Frosthardr
Frosthardr was formed in 1997 in Norway. They didn’t come into the scene completely green, as vocalist Jokull used to be a live stand-in for Antestor, and drummer Savn used to drum for another unblack band Vaakevandring. Frosthardr’s brand of unblack leans more on the raw and hardcore punk tendencies of black metal, though releases like Maktesløs also display a prowess for orchestral strings and other atmospheric effects. They are one of the more popular unblack choices, and have been the subject in a couple of documentaries, specifically to highlight their involvement, as Christians, in a very unchristian environment.
Listen to “Koma”
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwKE-jPy3Ko[/youtube]
Frost Like Ashes
Frost Like Ashes will be the only band on this list to come from the USA. They also probably incorporate more theatrics in their shows than other bands on this list as well. They don the corpse paint and spiked leather looks of their secular bretheren, as well take a couple other similarities from them as well, like tearing up a satanic bible on stage and such.
Listen to “Pale Shadows”
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMoP3twBm-M[/youtube]
Sanctifica
Sanctifica was a very short-lived but still very memorable unblack band from Sweden. Their first major release, Spirit of Purity, was very much in the style of thrash-laden black metal, but the next and last release, Negative B departed from black metal almost completely to go for a more experimental and progressive sound. It’s actually a shame that they had to call it quits, because I think they definitely had the potential to be one of the smartest Christian metal acts. However, Spirit of Purity was definitely unblack enough to immortalize them in the annals of unblack history.
Listen to “Riket (The Empire)”
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLAuhiUyPcM[/youtube]
Slechtvalk
Slechtvalk not only has the unblack thing going for them, but also a definite folk metal influence. Generally speaking, they are commonly identified as both an unblack and folk metal band. Their roots are more laced in folk metal, as well as incorporating elements of such in their live act; such as medieval costumes and writing songs around fantasy war themes as well. Moving more towards the present day, their sound has come to be less symphonic and more on the brutal and fast side, which makes the band seem a little more predominantly unblack. Much like other bands on this list, they’re very prominent in the unblack metal scene, and just the Christian metal scene in general.
Listen to “Thunder of War”
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBHwTyP5EHU[/youtube]
The preceding post is a part of Black Metal History Month, our monthlong celebration of all things black metal. Check out all of our posts here and pick up the official t-shirt.
