Black Metal Inner Circle
Encyclopedia
The early Norwegian black metal scene was a music scene and subculture
in Norway
during the early 1990s, based around black metal
. Identified by some as a cult
– “The Black Circle” or “Black Metal Inner Circle” – it consisted of youths ranging from late teens to mid-twenties, many of whom gathered at the record shop Helvete (‘Hell’) in Oslo
. It is from this scene that the “second wave” of black metal emanated.
The scene was the focus of controversy due to the strong anti-Christian beliefs of its members and the crimes they committed. There were two cases of murder
, over two-dozen cases of arson
, and other alledgedly “Satanically
-motivated” crimes. The scene drew the gaze of the Norwegian and international media, who often exaggerated the claims surrounding its members. For example, one Norwegian TV channel aired an interview with a woman who claimed that “Satanists” had sacrificed her child and killed her dog.
bands who shared traits such as “shrieked” vocals, high-pitched guitar tones, raw recording, and “Satanic” lyrics, although most of the “first wave” bands only referred to Satanism
for shock value. During 1990–1992 a number of Norwegian artists, who were strongly influenced by those bands, began performing and releasing a new kind of black metal music. The surge of interest and popularity that followed is often referred to as the “second wave of black metal”. The Norwegian bands developed the style of their 1980s forebears as a distinct genre of heavy metal music. This was partly thanks to a new style of guitar playing developed by Snorre “Blackthorn” Ruch of Stigma Diabolicum/Thorns
and Øystein “Euronymous” Aarseth
of Mayhem
. Gylve “Fenriz” Nagell
of Darkthrone
has credited them with this innovation in a number of interviews. He described it as being “derived from Bathory
” and noted that “those kinds of riffs became the new order for a lot of bands in the ‘90s”.
Visually, the dark themes of their music was complemented with corpsepaint, which became a way for black metal artists to distinguish themselves from other metal bands of the time.
vocalist Per Yngve “Dead” Ohlin
committed suicide
in a house shared by the band. While fellow musicians often described Dead as odd and introverted off-stage, his on-stage persona was very different. He went to great lengths to make himself look like a corpse and would cut his arms while singing.
He was found with slit wrists and a shotgun
wound to the head, by Mayhem guitarist Øystein “Euronymous” Aarseth
. Dead’s suicide note
read “Excuse all the blood” and apologized for firing the weapon indoors. Before calling the police, Euronymous allegedly went to a nearby shop and bought a disposable camera with which he photographed the body, after re-arranging some items. One of these photographs was later used as the cover of a bootleg live album called Dawn of the Black Hearts
.
In time, rumors spread that Euronymous had made a stew
with bits of Dead’s brain and had made necklace
s with bits of his skull. The band later denied the former rumor, but confirmed that the latter was true. Moreover, Euronymous claimed to have given these necklaces to musicians he deemed worthy. Mayhem bassist Jørn “Necrobutcher” Stubberud
noted that “people became more aware of the [black metal] scene after Dead had shot himself ... I think it was Dead's suicide that really changed the scene”.
Two other members of the scene would later commit suicide: Erik “Grim” Brødreskift
(of Immortal
, Borknagar
, Gorgoroth
) in 1999 and Espen “Storm” Andersen (of Strid) in 2001.
for ‘Hell
’, and comes from the Norse hels víti, meaning ‘Hel
’s punishment’. The shop was at Schweigaards gate 56 in Oslo
. Norwegian black metal musicians often met in the shop’s basement, including the members of Mayhem, the members of Emperor
, Varg Vikernes of Burzum
, and Snorre “Blackthorn” Ruch of Thorns
. Euronymous also founded an independent record label called Deathlike Silence Productions
, which was based at Helvete. It released albums by Norwegian bands Mayhem and Burzum, and Swedish bands Merciless
and Abruptum
. Emperor drummer Bård “Faust” Eithun worked in Helvete and lived at the back of the building; Emperor guitarist Tomas “Samoth” Haugen
also lived there for a time. The shop’s walls were painted black and bedecked with medieval weapons, posters of bands, and picture disc
s, while its window featured a polystyrene tombstone. The shop was shut in summer 1993.
