So I'm just gonna follow the trend and also copy paste what I wrote:

I believe mood may affect musical choices to the point that one doesn't enjoy a band he likes even if he liked it before and vice-versa.
However listening to depressive music wouldn't make the listener depressed, just like hearing happy songs won't make a sad person feel better. This is, at least if the listener knows to separate lyrics from music. It's not the case of everybody. I've seen 14 yo's going "satanic" because they discovered black metal. So a person with a weak mind could let himself be influenced by suicidal ideology, I guess...
But it's ok if you know what you're doing. It's a bit like alcohol... Some people can drink and enjoy it as they please without being addicted, influenced by it. Some people don't... =P

Now about what may happen to an already depressive person when he hears that kind of music, if it's gonna make things worse or not... I've never been in depression, so I wouldn't know...

I kinda think that (same goes to christian BM) DS BM is oxymoron ...why? well in core of BM ist this power to get above all and shit ...and DSBM kinda does the oposite thing...now its just another subgenre of music ,and all ...

btw i am not a fan of depressive music so ...yeah ...

By reinforced i just meant bad habits from being depressed like cutting your self and things could be (for a fragile mind) reinforced to be kind of ok, because it's like you feel apart of something, part of a scene of people who are the only ones you can relate with. So instead of feeling totally fucked up when your laying on the bathroom floor with blood all down your arms, you don't feel so bad because it is what your favorite dsbm artist is doing on the cover of your favorite record, and the thought that you are repulsed when you look in the mirror and hate your self more than anything, doesn't seem such an absurd way to think because that would be good lyrics for a dsbm track.

I'm not knocking dsbm, some of my favourite bands are dsbm. Was just interested in peoples opinions.

Written by X-Ray Rod on 01.01.2014 at 16:13



DSBM doesn't necessarily reinforces negative thoughts. It depends on how you react when you experience frustration that is not yours (but only from the music and the artist). One of the reasons I find depressive and slow music like DSBM and Doom metal as uplifting is because I find myself listening to someone else sharing some problems and I think "Hey man, I'm not alone on this". That helps quite a bit.

I have the same thing with doom metal as well as metalcore/post-hardcore with themes of personal anguish but not with DSBM. I think it comes down to my former examples being way more cathartic than DSBM, which seems to be extremely focusing on negativity for the sake of negativity a opposed to say doom where it serves as an outlet instead of being the sole focus.

Written by X-Ray Rod on 01.01.2014 at 16:13

^ I see no difference whatsoever.

but you see differently to most

Written by [user id=136611] on 01.01.2014 at 23:03
By reinforced i just meant ...

I'm not knocking dsbm, some of my favourite bands are dsbm. Was just interested in peoples opinions.

I very much agree with your concern on the ds matter at hand. Personally I don't listen to the stuff and find it hard to see why anyone (aside from Rod Doctor's point stated above) would derive any pleasure from hearing it, let alone diving deep into such a culture... I also happen to agree with those disappointed with the locking of no one's recently opened topic thread

Someone compared the issue to gore or serial-killer lyrics in death etc. metal bands but I can't help seeing a distinction where Araya, Webster etc. acknowledge the writings are just a fun pastime, not to be taken seriously, like horror movies - generally we all know the acts in the lyrics and visual paraphernalia are "bad" and not to be re-created in reality (well aside from fantasy). What's more, we have laws to see to it that such behaviour is restricted and dealt to as much as possible. DS themes, on the other hand are presented as both reality and fantasy, one in the same where the acts are so taboo, traditional role models give no good advice and so it's very easy to take it as a serious "not-bad" thing/behaviour to be followed, with little examination or consideration/thought given to the wider consequences or overarching situation. I would argue, unlike Slayer, Macabre or Church of Misery's criticized themes, the worry over ds "glamourization", normalization or desensitizing does hold water/carry some weight. Think about gambling or alcohol addictions/reliances - when it gets to an extreme, with peer pressure and what seems like undying repetition of "it's cool/OK, you don't need to give it up!" it can take a firm hold ilke depression so often does, and it's no longer a little pastime you don't take seriously (gore lyrics, dragons, nuclear warfare, whatever else might be complained about). Somebody up there / in the other thread used the word "temporary" - that's exactly what I'm talking about. It's incredibly easy (taken for granted? maybe just by myself, or in this debate, at least) to enjoy some fantasy homicidal screaming, have a song or album or two end, and move on to something else without such negative images, suggestions or connotations. I say much harder for so many already-down people when they can feel such strong emotional bonds, identify non-vicariously with the "leading lights" (whom somehow gain some credibility or respect just through the fact they've released some self-created music, or written and pubilcised their thoughts so [nobly and] "honestly") who encourage and perpetuate this negative stuff...

