An online casino allows you to play a game of chance and skill from the comfort of your home. Today, you can also play such games using your smartphone. This gives you the convenience of enjoying your favorite casino games, regardless of your location. You’ll have the freedom to choose from a wide range of games, from classic slots to immersive live dealer games. 

The convenience of accessing the games anytime that the online casino sites provide appeals to the modern lifestyle. However, there are many things you need to be mindful of while choosing an online casino. Here’s how to choose the best online casino:

1. See how reputed the online casino is

Researching the reputation of an online casino through reviews and player feedback is extremely important. For this purpose, there are platforms such as social media, forums, and review sites. You can visit such platforms to get some valuable insights into the online casino’s safety and reliability. 

If you see negative feedback and a history of unresolved complaints, avoid signing up with the site. Always choose an online casino with a good online reputation with several positive reviews and excellent customer service ratings.

2. Look for the available games and their providers

The best online casino real money players bet on would have an extensive collection of high-quality games. You must look for such platforms, where you can choose from a variety of thrilling games. It’s also important to know the providers of the available games. 

Playtech, Microgaming, and NetEnt are some of the reputed casino gaming software providers. You should also see if the online casino offers different types of games. Among the popular ones are slots, roulette, blackjack, and live dealer games.

3. Payment security

A reliable online casino real money players gamble on should guarantee the security of your payments. It is, therefore, important to search for casinos that employ the latest encryption technology, such as Secure Sockets Layer (SSL). 

It safeguards your sensitive personal and financial data on the site. Besides this, you must also check if the online casino provides trusted and secure payment methods. This is extremely necessary to ensure the safety of your deposits and withdrawals. 

4. Verify the site’s legal compliance

Make sure that the online casino you’re considering has a valid license from a renowned regulatory authority. The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) and Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) are among the most reputed regulators. 

The best online casinos hold a valid license from any of these regulatory bodies. These authorities make sure that the casino sites operate under strict rules and regulations. They also ensure that these sites have fairness in their games and follow responsible gambling practices. 

In conclusion…

Before you sign up with your chosen online casino, you must also go through its terms and conditions. You must pay special attention to the points related to bonus policies, account verification, and withdrawal process. After considering all the factors, you’ll be able to make an informed decision based on your preferences and priorities.

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They’ll certainly give you the chance to win some exciting bonuses. These games would also allow you to enjoy the best of metal music. If you wish to know more about the best online casinos and some interesting online slot games, visit CasinosJungle.

1. Jimi Hendrix

This fabulous offering from NetEnt is loved by online gamblers who enjoy classic rock. You might say that the music of Jimi Hendrix can’t be considered pure metal. Of course, that’s true, but this legendary artist contributed immensely to the development of this genre. 

The metal songs of today feature-heavy drum sounds and guitar distortions. They were a gift from the music that came from Jimi Hendrix. As a tribute to this legend, NetEnt came up with a themed online slot game. It features Jimi Hendrix as the main character. 

The symbols are his guitar and the soundtrack of the game include some of his greatest hits. This online slot game has 20 paylines and 5 reels. You can enjoy the popular rock songs of Hendrix while taking advantage of the free spins.

2. Ozzy Osbourne

Yet another fantastic online slot from NetEnt, Ozzy Osbourne features some of the best songs of this artist. This English rock singer achieved worldwide fame as the lead singer of the metal band, Black Sabbath. Their hits War Pigs and Paranoid are still a favourite of metal fans. The members of the Osbourne clan were made even more famous by an MTV documentary aired sometime back. 

You’ll love the symbols in this online slot game, which feature the members of the Osbourne family. This game has 20 paylines and 5 reels. While spinning the reel, you can enjoy the thrilling soundtrack featuring the hit songs of the Osbourne family.

3. Guns N’ Roses

This game was released by NetEnt to commemorate the 30th anniversary of this rock and roll band. It features high-end graphics with 3 rows, 20 paylines, and 5 reels. Some of the other characteristics of this online slot are Wild substitutions, Solo Multiplier, and Crowd Pleaser bonus game. 

