Black Boned Angel: metal as worship
Music
The persistence of METAL
by Philip Matthews
Continued from page 2...
Metal as worship of one’s higher self, a fantasy of power – how does it feel to play it live? Early next month, Black Boned Angel goes to Australia to play dates in Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide and Bendigo. For live shows, Kneale expands the band from a solo project, joined by James Kirk – another guitarist with a long history in improvised noise music – and, more recently, Jules Desmond.
“The music is about playing it,” Kneale says. “It’s about standing in front of that massive wall of sound and having your ears shredded and feeling it through your entire body. It’s almost devotional, this sense of physical presence. When we toured Europe and were provided with these wonderful rigs of amplifiers to play through, me and James thought we were in heaven. James said after we came off stage one night, ‘I’ve figured out why those heavy metal guys stand with their legs apart. When I played the first note, I had my legs together and it just about blew me off my feet! I had to stand with my legs apart to keep my balance.’
“I’ve never found a form of music which is so life-affirming, almost in spite of its fascination with various, perhaps unhealthy, ideas or persuasions. It’s cathartic music. It’s about being alive.”
