By and large, black metal is still music for the marginal audience. In recent years, however, black metal has undergone something of a process of popularisation. While black metal may still not be music for the masses, it is, at best, already commercial. Bands such as Cradle of Filth and Emperor are able to tour on most continents and are made note of in the media. The discourse of black metal has suddenly become available to more and more people, even to those who take no interest in Satanist ideologies or black metal as music. It is therefore worthwhile and well-grounded to take a critical look on the discourse of black metal. There may even be an urgent need to do so.

The fact that black metal lyrics tend to react against conventions reinforces the view that such discourses should be looked at critically. As for conventions, the ones surrounding individuals in a society are not only social, but also linguistic. Language and society are not separate entities, but social structures and ideologies are constantly negotiated, renegotiated, rearticulated and disarticulated in discourse (I use the term ‘articulation’ in accordance with the definitions of Chouliaraki and Fairclough (1999)). Fairclough (1993:5-11) has argued that not only is discourse reflective of social change, but that it is also an aspect, a part of it. This notion especially relevant here, since traditional conceptions of the nature of social reality are articulated anew in a radical way in the lyrics of Cradle of Filth. This is what I have referred to as "the deconstruction of the social" in another paper. Here, however, I will address another issue that springs from the same data, but is still connected with criticism of contemporary social constructions; the construction of femininity in the lyrics. The question whether femininity is constructed in a new way is significant, because discursive constructions have an effect on systems of knowledge and belief (Fairclough, 1993:238).

I will argue that traditional conceptions of femininity are disarticulated in Cradle of Filth’s lyrics and new constructions are offered in stead. My analytical efforts will be focused on the lyrics of four songs: Queen of Winter, Throned, A Gothic Romance (Red Roses for the Devil’s Whore), Dusk and Her Embrace and Lustmord and Wargasm – The Lick of Carnivorous Winds, while I still may draw on all the lyrics on the albums Vempire or Dark Faerytales in Phallustein, Dusk and Her Embrace and Cruelty and the Beast for examples. The discourse of black metal, which can be described as ‘the discourse of rebellion’, actually provides a convenient forum for the deconstruction of patriarchal conceptions of femininity, but as discourse can never totally escape existing structures (systems of power, knowledge and belief), even as radical new articulations as the ones to be found in the lyrics of Cradle of Filth seem to fail to construct femininity in an entirely new way. Be it as it may, the lyrics of Cradle of Filth unravel myths and beliefs concerning female sexuality and male dominance while at the same time setting up connections between femininity and power, connecting femininity with the Satanic.

It would, at first, appear that femininity is given prominence to. Such, indeed, is the case. In the lyrics analysed, female figures are without exception central. They are in control, ascendant, one might say. Being in control of others, as implied by wordings such as "queen" or "countess", is not rare to them. Looking at transitivity, however, reveals that female figures, who often act as something of ‘heroines’ in the lyrics, ‘exist’ rather than ‘act’. Agency is seldom attributed to female figures explicitly. For example in "The Queen of death-white winter enthroned/ Evil resplendent in dusk red seething skies" (Queen of Winter, Throned) the "Queen" is "enthroned" instead of having produced her royal state through her own actions. Of course, kings and queens are usually enthroned, but in the context of Cradle of Filth’s lyrics one might expect ‘the strong’ to seize power by force. Such expectation is reinforced by the last line of the song; "Satanic Tyranny".

The same pattern can be detected in other songs as well. Consider the example below:

There is a tendency to construct women as fully capable of acts of violence, violence from women framed as totally acceptable, but the syntax of the lyrics often disguises causality. In the example above the narrator’s veins are "Rent by lips". The passive construction obfuscates agency, and the metaphor, substituting the agent for lips, adds to conceal the ‘responsibility’ for what happens. Agency tends to be explicitly presented only where a male character appears.