Shop-owner Euronymous was “the central figure involved in the formation of the Norwegian black metal scene”, which he “almost single-handedly founded”. He also influenced its ideology, which was described by Benjamin Hedge Olson as “hard-line, misanthropic
devil worship”. Euronymous believed that LaVeyan Satanism
was no real Satanism, and only bands who were Theistic Satanists
could be called “black metal” and this belief was adopted by other important members of the Norwegian scene, like Faust of Emperor. At the time, bands with a style similar to Norwegian black metal, but without Satanic lyrics, tended to use other terms for their music.
Those who gathered at Helvete have been referred to as “The Black Circle” or “Black Metal Inner Circle”. The name has sometimes been widened to inhold the whole Norwegian black metal scene. However, such a term is highly disputable. Not only would it imply that the group was some kind of cult
, the accounts about it differ greatly. The books Lucifer Rising: Sin, Devil Worship and Rock and Roll and Lords of Chaos: The Bloody Rise of the Satanic Metal Underground both claim the existence of “The Black Circle”. For example, an online announcement for a film based on Lords of Chaos reads:
However, in his review of Lucifer Rising, Varg Vikernes
denied its existence, claiming:
Likewise, when asked in Lords of Chaos “What was the Black Circle?”, Bård “Faust” Eithun answered:
The opening of Helvete led to the black metal style spreading among Norwegian bands. As Daniel Ekeroth wrote in 2008,
Musicians and fans of the Norwegian black metal scene took part in over 50 arson
s of Christian churches from 1992 to 1996. Some of the buildings were hundreds of years old, and widely regarded as important historical landmarks. One of the first and most notable was Norway’s Fantoft stave church
, which the police believed was burnt by Varg Vikernes. He was found guilty for the burnings of Holmenkollen Chapel, Skjold Church and Åsane Church in May 1994. To coincide with the release of Mayhem’s De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas
, Vikernes and Euronymous had plotted to blow up Nidaros Cathedral
, which appears on the album cover. Euronymous’ murder in August 1993 put an end to this plan and stalled the album’s release. The musicians Samoth
, Faust and Jørn Inge Tunsberg
were also convicted for church arsons.
Today, opinions on the church burnings differ within the black metal community. Guitarist Infernus and former vocalist Gaahl
of the band Gorgoroth have praised the church burnings in interviews, with the latter saying “there should have been more of them, and there will be more of them”. However, Necrobutcher
and Kjetil Manheim
of Mayhem have berated the church burnings, with the latter claiming “It was just people trying to gain acceptance within a strict group [the black metal scene] … they wanted some sort of approval and status”.
The following is a partial list of the church arsons:
1992:
1993:
1994:
1995:
. Police initially had no suspects, and Faust remained free for about a year. The murder, however, was an ‘open secret’ within the Norwegian scene around Helvete.
. Vikernes had requested the interview to get publicity for the black metal scene and for Øystein Euronymous’ record shop Helvete. However, the interview led to a police investigation and Vikernes was put under arrest for a week. Faust was also arrested and charged with the Andreassen murder. Euronymous decided to shut Helvete due to this negative attention.
On 10 August 1993, Vikernes and Snorre Ruch traveled from Bergen
to Euronymous’ apartment in Oslo
. Upon their arrival a confrontation began, which ended when Vikernes fatally stabbed Euronymous. His body was found outside the apartment with twenty-three cut wounds – two to the head, five to the neck, and sixteen to the back.
It has been speculated that the murder was the result of a power struggle, a financial dispute over Burzum records, or an attempt at “out doing” the stabbing in Lillehammer. Vikernes claims that Euronymous had plotted to torture
him to death and videotape the event – using a meeting about an unsigned contract
as a pretext. On the night of the murder, Vikernes claims he intended to hand Euronymous the signed contract and “tell him to fuck off”, but that Euronymous attacked him first. Moreover, Vikernes defends that most of Euronymous’ cut wounds were caused by broken glass he had fallen on during the struggle. This version is doubted by Faust and other members of the scene.
Whatever the circumstances, Vikernes was arrested within days and in May 1994 was sentenced to 21 years in prison for the murder and for four church burnings. Vikernes smiled when his verdict was read and the picture was widely reprinted in the news media. That month, Mayhem finally released the album De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas
, which features Euronymous on electric guitar
and Vikernes on bass guitar
. In 2003, Vikernes failed to return to Tønsberg
prison after being given a short leave. He was re-arrested shortly after while driving a stolen car with various weapons.
scenes. Fenriz
and Tchort
have noted that Norwegian black metal musicians had become “fed up with the whole death metal scene” and that “death metal was very uncool in Oslo” at the time. A number of times, Euronymous sent death threats to some of the more ‘mainstream’ death metal groups in Europe. Allegedly, a group of Norwegian black metal fans even plotted to kidnap and murder certain Swedish death metal musicians.
