Scalding Coldness

Kurtyka, Kukuczka, Boukreev, Prezelj, Jeglik, Rutkiewicz. These are just a few of the legendary names of alpinists that herald from former Eastern Bloc European countries. Why is it that this area has spawned so many of the the greatest alpinists ever, especially during the 70’s and 80’s? Could it be that in those times, everyday life there was just plain hard and, to some extent, merely a matter of tolerable suffering (something that true alpinism is all about)? Perhaps, or maybe traditional mountaineering is just much more popular there than in the rest of the western world. One quarter of the population of Slovenia is a member of some form of mountain club! What more, by and large the mountaineering opportunities available in Eastern Europe take on much more of an adventurous spirit with the plethora of less than perfect rock (choss, frozen turf, etc.) and staunch traditional ethics. This region has been a cornucopia for spawning bold, talented alpinists at the cutting edge for the last 30 years. Until just recently, no first winter ascent of an 8,000 meter peak had been done by anyone but the Poles!

Living the (relatively) comfortable lifestyle of a Westerner, I can only stand back and admire what these folks have done and continue to do on a regular basis, often with the most rudimentary equipment. In my own personal homage to the “master sufferers” of the East, I have embarked on a sonic journey to discover some of the more harsh, brutal and cold sounds from this region to help motivate myself to dig a little deeper and push a little harder when things seem to be all that I can take. Slovenian alpinist Marko Prezelj once told me: “when you have pushed yourself to your limit and you feel like it is all you can take, you are just half way to what you are capable of doing.” Strong words from a strong man.

Being a big fan of extreme metal, I have found that this genre thrives in Europe, eastern Europe, in particular. Much of the underground metal scene there takes on a very somber, austere and melancholic character, not unlike the personalities one encounters in the world of alpinism. Perhaps for similar reasons as to why Eastern climbers so excell in alpinism, so do extreme metal bands from that region in producing some of the most harsh, crushing, and to-the-point metal of this day and age. With song titles like: “Scalding Coldness’, “Where the Snows are Never Gone,”Chambers of the Winds” and “Icy Armor on the Peak of the World”, how can you go wrong?

Though, this sort of music is not for everyone, certainly not the Dave Mathews Band and Jack Johnson crowd, it may sooth the hearts of those who crave for winter’s icy chill no matter the time of year. Here are a few of the bands I have found to be of particular inspiration: NAV, Old Wainds, Drudkh, Dead Raven Choir, Hate Forrest, Ashes, Graveland, Mgla, Gromm, Wolfmangler and Triglav (they’re even named after one of the finer peaks in the Eastern Alps!) At least for me, this stuff really gets under my skin and gets me in the mood for a cold, dark, north face suffer fest! Yes, it is brutal, damaged, fucked up, nihilistic and at times misanthropic, bleack, black and cold, but isn’t climbing cold, dark, north faces, as well? In the words of one of the more popular Eastern metal record labels (Supernal):
“We are engaged in a culture war, supplying a positive alternative to the degenerate, superficial, spiritually-destructive mainstream pop culture of today.”

There is much to explore.