Ten Most Incomprehensible Black Metal Band Logos

the>Preston Mantooth<

     We've all seen them. While walking through the record store or show on the front of a black t-shirt,  or on an album itself, or maybe you (like myself) even like some of this noise. We've all seen the crazy Typography (scribbled or actual fonts) that's covered in what seems to be tentacles, branches of gnarled dead oak tree, lightning, or some indescribable devil root growing out of them. Usually a big gory mess,  yet some how graceful & elegantly symmetrical, and always difficult to read.
    Getting back to the point, There are a metric fuck-ton of black metal bands out there. I realize this now, and I tried to use bands that are signed to at least a small indie label. I'm sorry, but your cousin's black metal garage band doesn't count for this one. I also assume you don't already know the bands that belong to these logos. So check out the logo and try to figure it out before you go look at the name. Trust me, it's more fun that way. Anyway, here they are. The ten most incomprehensible black metal band logos.

11)))

Band Name: Borknagar
Land of origin: Norway
Overly Specific Classification: Progressive / Viking / Folk (Black Metal)
This one is cut and dry compared to the others except for the well hidden "N" and the backwards "R" This is one of those that if you have previous knowledge of the name it's a good bit easier, but i think a great example.

10)))

 

Band Name: Bazzah
Land of origin: Malaysia
Overly Specific Classification: Malaysian (Black Metal)
This one is visually minimal compared to most. Not that much crazy stuff around the type itself. Short name, simple logo, but everything is hidden very well. This one could make the list just because this bands debut album was seized and destroyed by the Government (of Malaysia), but not before they sold 300 copies. bad ass.

9)))

 

Band Name: Watain
Land of origin: Sweden
Overly Specific Classification: (Black Metal)
I love this logo, because it's perfectly symmetrical even though the word isn't a palindrome (a symmetrical word like noon or racecar) except for the slightest bit of faux erosion.

8)))

 

Band Name: Lurker Of Chalice
Land of origin: San Francisco, California
Overly Specific Classification: Ambient (Black Metal)
Up until this point the names are somewhat guessable, but if you can read this with out already knowing what it is supposed to say, well you're better at this than me. This one kinda stands out, it being not all that symmetrical. Also dig the ax in the middle for the "F".

7)))

Band Name: Enslaved
Land of origin: Norway
Overly Specific Classification: Progressive / Viking (Black Metal)
These guys are from Norway and love their viking heritage, if you can't tell from the almost runic type face or the Norse decoration, and, oh yeah, the hammer of Thor hanging from the center.

6)))

Band Name: Nokturnal Mortum 
Land of origin: Ukraine
Overly Specific Classification: Folk / Symphonic (Black Metal)
This list is not here to say whether or not a band is good or total crap, Satanic or Druish, or if they are national socialist fuckheads like Nokturnal Mortum. Logo is difficult to read, moving on.

5)))

Band Name: Leviathan
Land of origin: San Francisco, California
Overly Specific Classification: Ambient (Black Metal)
This is in my mind the definitive black metal logo. It's got great symmetry and plenty of "devil roots" growing from its completely unreadable type. This one took a good 5 min. to find all the letters in the name. Also, it's the second in the list for the black metal icon known as Wrest. He is the sole member of this band and Lurker of Chalice, and has great logos for both.

4)))

 

Band Name: Averse Sefira
Land of origin: Austin, Texas
Overly Specific Classification: Death (Black Metal)
Devil wings and upside down five pointed stars. Can't go wrong with that. I found all the letters in this one but it took me a long time. Tough nut to crack.

3)))

Band Name: Wolves in the Throne Room
Land of origin: Olympia, Washington
Overly Specific Classification: Ambient / Folk (Black Metal)
The longest name in the list and yet one of only 4 in the list that spell check had no problems with whatsoever, interesting. I like this logo a lot. It looks like it could almost be drawn with a big fat graffiti marker.  Extremely difficult to read. I honestly couldn't figure this one out, I'm still missing 2 letters. Don't worry, I found the sideways "W".

