Tag Diving: RABM
Undermine their pompous authority, reject their moral standards, make anarchy and disorder your trademarks. Cause as much chaos and disruption as possible but don’t let them take you alive.
Salutations stinkers, and welcome back to Tag Diving! You know the drill. I dig in the garbage, pull out bangers, and pass them on to you fine folks. Think of it as donating those lightly-sharted gym shorts you found behind the local Planet Fitness to the Christmas clothing drive. No need to hoard those things for yourself!
This week’s topic is RABM, or red/anarchistic black metal for the uninitiated. In the sea of nearly-Nazi garbage that the black metal scene can be sometimes, it’s nice to know that there’s at least a small corner where you don’t (usually) have to worry about sus checking a band before buying merch. No hooked crosses or 88s here.
Lucerne Hammer – Demo
I guess two weeks of demos just wasn’t quite enough for me. If you don’t know Lucerne Hammer, change that right this second. On top of having killer artwork (for both this record and his most recent release), thunderous drumming, eerie vocals, and killer riffs, Tim, the man behind the project, is also an absolute treasure of a guy. Give this a spin and if it’s your thing, check out his new album, Vermilion Pyre.
The Blood Mountain Black Metal Choir – Demo I – Folklore
As an Appalachian boy myself, it always gets me so excited when an artist is not only from here, but when their lyrics reflect the environment and struggles of the people I’ve grown up around. Addiction, poverty, racial/religious discrimination, the exploitation of hard-working people, a culture that isn’t always open to talking about mental health struggles and more have all been issues that I and/or my loved ones have dealt with throughout my time living here. I’m very grateful to have an incredible demo that deals with many of these topics head-on.
Corpse Bird – Forge
Time to get crusty. Corpse Bird’s particular brand of black metal incorporates elements of doom, crust punk, and even some folk elements, all of which I really dig. Parts of it remind me of a cross between Weald & Woe and Extreme Noise Terror, and the album’s closer “Lords of Autumn” even gives me some Bell Witch vibes at the beginning. The cherry on top is that this album—and every other album from today’s dive, now that I think about it—was released through Fiadh Productions, a wonderful and dedicated anti-fascist label, the owner of which is a dear friend of the site (you can read my interview with her here). If you like what you hear (you will), tapes are still available!
That’s a wrap for this week’s entry! If you’ve got any recs for some good sunburned-socialist black metal, drop ’em in the comments!
