Page - 79 - in JRFM - Journal Religion Film Media, Volume 06/02

Heavy Metal Bricolage | 79www.jrfm.eu 2020, 6/2, 65–85 the landscape and montage do not reinforce this association with djinns, there are a few corresponding visual set pieces, primarily the head scarf and an oil lamp. The Islamic, or pre-Islamic, motif of the djinn is re-embedded in the motif of the deal with the devil, but this association is not self-evi- dent in the visual bricolage itself – the oil lamp and head scarf could easi- ly be overlooked alongside the overwhelming symbolism of the landscape. Awareness of these individual pieces heightens the supernatural element. The “Mother” in Cult of a Dying Sun is herself a “Ritualist”, but the read- ing of the sacrifice as power exchange seems probable even without these designations. Likewise, in the case of Venom Prison the Buddhist or Hindu links in the song and album titles (Samsara and Asura) are not reflected in the visual programme. The content of the Cyrillic transcriptions of dialogue in the video is difficult for most viewers to access – the added value is once more visual. The same visual language is used to shape the sacrifice motif, but in one instance with a focus on disempowerment and in the other with a focus on power exchange. In Venom Prison’s video, the Christian references in the chapel and the crown of thorns direct the associations towards (religious) authority in the form of the Christian Church. The allegory of institutional oppression relies on the recognition of these paralleling power structures. In Uada’s video, however, the same position within the pattern, the priest, is coded as “devilish”, more archetypal and less a reference to social po- sitions of power. Both priest figures act as authorities and they perform similar functions to denote the whole as a story of sacrifice, but “power” is not set in the same associative networks in these videos. The visual reper- toire of sacrifice is limited, and the most straightforward and recognizable versions will be implemented more often. But these movable parts provide many starting points for extending or directing meaning in a particular direction. Landscape Anti-modernity topoi and archaic fantasies manifested themselves in aus- tere landscapes long before the first black metal bands took their first band pictures in the Norwegian woods. The isolating and misanthropic tenden- cies of the scene grant nature its own power apart from any human agent. Both ritual narratives are embedded in nature. The closeness to nature can