Judas Iscariot, the Band, Not the Guy in the Bible

Judas Iscariot, almost exclusively the work of a guy named Andrew Harris who used the pseudonym Akhenaten. If you don't know the origin of that name, Google it, it's an interesting story. Akhenaten was very inspired by people like Friederich Nietzsche, Martin Heidegger, Bertrand Russell, William Blake, to form his essentially one man band with the idea of spreading nihilistic thought and anti-Christian sentiments around the Black Metal underground.

Frankly, I can't understand most of the lyrics and the booklets don't contain them, which I think is a shame. It does add to the mystery, but if he's so intent on his message, it would be nice to be able to know what it was. Nevertheless, I love his raspy/sometimes screamy vocals, despite the fact that they make the lyrics almost completely incomprehensible.

I have read some interviews with him and he came off as kind of surly and extremely intense. I guess that's par for the course in the Black Metal world. He takes his philosophy of nihilism and ridding the world of Christianity very seriously, that's for sure. I'm nihilistic myself, but I am guessing it is of a different breed than his. He clings tight to his Nietzsche and, while I do love reading Nietzsche, I'd have to say I don't really think a whole lot like him. I've been influenced by him in a lot of ways but I also don't agree with a lot of what he says, I just enjoy the fact that he inspires me to think for myself to figure out what exactly I do think. To me, that's the main job of a thinker as opposed to a philosopher, as described in the post "Against Systematic Thought" below. A thinker writes to make others think, a philosopher writes to be right.

Anyway, this is all drifting off from Judas Iscariot. The project definitely sounds nihilistic and angry. His rasps and the monotonous, hypnotic riffs cascade over you like sweet oblivion. When he is ranting against Christianity, he sounds truly possessed. Again, I wish I could read the lyrics and figure out exactly what he was thinking that is making him sound so furious. Having been furious with Christianity before (sorry to my Christian friends but it's true) I can certainly understand why he sounds the way he does. But his insights, if any, would be nice to have.

 One thing I haven't seen mentioned in most of the reviews of Judas Iscariot that I've read is the splendid artwork adorning almost all the album covers. He really took care with the packaging. Each album feels like its accompanying artwork, which I feel is an admirable thing to pay attention to. It adds to the whole experience. Apparently he put out a nihilism 'zine for a time, I can't remember what it was called, but I'd love to get a hold of some of the issues of that and see if I can get with his point of view on all the things he raves about. I'll have to find the name of the 'zine and type it into eBay I suppose.

But, if you are one of the few people who will be looking at this page with an interest in nihilistic Black Metal and you, for some unfathomable reason, haven't checked out Judas Iscariot, I'd recommend doing so. The playing is sloppy, but I find it endearingly sloppy and actually it adds to the atmosphere and intensity. Especially in the first part of his career when he was taking on the drumming duties himself. He was never a gifted drummer. But it never mattered to me. He was a gifted songwriter and vocalist and adept at setting a dark mood, that's all I ever asked for. If you're one of those Black Metal fans who avoid US Black Metal at all costs, well, that's not very smart because you're missing out on bands like Judas Iscariot, who compare quite well with much of the European Black Metal over the years. And, if you're not interested in Black Metal, well, you'll have to endure more posts on it in the future, because I love it. So, deal! :)