Here's an article about a recent appearance by the band Ghost in Portland, OR and the interesting cultural phenomena of "stage satanism" or, in this article, "faux-satanism"
"Faux-Satanism isn't a new concept in metal. As far back as Black Sabbath, bands have pretended to run with the devil, or at least coyly hinted at having some literal religious affiliation with him. Like studio gangstas rapping about accruing Schwarzenegger-level body counts, it's a good marketing ploy for its target demographic. Ghost, however, are pretty upfront about the fact that they're just fucking around. It's even funnier considering where they come from: In Scandinavia, metalheads take evildoing very seriously; the more churches a band has burned down, the greater its popularity. In that way, Ghost's whole schtick—including its sound, a throwback to '80s British metal, with psychedelic accents—seems like a commentary on the extremism of modern metal."
And, here's where I think the phenomena has its raison d'être distilled, and moreover justified: (my emphasis)
"At its core, Ghost resurrects an idea lost in the stern-faced, eviler-than-thou attitude of today's heavy music: Being wicked is meant to be fun. And looking around as they played at the Hawthorne Theater crowd headbanging, air-guitaring, and, most of all, smiling, I'd say they've made some converts."
See also some recent posts of Ghost performing over on the main Hermetic Library blog: Tag Archives: Ghost
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