The Rise of Blackgaze
Blackgaze can be a term or genre that a lot of traditional metalheads shudder over. It combines black metal’s screeched vocals, blast beats, and extreme distortion with shoegaze’s ethereal, dreamy soundscapes. This may seem immiscible at first, but these two things blend together quite well. It has become one of my favorite sub-genres of metal and I think it has a lot of room to expand in the future. Blackgaze offers something a bit different than just atmospheric or ambient black metal. The sound seems more coherent and distinct. It can be hard to differentiate it from “post”-black metal, which itself is an extremely broad and difficult genre to define.
Here is a list of 10 of my favorite blackgaze artists that you should check out if this sounds interesting to you.
Alcest (and their frontman, Neige in particular) are largely seen as the pioneers of blackgaze. Neige has been inspired by dreams of another world and spiritual experiences from his childhood. He’s converted this into some of the most ethereal music imaginable. Their music is extremely melodic and uplifting, even with bouts of harsh vocals and heaviness. There are still foreboding atmospheres found on their albums as well. Each release has a slightly different feel, but the swirling guitars and obscured vocals are always a major characteristic. Their albums are vibrant…
