the artwork. The distinction between bands like Marduk with records like “panzerdivision marduk” or Endstille who sing about little more than WW2 on one side and bands like Absurd or Totenburg on the right outfield is indeed difficult and often ambiguous. However the authors do pretty well in this game probably due to the fact that they are personally into metal for years as well as studied social or political scientists with a focus on the extreme right.

They collected such a vast amount of information that it is really difficult for them to fit it all into this work. This way the second half of the book is a bit long-winded when they bombard the reader with legions of name of bands and labels, actors and their pseudonyms. I think it is impossible to keep the overview without taking notes here but I also think that it is not necessary to do so because the most important facts come across: there is an enormous organisational incest in the scene, the slogans are mostly the same no matter who you ask, the political views of the protagonists are far off any possible level of tolerance and the messianic mission that they feel being on makes them extremely dangerous.

The information in this book should be spread within the metal and especially the black metal scene with high intensity because no one would believe who crass this underground scene as long as it is not shown to her/him. No inch to the fascists!

I digest the lecture of this book to everyone into antifascism, metal or subcultural research. The only real point of criticism is the enormous amount of typos. Was there no editing?  [jan]

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