What is it that makes metal Black Metal? One much-argued-upon criterion is that it must be Norwegian, but there are now many American Black Metal bands who would care to disagree.
In a purely sonic sense, the general stipulations for Black Metal (as opposed to Thrash, Death, Speed, Grindcore, Doom, etc.) include distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, fast tempos with blast beat drumming, shrieked or growled vocals, and raw or lo-fi recording styles. Even with this set of standards in mind, there is an awful lot of room for diversity among musical styles. This is perhaps why the point of origin becomes important.
Although it grew out of an eclectic European mix of Thrash Metal bands (Venom from England, Bathory from Sweden, and Celtic Frost from Switzerland), the so-called second wave of Black Metal was comprised almost exclusively of Norwegian artists. This coterie of bands was a tight one which championed exclusivity, elitism, and (in more than one unfortunate case) Nationalism to the point of Fascism.
Given this, it shouldn't be a surprise that many a true Norwegian Black Metal fan has a difficult time swallowing the idea of a Black Metal movement in the United States. When American metals bands first began borrowing the term, the backlash was immediate and the refrain simple: "They're all a bunch of Copycats." Accusations of musical thievery were rampant, and even the most eloquent nay-sayers could do little more than argue that Norwegian Black Metal was just somehow "More authentic sounding."
Despite the theory that US musicians just don't have the elusive "je ne sais quoi" to make it happen, there are more than a handful of Americans getting it done. Here are two groups whose music I enjoy: Lurker of Chalice, an obscure and now defunct San Francisco group; and Liturgy, originally just Hunter Hunt-Hendrix and now a 4 piece from Brooklyn, NY. Check out the music below:
Lurker of Chalice
Liturgy
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