The Blogazine For People Who Want It Darker.


Is There “Live” After COVID?

Is There “Live” After COVID?

Nekrovault at Backstage Munich // 13 August 2020

Due to the pandemic, the live music industry is facing the biggest disruption ever. Booking agencies, musicians, bands and organizers have tried to come up with new ideas to fill the void that cancelled gigs, postponed tours and annulled open airs have left. Six Feet Under–six feet apart: Are social distancing concerts really an option?

Naked Truths And Dark Secrets: Type O Negative’s Peter Steele

Naked Truths And Dark Secrets: Type O Negative’s Peter Steele (†)

6’8”, muscles, fangs: In 1996 a journalist described him as a mix of The Kurgan, Glenn Danzig and Count Dracula, but Peter Steele insisted that he looks like Jesus Christ // Press Release (1995) // (c) Roadrunner Records / Joseph Cultice

PAST INTENSE // It’s been almost a decade since Petrus Thomas Ratajczyk better known as Peter Steele has left this mortal coil. To this day the former singer and bass player of American Goth metal legends Type O Negative remains dearly beloved and distinctly remembered by many. Not only for his musical legacy and his vampiresque looks, but also for his dark sense of humor, provocative views and his intense yet gentle personality. On a cold sunny day in spring of 2003 AS LONG AS IT’S BLACK met with him; not for the first time, but as it would turn out later, for the last time.

S.G. Of German Dark Rockers Secrets Of The Moon Shares His Famous Last Cords

S.G. Of German Dark Rockers Secrets Of The Moon Shares His Famous Last Cords

Not a fan of the “Gangnam Style”, but frequently playing “God Of Emptiness”: S.G., frontman of Secrets Of The Moon // (c) Oana Marchis

FAMOUS LAST CORDS // Music is the one single subject that no musician will ever get tired of talking about: S.G., vocalist, guitarist and lyricist of the band Secrets of the Moon, reveals his favorite records, most beloved tunes and songs he wishes were never written.

Of Dream And Drama… And Poetry: The Writings Of Moonspell’s Fernando Ribeiro

Of Dream And Drama… And Poetry: The Writings Of Moonspell’s Fernando Ribeiro 

Little Black Phillip with Fernando Ribeiro, poet, author and lead singer of Portuguese metal band Moonspell // (c) Napalm Records

He is best known as frontman and lyricist of Portuguese dark metal band Moonspell. However, Fernando Ribeiro has also made a name for himself as a writer. His latest is also his first fictional book Senhora Vingança (Lady Vengeance) and contains two ruthlessly dark short stories. Prior to that he explored the manifold facets of pain betrayal, hope and healing by means of poetic verse.

The Shit Life Of Former Mayhem Vocalist Sven Erik “Maniac” Kristiansen

The Shit Life Of Former Mayhem Vocalist Sven Erik Maniac Kristiansen

The moment you find yourself wishing you’d be a guard, so you could raid his cell: Maniac // Press shoot for Mayhem’s “Grand Declaration Of War” (2000) // (c) Season Of Mist

PAST INTENSE // When a band is called Skitliv (shit life), you can hardy expect bubble gum pop music. Their debut album “Skandinavisk Misantropi”, however, is next level shit – so dark, it may cause self-destructive behavior and long-lasting feelings of emptiness and frustration. A true masterpiece, created by none other than Sven Erik Kristinansen aka Maniac, former vocalist of black metal legends Mayhem.

The Story Behind The Song “Black” by Pearl Jam

The Story Behind One Of The Saddest Songs Ever Written: Black by Pearl Jam

Pearl Jam lead singer Eddie Vedder used to be close friends with Johnny Ramone and is president of a Ramones fan club // (c) YouTube

SOUNDS OF SILENCE // “I know someday you’ll have a beautiful life, I know you’ll be a star in somebody else’s sky. But why can’t it be mine?” How can one not be touched by these words? They are the final lines of one of Pearl Jam’s best-known songs, “a sad tale of lost love”, as Rolling Stone Magazine once called it.


AS LONG AS IT’S BLACK is a blogazine for those who find inspiration, pleasure and beauty in darkness. Who search for it in music, art, fashion, literature, places and other people. Who pay attention to obscure details and dare to take a deeper look. Who enjoy being different, but find comfort in knowing that they are not alone. AS LONG AS IT’S BLACK is a mindset, a cross-referencer and a common denominator – beyond cliché and niche, genre and gender, limits and boundaries. It unites and invites those who share a passion for everything AS LONG AS IT’S BLACK.

Copyright 2019 Anja Delastik | Technical realization by Andersen Webworks