2)))

Band Name: Korgonthurus
Land of origin: Finland
Overly Specific Classification: (Black Metal)
Look, I know it totally just looks like an old branch. I almost wrote this one off as nothing, but look closer it's there. I think, that maybe just maybe I've found all of it but i "found" a lot of stuff in it. Like 4 different places that "N" can be, so.

1)))

 

Band Name: Xasthur 
Land of origin: Alhambra, California
Overly Specific Classification: Ambient (Black Metal)
This is it. I Could not figure out this thing out at all. Except for the "X" and "R," which are so obvious it's like they're mocking me! The (for lack of a better word) fuzziness is covering up any way to tell what is type and what isn't. Either I'm looking at it wrong or it's impossible to decipher. I had to give up on this one. It made me angry. It wins.

Comments

[Tern]

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[s]

Tard Army is taking over in here!

[Maria]

i dont listen to much black metal but i think that the logos are quite cool anyway. If you don't like the idea where they get the logos from then don't comment on it and stop complaining. the people who made them think they are fine for their music so why not just accept that its different to what you're probably used to?

[Phil]

Lol, those all suck compared to the Darkthrone logo

[Preston Mantooth]

i totally agree! the Dark Throne logo is one of my favorites of all time! That shit slays!...but its also pretty easily read,therefore...

[john]

all black people look the same

[arglebargle]

omg, i actually worked out how xasthur is written!!! i even outlined it using paint, but i can submit it here (can i?)

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[Trevor]

@EVERYONE WHO SAYS BLACK METAL SOUNDS THE SAME.

If you think it sounds the same, you haven't really put much effort into it. True, a lot DOES sound similar, but that's because they follow a couple different bands styles (like every other type of music).

Proof- Youtube links
Satyricon - King http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQQdsKH3Qt8
Dimmu Borgir- The Serpentine Offering http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAmMcBQavKE

If you think they sound the same, then you really need to open your mind a little, but both are black metal...

Back to the subject though, yeah most smaller black metal bands put WAY too much effort into making their names look cool... very few can pull off black metal, so if you rely on your talents of making your name hard to read, move on with your life.

[Metal4Life]

While this is an "entertaining" post, I'm disgusted by the bashing of black metal by several posts (DILLA). While a lot, if not most, of the bands who claim to be black metal are not great at it (and can even suck - there, I said it), that does not mean the genre as a whole sucks.
The original bands and those who seek to create true atmospheric art are infinitely more talented than anything you're likely to hear on mainstream commercial radio (i.e. hip-hop, rap, etc.).
Much of the same can be said about any other form of music when you look at it's lowest representation and judge the entire genre based on your immediate assumptions.
Requirements of hip hop:
1. Lots of gawdy "bling-bling," with an oversized car company emblem somewhere in your ensemble of...
2. Baggy clothes, with the latest over-priced fashion name prominently displayed on either your crooked hat or XXXXL shirt/pants
3. Musical ability not necessary; Simply "borrow" (steal) someone else's music and loop it to a different beat while reciting your lame "I'm a bada$$" gun-toting, money-loving playa lyrics with plenty of swearing
4. Love of exotic sports cars and/or Cadillac Escalades to place in every shot of your music video, with skanky hoes wearing thongs and shaking booty on top of said vehicles
5. You can't do anything on your own. Hence every other release has "featuring Young Wannabe MC" to add street cred, or simply imply your down with a big-league hip-hop no-talent whatever to boost album sales and ride on their coat tails.

It's easy to judge, or make fun, of something which you don't understand or like.

But as for the black metal logos: yeah, their illegible to the point of being hilarious.
However, anyone who wants to take this opportunity to bash black metal just because of them can fuck off.

[xdustinx]

Okay, first off, if you're citing Dimmu Borgir and/or Cradle of Filth at all - don't go calling yourself a black metal fan because that symphonic shit is for posers. Call it what it really is.