Up there, Karlabos said "So a person with a weak mind could let himself be influenced, I guess...
But it's ok if you know what you're doing. It's a bit like alcohol... Some people can drink and enjoy it as they please without being addicted, influenced by it. Some people don't... =P" ...that goes to what I was saying about role models, as trite as it may appear. People just don't talk enough about this shit, and that's where bad habits can take root - there's a total void of the "right" course of action to take. I'll leave it on a title from Brutal Truth - get a therapist, spare the world.

(and maybe, as a post-script, a nice little satirical local tune that got kinda popular a few decades ago - "There is no depression in New Zealand." (Yeah right))

I never even knew DSBM was a genre until now, honestly. But I honestly don't see much merit behind the argument of it making depression worse, or causing it for that matter. Music is widely regarded as a healthy way to express your feelings regardless of what they may be. I have heard a lot of arguments made about how metal is a healthy release of anger when you go to shows and mosh and headbang and all that. Especially since at the end of the show you feel uplifted and happy. I can't see how this would be any different just because the word "depressive" is in the genre name.

Like I said, I have never actually listened to any of this but it just seems like this is the usual "it's not my music so it must be bad" stuff that has probably gone around with all of our favorite music. There's been plenty of the controversy about death metal driving people to murder or black metal driving people into the arms of Satanism but at the end of the day we all know that isn't the case. Regardless of what someone said (don't remember who, sorry) about depression being a major and common illness and people deciding to kill someone is not it still seems like the music isn't going to change or enhance that. People with actual clinical depression (and I only say that to distinguish between the people who are just sad) usually develop it at a very young age and it never really goes away regardless of what goes on in their life or how happy they are. Little things do help though and it seems to me that the idea of someone going through what you are going through and managing to push on by expressing their depression in their artwork would be more uplifting than anything. That's just me though.

Written by mbcameron on 02.01.2014 at 18:56
...

It sounds like you're arguing a different point. I think the main issue here is how so many of these musicians are literally advocating self-mutilation and suicide. It's not a matter of just sounding sad or writing depressive lyrics. Some of these guys are like, hey, I'm fucked up because I'm sad and I cut myself to pieces and I want to kill myself. I personally don't think the music has that great an affect on the listener, but I wouldn't be surprised to hear a couple of teenagers "too into" the scene killing themselves because Kvarforth told them to or because they wanted to "be hospitalized" like Silencer's vocalist because "it's cool".

Written by Syk on 02.01.2014 at 16:15

I very much agree with your concern on the ds matter at hand. Personally I don't listen to the stuff and find it hard to see why anyone (aside from Rod Doctor's point stated above) would derive any pleasure from hearing it, let alone diving deep into such a culture... I also happen to agree with those disappointed with the locking of no one's recently opened topic thread