While playing this game, you’ll also get to listen to some of the hit songs of this metal band. They’ll surely transport you to the 1980s.

4. Punk Rocker

You’ll be reminded of the rowdy 1970s while playing this online slot from Nolimit City. The unique feel and style of this game will bring out the rebel in you. This online slot truly captures the spirit of the era with its loud metal songs. You’ll get the first taste of edginess in this game with the Wild symbol. 

The symbols featuring a skull holding a Molotov cocktail are transformed into Wild symbols themselves. You’ll have to watch out for the mystery symbol. It gives you a pleasant surprise with 3 to 4 extra symbols. It is the presence of some rocking songs that makes Punk Rocker a delightful slot game.

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Some of these bands, such as Best Coast and Dum Dum Girls have received praises as well as rebukes. Much of the rebukes they got were the result of their fuzzy lo-fi sound. Trends in music are often cyclic. It doesn’t come as a surprise, therefore, when you see legions of fans admiring a least expected genre. Many were stunned by the sudden adoration for a genre of metal called black metal. 

The best albums of 2013 were listed by the biggest music publications in the world. Among them was a black metal album called Sunbather from Deafheaven. The black metal album The Satanist from Behemoth was given five stars out of five by The Guardian. The ads from Apple also promoted a black metal album. 

Unless you’re a black metal fan, you’ll wonder where the world is heading to, upon seeing all of these. The genre that was once seen as alienating has now found a new life. A whole lot of people have begun paying attention to it. Let’s now take a look at its history.

Dark origins

The term ‘black metal’ originated in 1982. It came from the album of the same name from the English band, Venom. There were a few bands that are now considered a part of the ‘first wave’ of black metal. Their music sounded more like speed and thrash metal. Among these bands were Venom, Mercyful Fate, and Bathory. 

These bands stood out from the rest owing to their lyrical and thematic content. Their themes were often Satanic and anti-Christian. Members of these bands adopted morbid personas, monikers, and corpse paint. Quorthon, the vocalist of Bathory, became quite popular for his screeching rather than singing. 

The first wave of black metal set the tonal quality and character of the black metal bands to come. The music had to be extremely dark with heavily distorted guitars, lo-fi production, fast drums, and anti-Christian. 

The genre faded away in the late 1980s owing to the increasing popularity of death metal. This new genre of metal was faster, hyper-aggressive, more chaotic, and featured growled vocals. Black metal sounds low-pitched, while death metal has a higher pitch.

The early 1990s

The early 90s saw the second wave of black metal emerge in Norway. The bands that were a part of this wave included Mayhem, Immortal, Darkthrone, and Gorgoroth. A distinct, legitimate sub-genre was developed out of the sound and culture of the forbears of black metal. Such an evolution of black metal took it to the next level. 

The new avatar of this genre was misanthropic and nihilistic. At times, the tracks were so raw that they seemed unlistenable to many. Instead of emotional gratification, they were focused on creating dark and moody atmospheres.

Adherence to the ideology

In the second wave, there was a greater level of commitment to satanism. While the earlier bands only used satanism for shock value, the newer ones wanted to be totally ungodly. Among the early Norwegian black metal bands, warped philosophical ideologies were rampant. This often invited the ire of international media. 

Some of the bands were so horribly misguided that they were completely immersed in the culture. They explicitly expressed their desire to spread hatred, fear, and sorrow. This resulted in more than 50 arsons of Christian churches during the period between 1992 and 1996 in Norway. One particular incident of extremities is the suicide of Mayhem’s vocalist, Per Yngve Ohlin. 

He was found by guitarist Euronymous with slit wrists and throat, and a shotgun wound to his head. Euronymous, instead of calling the police immediately, did something utterly disgusting. He went to a shop and brought a disposable camera. He used it to take some pictures of his former bandmate’s dead body. One of them was used as an album cover!

Spawning of other black metal bands

Black metal was considered to be a purely underground genre for a long time. It had slowly begun to creep out into the consciousness of the general metal scene. Although the Norwegian black metal scene was plagued with notoriety, it was surely appealing to some parts of Europe. Soon, the genre was embraced by some in Germany, the United Kingdom, and France. 