Next, I read that Dilla kids post, and he hit the nail on the head so hard it's not even funny. Anyone shitting on what he has to say is either a) a fucking poser, or b) takes the Black Metal genre and/or subculture WAY too seriously. If you can honestly sit here and listen to Marduk and Burzum's full catalogs and tell me, "yeah, this stuff takes talent" you're full of shit. Black metal is just another subculture of extreme music formulated to do a single primary thing: run Christianity out of Norway. The music is such simple garbage it's not even funny. It's played fast with quick euro blasts that make modern grindcore bands bow their heads in shame. The only legit thing about Black Metal is that true kvlt and grim bands don't polish their sound - they just play and make it sound raunchy and terrible, to bring authenticity to what they're doing. And the only thing that some black metal bands have going for them are their lyrics - which you can't understand unless you're reading liner notes or something similar.

You can be all "fuck you haters" all you want with your fucking corpse paint and bullet belts. You should blame yourself for listening to the most laughable form of extreme music to ever come to light in the history of extreme music. Death Metal bands play faster than black metal bands, Grindcore and Powerviolence are more extreme than black metal bands, the fake symphonic crap sounds more evil and scary than trve black metal bands, crust punk is more legit and black metal sounding than trve black metal bands.

If there is such a thing as even decent black metal, it is only the following bands: Dark Funeral, Watain, Leviathan, and Christ Hate. Anything else if fucking dogshit that doesn't deserve to be listened to ever. And any of you kvlt faggots that really take your form of music seriously, kill yourselves. Let me quote Crotchduster here real quick: "No one is afraid of guys who wear make-up, you couldn't take over an elementary school, let alone the world".

[Mat1977]

Those who are bashing on Black Metal clearly are a bit simple, music is one of the most beautiful diverse things we have, that includes black metal, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOK6Dw98CZs just a small example why black/death metal is freaking ace. Now I can happily put my hands up and admit not ALL music is good music, and no doubt there is some awful crap out there (normally hip hop/rap) and no genre is immune from some awful songs/bands/logos/lyrics, but to bash into black metal without any knowledge is simply stupid.

Listen to the music, don't get sucked into the lifestyle, the biggest gripe i have about black metal is just how elitist it is, and if you listen to it you cant listen to any other genre! Why the hell not!! I will listen to anything from Ihsahn, opeth, dark tranquillity, Moby, thrice, coheed and cambria, foo fighter, ash, jack johnson...... Point is, just because you like one genre doesnt mean that everything else is shit.

Open your ears and pull your head out your arse.

[generic viagra]

i figured out xasthur. it's all quite easy. the X and R are obvious.

the 'a' is in black and large (fits right under the upper right arm of the 'x', the 'sth' are all in the middle part, scratched in the black with white (the 's' is small, the 't' is large, the 'h' is small) the 'u', like the 'a' is in black and larger than the 'sth'

[jim]

If you accually look then you will realize that they dont all look the same. And if you ACCUALLY listen then you will notice that they dont all sound the same. Sorry to all you fags who dont like the way the artists dress or what guitar they play. If it bothers you that much then dont listen to their music.

[Blotfiend]

Only morons and anal raping homos dis black metal, now I will admit I am not into the modern rip off bands that claim to be black metal! I prefer the first wave of BM and none of that modern new school crap running around in 12 inch spikes and leather jock straps.
Now my focus is on viking and folk metal >=)to put it in another way Satan is lame...Odin rules!

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[Gofannon]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCSRS__cwzM
(The drummer, Proscriptor McGovern is also the vocalist.)

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[kitax]

"Just like to point out, 4 of the 6 bands on the list that DO have "T"s in their names DON'T use upside down crosses(please,don't mistake the hammer of Thor in numbers 1 and 7 as a cross). Also, none thrown in for "shits" and / or "giggles" (but they are thrown in for extremely black, dark, evil, satanic, and VERY serious reasons). Just sayin'."

That's pretty interesting considering upside down crosses are actually the opposite of evil. They're Catholic. Oh wait. That probably isn't the opposite of evil...

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