The 1st ever global conference on metal

Click to enlarge

"Heavy Fundametalisms: Music, Metal & Politics," the first ever global conference on metal, will take place in Salzburg, Austria from November 3-5, 2008. Full details and the call for papers are here. One need not be an academic to present, although such affiliation would likely help defray travel/lodging/registration expenses. All papers accepted for the conference are eligible for ISBN-numbered electronic publication, with some selected for hardback publication. 300-word abstracts are due by Friday, June 13, 2008. The conference is accepting submissions on any of the following themes:

Heavy metal and:

- Origins, Definition and History
- Genres and classification. Classical music/Opera
- Culture - Subculture - Underground - Popular Culture - Fans
- Religion - anti religion - Evil - Satanism
- Politics - Nationalism - the apolitical - Fascism
- Imagery - Iconography - Aesthetics
- Art - Design - Fashion - Performance - Theatre - Sleeve Art
- Gender Issues - Misogyny - Homo sociality - Masculinities - Deviant Sexualities
- Monsters - Madness
- Philosophical themes: Existentialism - Nihilism - Hedonism - Ethics
- Literature - Cinema - Documentaries - Soundtracks - Horror - Gothic - Anime - Cartoons
- Fashion

I must confess I have no love for Salzburg (apologies to any readers who are Salzburgers). The one time I visited, it seemed that the entire town was a Mozart and Sound of Music-themed tourist trap. (The profusion of Mozart-shaped chocolates sent me over the edge.) Salzburg has lovely geography, however (click above to enlarge), as well as a top-shelf (literally, as in clifftop) modern art museum.

Thanks to Keith Kahn-Harris for the tip.

Belphegor - Pestapokalypse VI

Belphegor - Hell's Ambassador
Sanctus Perversum

Nuclear Blast
2006


Belphegor's blackened death metal hasn't changed much over time. This Austrian band flirted with black metal imagery and frosty sounds on its earlier albums, but the ingredients have largely remained constant - blastbeats, tremolo picking, growls with the occasional rasp, double bass as if paid by the bpm.

Pestapokalypse VI continues with the silly song titles and artwork; its cover screams "metalhead's first time with Photoshop." But the production is clearer and heavier than before, and the band comes up with some catchy riffs. The use of Phrygian mode brings to mind Behemoth, and some melodies and vocal patterns recall Vader. Thus, the band doesn't exactly reinvent the wheel. But it throws in enough twists like the vocal delays and chants in "Sanctus Perversum" to keep things interesting. You can find this album at CM Distro.