"An Impenetrable Darkness", Michael Cunningham

[Estelyn Telcontar]

I have always been rather puzzled over the number of heavy metal recordings that utilize Tolkien's themes and lyrics, so I very much looked forward to reading this chapter in the book. Michael Cunningham concentrates on Black Metal music, especially in Scandinavia (Norway is the leading country for this segment of the music market) - a wise decision, avoiding the pitfalls that could have accompanied a superficial treatment of too much material.

The author includes personal interviews with a number of artists, who tell of their reasons for choosing Middle-earth as the backdrop for their songs. The connection between M-e and Nordic mythology is an obvious motivation, and in addition, the anti-Christian sentiments of many (predominantly young) people involved lead them to sympathize with Tolkien's villains, who have become their heroes. Melkor/Morgoth, Sauron and the orcs inspire them, and the element of darkness is an important theme.

I was not aware of the gaming background of many extreme metal musicians, who came to Tolkien not only through the books, but also through the role-playing games.

Various aspects of black metal are explained, such as the costumes and the "corpse-paint", comparing them with Tolkien's descriptions of his evil characters. The different directions that musicians have taken in the metal scene are mentioned.

This chapter was a real eye-opener, and no mistake! I learned a lot about a style of music which is almost completely unfamiliar to me, and found both the history and the personal motivations of the musicians fascinating to read about. I now can better understand the connection to Tolkien - though I rather imagine that he would roll over in his grave if he knew about the influence his evil characters have. Also, knowing a bit about his musical taste, I'm pretty sure he would be appalled if he heard the sound of black metal music!