Over the last year or so, I have been getting heavily into Post Black Metal or Atmospheric Black Metal or just Blackgaze. Nothing turns me off faster than a tag that implies a Latte sipping college student might be into this form of music which I am starting to think is what true black metal is all about.If you strip away the satanic imagery and the crazy antics of the genre what I find is the cold dark which I think is what makes BM so appealing to many of its fans. Nothing hits harder than Black Metal, not any Core bands, nor does any Death bands come close in its atmosphere. When done right Black Metal allows you to feel like you have left the physical world and become celestial.I honestly believe that you can gain enlightenment through this art form. There are bands that will take you from your living room chair straight into the stars, you can feel attached at some level, attached to the universe and also at the same time feel so unattached from the human race. In that moment you experience pure enlightenment. Meditation also allows you to reach these types of inner and outer gazing that can center your whole existence.This is where Blackgaze has become such an important part of my daily ritual. I will use a band like Violet Cold to immerse myself, to feel at complete ease with everything that is going on inside of my world. I know absolutely nothing about Violet Cold other than their music is like a divine being whispering into my ear while I close my eyes to unwind. I think knowing anything about them would almost destroy the feeling that I get while listening to their musicI would hate to think that because they are not all about death and destruction that any music fan of the extreme would cast them off as lame, I think that a music fan that enjoys an"experience" instead of catchy hooks will find a place for this band.