Basement Dwelling Black Metal Artists Voice Frustration With Bigger Bands Recording in Basement During Pandemic

A growing chorus of one-man black metal acts across the world are voicing concerns over bigger, less “cult” bands recording from home, often in basements, during the ongoing pandemic. Long considered the refuge of the most low-fi, commercially inaccessible blackened projects, home basement recording has become much more common since COVID first appeared in March of last year, with bands across the musical spectrum forced to resort to nontraditional means to create and release music. Viscount Deathspasm of underground project Endless Decembres ov Joyless Apathy recently voiced the general concerns of black metal musicians during an interview with obscure black metal blog “Ivoidhugger.net.org.

“Look, I get that we’re in the middle of a serious pandemic. I really do.” Deathspasm asserted. “But it just doesn’t feel right going down to my basement to pour my fucking heart and soul into recording depressive, suicidal black metal, and knowing Gloryhammer is out there somewhere in a basement recording ridiculous crap about smashing wizards with a lightning-powered war hammer. Shit, they’re probably in full battle armor while they do it. I mean, sweet Jesus! And you just know Alestorm is in some shitty root cellar sprawled on beer-soaked futons, drunk as hell, making anchor jokes and YAARRRing into a parrot-shaped mic. Talk about a musical cock block, right?”

Other career cellar dwellers were more supportive, though admittedly wary of the current situation becoming permanent. “I certainly don’t begrudge any musician the right to record someplace safe during these crazy times,” said R. Satanic Abömination of Nørdfjørd. “It’s just that basements are historically our sacred realm, and if things don’t go back to the way they were before COVID, where does that leave us? Where else can we record? In the attic? That’s some King Diamond level cheese I simply can’t get down with.”

Only time will tell how the pandemic ultimately shapes the future of the basement recording industry, but you can be sure there are more frowns and grimaces than usual these days in cellars, vaults, and crawlspaces everywhere.

Top Headlines: New strain of COVID more likely to infect bassists in thrash metal bands. CDC to devote no manpower to investigate phenomenon.