Correspondences (Dec 2022)
From Hyperborean Darkness to Transcendental Light: On Challenging Masculinity, and the Immanence of Black Metal through the Esoteric Christianity of Hunter Hunt-Hendrix and Liturgy
Abstract
This article explores the relationship between esotericism and masculinity in heavy metal, and in particular black metal, through the case study of the esoteric writings and practices of Hunter Hunt-Hendrix from the US black metal band Liturgy. Academic research in metal subcultures has shown a pervasiveness of discourses that uphold a model of hegemonic masculinity prevalent in twentieth-century western society, based upon the articulation and valorisation of heteronormative archetypes such as the “warrior,” the “blue collar worker,” and “the metal god.” Men and masculine cultural values are coded as dominant, active and “warrior-like,” while women and femininity are passive, subordinated, and disavowed. This is mirrored in the esoteric project of black metal, where the desire for true authenticity and the valorisation of the “Viking” warrior mentality informs its embracing of esoteric systems and occult practices that provide narratives for traditional masculinity to be upheld. However, shifts in wider social and occultural landscapes have led to a challenging of black metal’s aesthetic and cultural orthodoxy. This article argues that the work and music of Hunt-Hendrix provides such a challenge through her depictions of esoteric Christianity that upend several of the tenets of black metal, while also being informed by her cultural values as a queer, trans woman.