Someone compared the issue to gore or serial-killer lyrics in death etc. metal bands but I can't help seeing a distinction where Araya, Webster etc. acknowledge the writings are just a fun pastime, not to be taken seriously, like horror movies - generally we all know the acts in the lyrics and visual paraphernalia are "bad" and not to be re-created in reality (well aside from fantasy). What's more, we have laws to see to it that such behaviour is restricted and dealt to as much as possible. DS themes, on the other hand are presented as both reality and fantasy, one in the same where the acts are so taboo, traditional role models give no good advice and so it's very easy to take it as a serious "not-bad" thing/behaviour to be followed, with little examination or consideration/thought given to the wider consequences or overarching situation. I would argue, unlike Slayer, Macabre or Church of Misery's criticized themes, the worry over ds "glamourization", normalization or desensitizing does hold water/carry some weight. Think about gambling or alcohol addictions/reliances - when it gets to an extreme, with peer pressure and what seems like undying repetition of "it's cool/OK, you don't need to give it up!" it can take a firm hold ilke depression so often does, and it's no longer a little pastime you don't take seriously (gore lyrics, dragons, nuclear warfare, whatever else might be complained about). Somebody up there / in the other thread used the word "temporary" - that's exactly what I'm talking about. It's incredibly easy (taken for granted? maybe just by myself, or in this debate, at least) to enjoy some fantasy homicidal screaming, have a song or album or two end, and move on to something else without such negative images, suggestions or connotations. I say much harder for so many already-down people when they can feel such strong emotional bonds, identify non-vicariously with the "leading lights" (whom somehow gain some credibility or respect just through the fact they've released some self-created music, or written and pubilcised their thoughts so [nobly and] "honestly") who encourage and perpetuate this negative stuff...

Up there, Karlabos said "So a person with a weak mind could let himself be influenced, I guess...
But it's ok if you know what you're doing. It's a bit like alcohol... Some people can drink and enjoy it as they please without being addicted, influenced by it. Some people don't... =P" ...that goes to what I was saying about role models, as trite as it may appear. People just don't talk enough about this shit, and that's where bad habits can take root - there's a total void of the "right" course of action to take. I'll leave it on a title from Brutal Truth - get a therapist, spare the world.

(and maybe, as a post-script, a nice little satirical local tune that got kinda popular a few decades ago - "There is no depression in New Zealand." (Yeah right))

hey i'm the only new zealander in this village that last quote would actually quite a be a good tui add

i see you understood my point and then explained it a little better, cheers!

Written by Troy Killjoy on 02.01.2014 at 19:37

Written by mbcameron on 02.01.2014 at 18:56
...

It sounds like you're arguing a different point. I think the main issue here is how so many of these musicians are literally advocating self-mutilation and suicide. It's not a matter of just sounding sad or writing depressive lyrics. Some of these guys are like, hey, I'm fucked up because I'm sad and I cut myself to pieces and I want to kill myself. I personally don't think the music has that great an affect on the listener, but I wouldn't be surprised to hear a couple of teenagers "too into" the scene killing themselves because Kvarforth told them to or because they wanted to "be hospitalized" like Silencer's vocalist because "it's cool".

Ah, well that would make more sense to make a big deal of then. Actually advocating suicide vs. just singing about it are kind of different. And I am sure there would be a few that may actually take the message seriously. Generally though I still think the majority of listeners would probably not take the message to heart.

Reckon consistently indulging in the music would encourage bad habit of thought for people who are thinking badly in the first place, not just taking the lyrics to hart. And i'm sure just about the majority of people attracted to this music would be a little bit fragile in the first place. I know i was attracted to it because i have been clinically depressed and suicidal in the past, which would make no other genre more dangerously real to mingle with

Haven't actually had a listen yet, but i hope it is better than that embarrassing crap i heard last time i tried to listen to them...nice cover though

Ghost bath

http://ghostbath.bandcamp.com/album/funeral

Written by [user id=136611] on 05.02.2014 at 07:16

Haven't actually had a listen yet, but i hope it is better than that embarrassing crap i heard last time i tried to listen to them...nice cover though

Ghost bath

http://ghostbath.bandcamp.com/album/funeral

Nice. Judging by what I heard this album sounds more shoegazy than dsbm though, but definitely better than the samples posted some pages above.
The album cover is indeed good. Perhaps I'll add it to my list (=

Ulgoroth - Uthrimm Depressive Black Metal Project from Germany

Ulgoroth is a great new one-man-black metal project from Germany. Listen to the first published recordings of these guys, the "Uthrimm" demo.



http://ulgoroth.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/Ulgoroth

Manii, recently belatedly staff-picked by me. A good listen. Here's a taste.

