Dixon, Daisy and Paris, Panos  ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2549-1075
2026.
Freedom—nature—Satan: on the beauty of black metal.
Simmons, J. Aaron and McCraw, Benjamin W., eds.
The Heaviest Ideas in the Universe: A Philosophy of Heavy Metal,
[Freedom—Nature—Satan].
John Wiley & Sons,
pp. 158-185.
(10.1002/9781394330775.ch9)
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Abstract
Despite its evolution and branching, black metal today is still considered as a more or less unified genre or style; one which is preoccupied with humans' relationship to the natural world and the self, and which expresses this broad theme via stark Satanic aesthetics and chaotic walls of sound. This chapter traces the beauty of black metal to a surprising source: its ethical dimension. It expresses that the less “conventionally” beautiful black metal music, in fact, embodies an ethically laden kind of beauty; specifically, what we call a “Miltonian-Satanic ecological sensibility.” This core ethic comprises a rejection of societal mores such as monotheistic religion, patriarchy, and capitalism, and a preoccupation with freedom and nature. Immoralism is one of two central theories in the so-called moralism debate in aesthetics, concerning how the broad aesthetic value of a work of art can be influenced by its ethical value.
| Item Type: | Book Section |
|---|---|
| Date Type: | Publication |
| Status: | Published |
| Schools: | Schools > English, Communication and Philosophy |
| Publisher: | John Wiley & Sons |
| ISBN: | 9781394330744 |
| Last Modified: | 02 Aug 2026 12:09 |
| URI: | https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/188113 |
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