Reviews

Melancology: Black Metal Theory and Ecology by Scott Wilson

adornhoe's review

2.0

Essays that did good things to my brain:

- "WormSign" (Nicola Masciandaro)
- "Shuddering: Black Metal on the Edge of the Earth" (Steven Shakespeare)
- "In the Abyss of Lies: A Short Essay on Failure in Black Metal" (Liviu Mantescu)
- "To the Mountains: The Implications of Black Metal's Geophilosophy" (Dominik Irtenkauf)

Overall maybe I simply don't like philosophers / people too in love with their own edgyness / zer0 books shenanigans. (Will I continue reading them because content-wise the stuff they put out is right up my alley? Yeah, unfortunately this is the path I have chosen.)

ryanxvx's review

3.0

As a fan of black metal, a proponent of deep ecology, and an avid reader of philosophy, I thought this book would be right up my alley. And in a sense, it was. But it also disappointed me deeply. I think there is an over-eagerness to intellectualize ideas to an extent that they are nearly incomprehensible to anyone outside of niche academic circles. I think the vast majority of philosophers are guilty of this, and I think it renders their ideas and arguments impotent. Clarity should be the guiding principle in any philosophical piece, and I think it is self-evident that the authors of the essays in this book were NOT aiming for clarity. I could go on and on, but suffice it to say that unless you are already deeply acquainted with a variety of complex and dense philosophical concepts (Schopenhauer's writings, Kant's general arguments, cosmic pessimism, etc.), you won't take much away from this book. I sure didn't.