Written by Daniell on 27.02.2014 at 21:01

Manii, recently belatedly staff-picked by me. A good listen. Here's a taste.

thanks, sounds half decent. DSBM seems to be slim pickings these days

Remember that you guys were laughing at Ghost Bath for weird/louder than the mix vocals?

Written by Karlabos on 23.03.2014 at 00:21

Remember that you guys were laughing at Ghost Bath for weird/louder than the mix vocals?

Kind of sounds like he is going more for the old Kim Carlsson vocs more than the Nattramn like Ghost bath. All in all there both terrible

I'm not going to discuss the merits of DSBM too heavily, but I will add that people don't just listen to it because it makes them feel crappy -- just like people don't listen to other types of 'negative' music because they want to feel bad. People obviously find something fulfilling in the music because, like most functional humans, they are not psychotic.

My favourite pick right now is Vardan - The Wood is my Coffin. It's a beautiful soundscape that is forlorn, but occasionally hints at some glimmer of hope. I highly recommend the album.

^ terrible..same with that Ulgoroth

actually listened to this album and it's totally shit..so yeah, sorry for that

Good stuff from the Norwegian underground.

One of the best depressive black metal I have ever came to know was Gris, thanks to Fearmeister, it's nothing comparable to all the other moaning DBM I heard before. I would be more than grateful if someone helps me know any other band sounding like them, it would be better if they sing in English so I can understand and grasp the whole atmosphere more.

Written by angel. on 18.05.2014 at 16:06

One of the best depressive black metal I have ever came to know was Gris, thanks to Fearmeister, it's nothing comparable to all the other moaning DBM I heard before. I would be more than grateful if someone helps me know any other band sounding like them, it would be better if they sing in English so I can understand and grasp the whole atmosphere more.

I find the whole "depressive" tag misleading. It may be "depressing" to some folks but for me I enjoy the music and it makes me feel good Then again, most of the stuff I have listened to the vocals are in another language so they could be singing about killing yourself and I would have no idea.

Try this new release. I like it.

http://musicalexcrements.bandcamp.com/album/imber-aeternus

Written by tea[m]ster on 18.05.2014 at 18:50
I find the whole "depressive" tag misleading. It may be "depressing" to some folks but for me I enjoy the music and it makes me feel good

From my own experience... I can tell you that most people that enjoy music like DSBM or Doom find it very enjoyable and uplifting.

Written by X-Ray Rod on 18.05.2014 at 19:12

From my own experience... I can tell you that most people that enjoy music like DSBM or Doom find it very enjoyable and uplifting.

Yea Doc, that comment just adds more fuel to my thought "why the fuck is this music depressive?"

Most of the depressive black metal I've listened to lately has been complete shit, but I really like what My Widow has made.

Written by angel. on 18.05.2014 at 16:06

One of the best depressive black metal I have ever came to know was Gris, thanks to Fearmeister, it's nothing comparable to all the other moaning DBM I heard before. I would be more than grateful if someone helps me know any other band sounding like them, it would be better if they sing in English so I can understand and grasp the whole atmosphere more.

Sombres forets would be the closest sounding band to gris i reckon, but you have probably already heard them

Written by [user id=5630] on 20.05.2014 at 02:21

Most of the depressive black metal I've listened to lately has been complete shit, but I really like what My Widow has made.

yeah there seems to be a lot of bands lately going for the shock factor with imagery and lyrics but the musics crap

The album Melenkoli "wind" is probably old news but i have only just recently discovered it. I find the band name doesn't deceive, the feeling after listening to this whole album is definite "Melenkoli"