There was also rivalry between Norwegian and Finnish black metal bands. Impaled Nazarene
printed “No orders from Norway accepted” and “Kuolema Norjan kusipäille!” (‘Death to the arseholes of Norway!’) on early pressings of their first album and innuendo and snarky comments were made in fanzines. Beherit
's mainman 'Nuclear Holocausto' used the rivalry to play a series of telephone pranks on Mika Luttinen
(of Impaled Nazarene) in which he would call him in the dead of the night playing nursery rhymes at high speed on a cassette recorder. At the time, Luttinen upheld that the messages were threats from Norwegian black metallers.
Subculture
In sociology, anthropology and cultural studies, a subculture is a group of people with a culture which differentiates them from the larger culture to which they belong.- Definition :...
in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
during the early 1990s, based around black metal
Black metal
Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, shrieked vocals, highly distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, blast beat drumming, raw recording, and unconventional song structure....
. Identified by some as a cult
Cult
The word cult in current popular usage usually refers to a group whose beliefs or practices are considered abnormal or bizarre. The word originally denoted a system of ritual practices...
– “The Black Circle” or “Black Metal Inner Circle” – it consisted of youths ranging from late teens to mid-twenties, many of whom gathered at the record shop Helvete (‘Hell’) in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
. It is from this scene that the “second wave” of black metal emanated.
The scene was the focus of controversy due to the strong anti-Christian beliefs of its members and the crimes they committed. There were two cases of murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
, over two-dozen cases of arson
Arson
Arson is the crime of intentionally or maliciously setting fire to structures or wildland areas. It may be distinguished from other causes such as spontaneous combustion and natural wildfires...
, and other alledgedly “Satanically
Satanism
Satanism is a group of religions that is composed of a diverse number of ideological and philosophical beliefs and social phenomena. Their shared feature include symbolic association with, admiration for the character of, and even veneration of Satan or similar rebellious, promethean, and...
-motivated” crimes. The scene drew the gaze of the Norwegian and international media, who often exaggerated the claims surrounding its members. For example, one Norwegian TV channel aired an interview with a woman who claimed that “Satanists” had sacrificed her child and killed her dog.
Musical innovations
During the 1980s, black metal was a loose term used to describe a handful of extreme metalExtreme metal
Extreme metal is a loosely defined umbrella term for a number of related heavy metal music subgenres that have developed since the early 1980s. The term usually refers to a more abrasive, harsher, underground, non-commercialized style or sound nearly always associated with genres like black metal,...
bands who shared traits such as “shrieked” vocals, high-pitched guitar tones, raw recording, and “Satanic” lyrics, although most of the “first wave” bands only referred to Satanism
Satanism
Satanism is a group of religions that is composed of a diverse number of ideological and philosophical beliefs and social phenomena. Their shared feature include symbolic association with, admiration for the character of, and even veneration of Satan or similar rebellious, promethean, and...
for shock value. During 1990–1992 a number of Norwegian artists, who were strongly influenced by those bands, began performing and releasing a new kind of black metal music. The surge of interest and popularity that followed is often referred to as the “second wave of black metal”. The Norwegian bands developed the style of their 1980s forebears as a distinct genre of heavy metal music. This was partly thanks to a new style of guitar playing developed by Snorre “Blackthorn” Ruch of Stigma Diabolicum/Thorns
Thorns (band)
Thorns is a Norwegian black metal band that formed in 1989 and was part of the early Norwegian black metal scene. They made two highly influential demos in the early 1990s, Grymyrk and Trøndertun, but have only released one full-length album....
and Øystein “Euronymous” Aarseth
Euronymous
Øystein Aarseth , who went by the pseudonym Euronymous, was a Norwegian guitarist and co-founder of the Norwegian black metal band Mayhem...
of Mayhem
Mayhem (band)
Mayhem is a Norwegian black metal band formed in 1984 in Oslo, Norway and regarded as one of the pioneers of the influential Norwegian black metal scene...
