(Andy Synn once again proves himself a man of the world with this review of the magnificent debut album by Te Ruki)
There’s absolutely no denying it these days – Black Metal has truly become a worldwide phenomenon.
From its humble beginnings the genre has spread out to practically every corner of the globe, constantly evolving and mutating, forming new local scenes and embracing local sounds along the way.
And while much (physical and digital) ink has been shed debating why, and how, this happened, for me the answer is quite simple – whether intentionally or not, those crazy kids who first kicked off the whole movement ended up tapping into something truly primal, something so primitive and fundamental to the human condition that it connects with people of all ages and races, colours and creeds.
Of course, there will always be those who don’t approve of how far the genre has travelled from roots, but to me there’s something almost magical – not to mention deeply ironic – that the so-called ultimate “outsider’s” music has gone on to connect so many different people together through their common humanity.
Plus, let’s face it, if Black Metal had never left the basements and bars of Norway then we’d never have gotten to hear Marako Te Ruki… and that’s not a world I want to live in.
