Essay Proposal

Essay Title: The Incorporation of Black Metal

- Black Metal initially started out as a rebellion against commercial metal

- Black Metal was a rebellion against Christianised Norse culture and conservative ideals

- It was soon made into a caricature by mainstream media after the murder of Euronymous and the church burnings. Turned into an Other

- Corporate record labels started signing black metal acts to appeal to a certain subculture. It has now become a standardised genre

- Black Metal imagery can be seen (incorporated) in mainstream culture. Inverted crosses in Topshop, The Undertaker (wrestler), Lady Gaga, The Crow (film)

Moynihan, Micheal and Søderlind, Didrik, 1998. Lords of Chaos: The Bloody Rise of the Satanic Metal Underground. 2^nd Ed. Port Townsend: Feral House. Gives an in depth history of the genre and features interviews and direct quotes from many musicians from the scene, including Varg Vikernes and Euronymous. It has quotes from band members criticising commercial music and contemporary Norwegian society. It is an essential read for anybody interested in the genre and is one of the only published books solely for the genre.

Until The Light Takes Us, 2009 [Documentary] Directed by Aaron Sites and Audrey Ewell. USA: Ewell & Aites. The documentary again features interviews with band members from the original black metal scene and covers much of the same area as Lords of Chaos. It is especially good because it shows the after effects of Black Metal, showing how it became commercialised and what effect it has had on Norwegian society. It also shows people who have taken Black Metal imagery to create Fine art and performance art.

Hebdige, Dick, 1979. Subculture: The Meaning of Style. London: Routledge. Gives the main idea that subcultures become incorporated into mainstream society, particularly how the aesthetics make it easily relatable and fashionable. The essay on Incorporation concentrates on Punk but it's ideas and opinions can easily be applied to most subcultures and to Black Metal.

Adorno, Theodor, 1941. On Popular Music [Online] Last Updated: 17/02/11. Available at: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/SWA/On_popular_music_1.shtml

Comments on standardised commercial music, which Black Metal eventually became. It also introduces the idea of pseudo-individualism which is used to mask over standardised music to make it appear unique to the consumer. In this case it was designed to look evil, rebellious and shocking.

Cohen, Phil, 1972, Subcultural Conflict and Working-Class Community. Found in Gelder, Ken, 1992, The Subcultural Reader. 2^nd Ed. New York: Routledge. This essay talks about the inherent nature of rebellion and the urge to discover and undermine the things subcultures find wrong with mainstream society. Gives an psychological insight into why subcultures start and states that they are often a reaction to the dominant class in a particular society. In this instance, a reaction against the dominant idea that Christianity is the one true religion despite the countries strong religious past

Taken from fashion website Polyvor.com, shows how Black metal has become a fashion statement. You can now join the subculture by simply buying some clothes from high street retailers