Already in the light of two examples it would seem that there is a tension in the lyrics, which is brought about by the dichotomy between an effort to construct femininity anew and prevailing, constraining structures. The attempt to deconstruct traditional perceptions of femininity is evident, but female figures still rarely exert power or act against norms of behaviour and sexuality, for example, so that agency would be presented clearly. For something to happen concretely, a male figure has to be included in the form of the narrative "I" or "we" (as in "She" and "He"). This is the case in Lustmord and Wargasm – The Lick of Carnivorous Winds: "Then we smite the divine". Unlike the title might suggest, in Queen of Winter, Throned the last four lines scetching out a vision of Satanic rule is at least as much the ‘victory’ of the masculine "I" as that of the "queen":

It is "our lust" that is fed, not "her lust". The lyrics are, as a result, suggestive rather than stating female supremacy as a fact or wish. At least, this is what aspects of transitivity suggest. Passive forms and concealed agency might be a matter of style as well, but it is the actual text that matters, the text that is read by the audience. Artistic intentions are quite another thing, so there is something of a failure to resign from patriarchal structures of power.

The above extract exemplifies how Cradle of Filth’s lyrics are ‘gendered’, that is, aspects of gender and sex are brought into the text. In Lustmord and Wargasm... "concubines", "skirts" and "marry" insert the aspect of gender, the aspect of femininity into the text. "Delight", on the other hand, is clearly sexually loaded, with "Suck" and "fruition" (associated with fertility) subtly supporting the sexual tone of the passage. Gendering the discourse can be noted already before the quoted extract with expressions such as "Gravid with madness" and "But this is mere foreplay to war" (underlinings mine), but also throughout all of the lyrics. Fundamentally, what is at play here is ideological work on the reader. A construction connecting femininity, darkness (night), sin (Darker deeds) and "delight" is being set up. Night is personified as feminine, which is equal to what happens in the title of Dusk and Her Embrace (underlining mine). Such construction, at least one so radical, of femininity as Satanic is unarguably novel.

Just as the lyrics establish new connections between femininity and other entities in the reader’s mind, they also tear down old social and, hence, discursive practices that have been naturalized over time. The notion of the divine as chaste is attacked repeatedly. The female figures are always overtly sexual. The following example shows how the angelic (angels with no exception identified with femininity) and the asexual are made incompatible:

This short extract is here somewhat out of context, which may undermine the perception of the unrestrained sexuality of "the Queen of Heaven", but "temptation" and "vulvic revelry" quite clearly belong to a discourse other than "Queen of Heaven", which implies biblical discourse. The construction of the "Queen" ascends the boundaries of good and evil. It is not merely a matter of constructing femininity, but one of criticising Christian ethics and morals. The Christian conceptions that define women and their social position largely affect how women are perceived of and perceive themselves in modern society. The lyrics of Cradle of Filth, therefore, are an attack against them.

As has already been noted, the lyrics contain tensions, some of which are caused by the conflict of prevalent norms of society and discourse and emerging new practices. The conflict is born when previously unconnected discourses are brought together to form new constructions. The most interesting aspect of intertextuality, as regards the construction of femininity, is the way the lyrics utilise myths and legends, evoking images of female figures of power. In addition to folklore and classical mythology Christian, Babylonian, Phoenician and Jewish myths and the Arthurian legend are drawn upon. The following example illustrates how Diana, the goddess of moon and hunting in the Roman mythology, is used to support and conjure up an imagery of dominant, strong women while at the same time turning the myth anti-Christian (the "manger" being a reference to "the manger of Jesus").

As in the example, the mythological figures introduced are in most cases female. They are not figures of virtue, but goddesses associated with such things as death, imperviousness and power. Monsters are female too, "Scylla" and "Charybdis" being the obvious examples. Even Christian and Jewish myths are portrayed so as to turn them against themselves. The wordplay in

rewords Eve as "Evil", building up a vision of the future where Eve is lifted above shamefulness of her sin, but her wickedness is romanticised as a virtue. Much in the same manner, Lilith is "winged" although in the Jewish legend she is a demon (so "winged" is ambiguous). In the legend, she was the first wife of Adam who refused to obey him, but the lyrics transform her from a demon to a paragon of independence.

The same technique is at use when the "queen" is characterised as "Bacchanal Cinderella" in Queen of Winter, Throned (Like thistled ruin, garbed around thy heart/ Bacchanal Cinderella, desirous midnight passed). The reader’s associations with "Cinderella" are stripped of innocence by being worded together with "Bacchanal". The orgiastic character of the annual festivals held in honour of Bacchus in ancient Rome and the overall associations of the expression mould the reader’s understanding of "Cinderella". Even a figure from a fairy-tale is not saved from being redefined. This is important because ancient as well as modern myths play a significant role in the definition of roles. Redefining myths, therefore, has an affect on the roles assigned to and taken up by people in their societies, and it is predominantly female myths that are redefined in the lyrics.

