AN NCS VIDEO PREMIERE: KAFIR — “AN ACT OF DEFIANCE AGAINST THAT WHAT IS PURE”

(written by Islander)

Hostility to the Christian church has been a hallmark of black metal going back to its earliest roots. Even today, some people don’t consider black metal “true” unless it is based on a devout Luciferian foundation. Of course, the music of many black metal bands has nothing to do with such themes, and others use satanic lyricism and imagery more as costumery than expressions of personal belief, while some are more broadly anti-theistic than merely anti-Christian.

The black metal band Kafir (the solo project of any anonymous musician) is explicitly anti-theistic and specifically anti-Islamic. Kafir has identified its location as Saudi Arabia. If that were true, the lyrical stance would make some sense.

For the progenitors of black metal who lived in countries where the Christian church had stamped out pagan traditions and dominated communal belief, it was natural to express their disbelief and anti-theistic rage at that religion. On the other hand, if Kafir lived in a country dominated and repressed by Islam, then that would be a natural target of Kafir’s own disbelief, rebelliousness, and rage.

But Kafir has made comments in an interview which explain that the identification of Saudi Arabia was done to satisfy a Bandcamp location requirement, and was inspired by Kafir’s musical themes, rather than a literal truth. And so the specific hostility to Islam may have other explanations.

In Arabic, Kafir means “unbeliever”, and we’re told by one of the labels releasing Kafir’s second album that the music represents “a deliberate declaration of war”, expressing “a radically anti-theistic, anti-Islamic stance, as well as a critique of morality and social norms”, and using its music as a weapon. “Every song is a blow against dogma, against subjugation, against blind obedience… a cry against the powers that claim to be the only truth….”

Kafir’s new album is titled An Act Of Defiance Against That What Is Pure, and it will be jointly released on September 28th by Satanath Records, Metal Of Crypt, and More Hate Productions. As a preview of the album, today we’re premiering an official video for its title track.

Heavily influenced by Norwegian black metal of the ’90s, the song is unmistakably furious. Propelled by high-octane drumming and feverishly throbbing bass-lines and fronted by vicious snarls and wild howls and screams, it expels blizzards of layered tremolo’d riffing that cut like razors as the chords rip, rise, and fall.

However, the emotional quality of the music is open to interpretation. As well as raging, the melodies also change in ways that suggest despair as well as cruelty, and pain as well as fiery defiance.

The video may be open to some interpretation as well, though it seems to depict the pentagram-adorned Kafir being tortured and stoned by masked thugs (perhaps they represent the kind of radical muslims who would maim and kill unbelievers who furiously express their unbelief).

The labels will release the album in a jewel-box CD edition (500 copies) with an 8-page booklet, and digitally as well. They recommend it for fans of Curse Upon A Prayer, Nargaroth, Marduk, Urgehal, and Seeds Of Iblis.

Below the links we’re also providing a stream of the album’s first single, “No Lives Matter“.

PRE-ORDER:
https://satanath.bandcamp.com/album/sat431-kafir-an-act-of-defiance-against-that-what-is-pure-2026
metal.of.crypt@gmail.com
more_hate@mail.ru

KAFIR:
https://kafir-bm.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/kafirblackmetal
https://www.instagram.com/kafir_black_metal