Scientists Discover Material Blacker Than Black, Darkthrone

Black: the color of death, night, leather jackets, and creepy burgers. For a long time, black has been THE defining color of metal, especially since Venom coined the subgenre title “black metal” and ushered in a new age of corpsepaint, freezing moons, and unfathomable blackness.

But you can’t stop progress, and now scientists at Surrey NanoSystems have made black blasé by creating Vantablack, a substance that absorbs “all but 0.035% of visible light, setting a new world record.” The newest iteration of the substance is made out of carbon tubes 10,000 thinner than human hair, and basically looks like a black hole in the middle of space.

Here’s a video from Geekologie of the stuff absorbing a laser. Yeah.

Before you put in an order for your new stage gear, know that a) this shit is extremely expensive, and b) there would be no visible contours on your clothing — it would just look like a black spot. From Death And Taxes:

Asked about the prospect of a little black dress, he said it would be “very expensive” – the cost of the material is one of the things he was unable to reveal.

“You would lose all features of the dress. It would just be something black passing through,” he said.

So, sadly, most black metal bands won’t be able to afford an outfit that makes them look like a living shadow walking through the air. That said, I’m just glad science is being put to the right use — creating a substance that absorbs all light, plunging the world into impenetrable darkness.

But you tell us: who deserves a Vantablack outfit? I’m going to go with Hoest of Taake, whose sweeping cape is one of the most badass pieces of black metal fashion. Imagine a hooded shape of raw shadow coming onto the stage, and then it’s head raises and you see that skull paint glaring out of it at you.

Let us know in the comments. Meanwhile, get ready for a dozen bands named ‘Vantablack’ to pop up in the near future.