Intertextuality is a major issue in social change. The tensions between different discourses are a result of hegemonic struggles, struggles between ideologies. Some of the tensions within the lyrics of Cradle of Filth arise from changing constructions of femininity. Social identities, however, are also constructed through texts, so there should be an awareness of which elements are articulated together and in which way it is done.

Sexual taboos also exist and are reproduced in discourse. Articulating sexuality in accordance with the Satanic ideology of "do what thou wilt" is therefore an essential aspect of Cradle of Filth’s lyrics. The articulation is largely an articulation of the sexuality of women, perhaps because the double standard of morality has concerned them the most. In the lyrics, the double standard is seen to be an outcome of Christian ethics. The following extract takes a strong stand against such morality:

As the use of "lies" and "collusion" spells out, the phrase placed in quotes is framed as an untruth, as a lie. The meaning is taken a bit further with the construction "be martyred", which condemns the double standard and declares it harmful to women. The message is that the boundaries of Christian ethics on sexuality cannot be approved of.

As has been already noted, female sexuality is constructed in other, less indirect ways as well. As for wordings, "Devil’s whore", "debauched seductress", "lustrous Malaresian Queen", "Sharp-eyed, impassive whore" and "succubus" are some of the ones used for female figures. Clearly, all expressions are strongly sexually loaded and bear negative connotations, the most obvious example being "whore". On the deeper level, however, the meaning of those very expressions is deconstructed and formed anew. Words such as "lustrous" and "whore" are not connected with shame in the context of Cradle of Filth’s lyrics. In the context of the following example being "lustrous" is not a fault or a vice.

Sexual unrestrictedness actually becomes a source of power, something to be strived for. Being a sexual subject instead of an object is constructed as acceptable. In the process of attacking sexual taboos even violent sexual behaviour by women is depicted as normal or even romanticised. To take an example:

In the example, sexuality is articulated together with power and violence. Moreover, an antagonism between sexuality and "Purity" is set up. A victory (of the Satanic) is achieved by bringing the sexual within the ‘holy’.

As has by now been mentioned more than once, already, femininity is constructed as overtly sexual. In this construction, ‘delight’ and ‘temptation’ are perfectly legitimate reasons for taking on a course of action. Feminine sexuality is a key to power and control. Any hindrances to its unrestrainedness are to be got rid of. The legitimacy and morality of the construction may be questioned, but it should not be condemned for what it appears at first sight.

Femininity is, indeed, constructed in a new way in the lyrics of Cradle of Filth. Although, as was noted when examining agency, even a discourse as ‘rebellious’ as the lyrics of Cradle of Filth fails to resign from existing systems of knowledge and belief, femininity is articulated in a radically new way. Women become agents instead of remaining subjects. Even if the verb forms used, to an extent, play down the message, the more implicit ideas come through forcefully. Old conceptions are torn down as new connections and antagonism between femininity and other entities are built up. What is given prominence to are the darker aspects of femininity.

The new construction of femininity and woman is in accordance with the paradigm of Satanic ideology. Resignation from any imposed codes of morality and personal restrictions is considered important for the progress of the individual. This is why sexuality plays such a central role in articulating femininity. Women have always been influenced by sexual taboos the most. Cradle of Filth’s lyrics propose that the dichotomy of ‘virgin’ and ‘whore’ be broken down. Likewise, Cradle of Filth’s lyrics give new life to myths that, for many, are forgotten. These myths are interpreted as to support the fundamental ideas of the lyrics, putting female mythological figures on a pedestal, thus highlighting the fact that female sovereignty is not just a vision of the future, but that it is grounded in ancient myths.

There is, of course, much more to be said about Cradle of Filth’s lyrics, but not in the scope of this essay. As for even the construction of femininity, only the surface has been scratched by looking at some details. Much more could be said just by taking a look on the metaphors used for women and femininity. The poetic nature of the lyrics and the fact that many ideas are suggested or implied rather than explicated makes detailed linguistic analysis problematic. Poetry tends to argue through images, not statements. In any case, it is necessary to be aware of the kind of constructions that are being offered as natural. Such awareness of language may also be worthwhile in helping to point out what to should be criticised or encouraged in a discursive construction.