During this period, the winds of this genre were changing direction. Just like the American death metal, the European black metal bands caught the attention of big-time metal labels. This rising commercialization of black metal was hated by fans of the genre. The purists of what was once a fiercely underground movement were certainly not happy. 

They were angry that the death metal bands were going to Nuclear Blast, Century Media and other major labels. While certain black metal bands claimed to be true to their genre, they pursued a wider musical palette. Despite this, black metal continued to exist in their DNA. The most commercially successful band in black metal history is Dimmu Borgir. 

They also went on to add an operatic edge and cleaner vocals. Enslaved and Emperor changed their direction towards progressive metal. The infamous Varg Vikernes made use of minimalist black metal qualities to introduce ambient elements. He even went fully instrumental while serving time in prison. At the time, he didn’t have any access to traditional rock instruments.

At one point, Blut Aus Nord realized that industrial music and black metal could go together. Deathspell Omega and Ulver decided to let their avant-garde tendencies loose. Satyricon went full-on hard rock as well. All these bands were rooted in black metal, but realized that murdering rivals and burning churches didn’t suit them. 

Expanding their sound was definitely against the principles of black metal. Many such bands helped in expanding black metal beyond its confines. Without their efforts, we wouldn’t have gotten a band like Deafheaven. We also wouldn’t have gotten symphonic black metal, blackened death metal, progressive black metal, and other sub-genres.

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As a result, many of them publicly turned to religions like Asatru. These religions predate the arrival of Christianity in the region and are characterized by the worship of Norse gods. Deities like Thor were admired by these black metal musicians and they also praised the Viking resistance to Christianity. 

Some bands also demanded that the metal genre be freed from the influence of American rock. They wanted to shift to a purely European musical form, which revered their culture. However, no concrete evidence of violence was found beside the aggressive song lyrics.

The spread of black metal ideas in Norway

Such ideas found favour with a small group of young Norwegian musicians in the early 1990s. They often gathered at Helvete, a record shop in Oslo. The meaning of the word Helvete in the local language is ‘hell’. During such gatherings, some intense conversations took place on matters regarding music, self-reliance, and personal strength. 

The writings of Friedrich Nietzsche, a 19th-century German philosopher, were also discussed. These young musicians were fascinated by the idea that non-conformity and strength thrived in pre-Christian Scandinavia. It sparked in them an intense admiration for the authentic native culture. 

They began to consider Christianity as a weaker religion when compared to the ‘heathen’ culture. This prompted the black metal bands to paint their faces to look like corpses. Some of them wore spiked gauntlets and bandoliers. There were some who even performed with animal blood on the stage.

Violence in black metal

In the early 1990s, a desire to crush the weaker and impure ways emerged during the gatherings at Helvete. Members of these small groups began plotting ways to unleash their darker side. Some of them indulged in grave desecration and murder. 

One such infamous incident was the murder of a homosexual man. The musician had stabbed the gay man for demanding sexual favors from him. This incident had happened in a park meant to be a place where gay men met for sex. 

The opposition of black metal bands to Christianity also resulted in a series of church burnings. During 1992, many black metal musicians had burned churches in several Norwegian cities. Some of them were many centuries old. Arsons were witnessed throughout 1995 in Norway and Sweden. 

Despite such incidents, there’s one thing that’s worth noting. It’s the fact that most black metal musicians and fans have always criticized physical violence.

Racism in black metal

During the period between the mid to late 1990s, some black metal bands favoured racism. They were of the belief that fierce anti-immigrant and racist ideas were an integral part of their music. They borrowed the Nazi ideology and believed that the people of Europe must return to their Aryan race. Such ideas were also favoured by a small section of US-based black metal bands and their fans. 

This led to the emergence of a small sub-genre of black metal called national socialist black metal. It favoured extreme violence and racial separatism. This sub-genre of black metal has maintained a steady existence in some countries. Some of them are the United States, Poland, Greece, and Australia.

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