Sometime within the last 5 years or so, I have been seeing a surgence of devil and evil imagery in the artwork and sometimes lyrical content of punk and hardcore bands (note: I didn't mention metal). I have quite a few reasons why I think this is a quite stupid way to express your band or your art. Chances are you aren't evil, not one bit nor ever were. It's not too uncommon to see bands with inverted crosses on their album art, then when you see them live what do you get? Oh wow, middle class kids. Shocking. But you say:
"Hey! I have lots of books on the occult and it's something you'd never understand anyways!"
That's fine, you can be into whatever you like. However, of all the things you can scream and be pissed about in the world you choose to express darkness and evilness. Yawn. I find the promotion of evilness almost as lame as promoting religious faiths through punk or hardcore music. Others might argue:
"Hey! It's just an aesthetic anyway man, don''t take it so seriously!"
The whole use of devil imagery to shock people isn't anything new, or fresh, or anything interesting. All the dinosaur bands your parents grew up on started a lot of it. Sympathy For The Devil, man! If you are playing dress up for the show performance, you are just doing that. Will this trend end anytime soon? Probably not. We seem to be living in times where style and appearance is much more regarded than substance, and maybe the punk and hardcore bands are just a reflection of these times. I would like to think that eventually, everyone will tire of it and move unto something much more interesting.
What do you think of devil and evil imagery being portrayed in punk and hardcore music? Do you like it? Hate it? Does it appeal to you in some sort of way? If so, how and why? Does it even matter? Let me know, and comment below.
Hercules used a lot of inverted crosses. Mainly as a joke.
ReplyDeleteI agree with this to an extent. However, inverted crosses and pentagrams and other symbols like these are fine if you are using them as a statement against religion. Devil worship however, is just as idiotic as praising god because you are basically admitting the bible is correct(as well as any religion that promotes an evil entity running around tempting people to sin) in saying the devil is real. Either way, sometimes using these symbols is a powerful tool for offending the still prevalent religious fanatics who still seem to have a stronghold in this country, and the world. Someday these symbols will no longer have their effectiveness because we will all realize how stupid religion actually is. The main problem with all of the hype on evil in music is that it is becoming a trend, as many things do within a particular group of people and music. My personal opinion, and a reason why I choose to incorporate some of these symbols and ideas into my music is the fact that humans are inherently good and evil. You can't have one without the other, so it is good to confront the evil that is inside of you through music, rather than physically hurting others. However, I know not all share this view. I did enjoy this post though. Good to keep people in check.
ReplyDeleteBilly
Does the "still prevalent religious fanatics who still seem to have a stronghold in this country" you speak of even know or care to know anything about punk, hardcore, or metal?
ReplyDelete-Keith
They definately do not. Maybe it's just me, but I love pissing people off by things that might be offensive to them or their beliefs. If an image is so powerful that it upsets large groups of people, then it has done exactly what hardcore and punk was intended to do. Shake the social norms.
ReplyDelete-Billy
It's most likely and most commonly used as a shock value thing as I'm sure you know. Kind of like the MC5(I think it was them. One of the bands around that time period) wearing the swastika on necklaces even though they weren't anti-semetic. Kind of in the same boat I believe.
ReplyDelete-Addam
worship fvkking darnkess
ReplyDelete-krig