. Gylve “Fenriz” Nagell
Fenriz
Leif Gylve Nagell , better known as Fenriz, is the drummer and lyricist of the Norwegian black metal duo Darkthrone...
of Darkthrone
Darkthrone
Darkthrone is a Norwegian black metal band. They formed in 1987 as a death metal band, but after embracing the black metal style in 1991, they became a driving force in the Norwegian black metal scene. For most of this period Darkthrone has consisted of just two musicians, Nocturno Culto and...
has credited them with this innovation in a number of interviews. He described it as being “derived from Bathory
Bathory (band)
Bathory was a Swedish heavy metal band, formed by Quorthon in 1983. They are regarded as pioneers of both black metal and viking metal. Quorthon remained the main songwriter and member of Bathory for more than two decades. Bathory was permanently ended after Quorthon's death in 2004...
” and noted that “those kinds of riffs became the new order for a lot of bands in the ‘90s”.
Visually, the dark themes of their music was complemented with corpsepaint, which became a way for black metal artists to distinguish themselves from other metal bands of the time.
Dead’s suicide
On 8 April 1991, MayhemMayhem (band)
Mayhem is a Norwegian black metal band formed in 1984 in Oslo, Norway and regarded as one of the pioneers of the influential Norwegian black metal scene...
vocalist Per Yngve “Dead” Ohlin
Dead (musician)
Per Yngve Ohlin , better known by his stage name Dead, was a Swedish black metal vocalist best known for his work with Norwegian black metal band Mayhem...
committed suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
in a house shared by the band. While fellow musicians often described Dead as odd and introverted off-stage, his on-stage persona was very different. He went to great lengths to make himself look like a corpse and would cut his arms while singing.
He was found with slit wrists and a shotgun
Shotgun
A shotgun is a firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder, which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number of small spherical pellets called shot, or a solid projectile called a slug...
wound to the head, by Mayhem guitarist Øystein “Euronymous” Aarseth
Euronymous
Øystein Aarseth , who went by the pseudonym Euronymous, was a Norwegian guitarist and co-founder of the Norwegian black metal band Mayhem...
. Dead’s suicide note
Suicide note
A suicide note or death note is a message that states the author has died by suicide, and left to be discovered and read in anticipation of suicide....
read “Excuse all the blood” and apologized for firing the weapon indoors. Before calling the police, Euronymous allegedly went to a nearby shop and bought a disposable camera with which he photographed the body, after re-arranging some items. One of these photographs was later used as the cover of a bootleg live album called Dawn of the Black Hearts
Dawn of the Black Hearts
Dawn of the Black Hearts is a bootleg live album by the Norwegian black metal band Mayhem. It is infamous for bearing a photograph of Mayhem's vocalist, Dead , after his suicide in April 1991. This photograph was allegedly taken by Mayhem's guitarist, Euronymous , upon discovering Dead's body...
.
In time, rumors spread that Euronymous had made a stew
Stew
A stew is a combination of solid food ingredients that have been cooked in liquid and served in the resultant gravy. Ingredients in a stew can include any combination of vegetables , meat, especially tougher meats suitable for slow-cooking, such as beef. Poultry, sausages, and seafood are also used...
with bits of Dead’s brain and had made necklace
Necklace
A necklace is an article of jewellery which is worn around the neck. Necklaces are frequently formed from a metal jewellery chain. Others are woven or manufactured from cloth using string or twine....
s with bits of his skull. The band later denied the former rumor, but confirmed that the latter was true. Moreover, Euronymous claimed to have given these necklaces to musicians he deemed worthy. Mayhem bassist Jørn “Necrobutcher” Stubberud
Necrobutcher
Jørn Stubberud is a Norwegian musician. He is best known as the bassist in the black metal band Mayhem under the stage name Necrobutcher...
noted that “people became more aware of the [black metal] scene after Dead had shot himself ... I think it was Dead's suicide that really changed the scene”.
Two other members of the scene would later commit suicide: Erik “Grim” Brødreskift
Erik Brødreskift
Erik Brødreskift was a Norwegian drummer, who played in several black metal bands during his career...
(of Immortal
Immortal (band)
Immortal is a black metal band from Bergen, Norway, founded in 1990 by current frontman/guitarist Abbath Doom Occulta and former guitarist Demonaz Doom Occulta...
, Borknagar
Borknagar
Borknagar is a progressive black metal band from Bergen, Norway, founded in 1995 by Øystein Garnes Brun. The band's style combines folk metal and black metal with progressive and melodic elements...
, Gorgoroth
Gorgoroth
Gorgoroth is a Norwegian black metal band based in Bergen. Formed in 1992 by Infernus , the band is named after the dead plateau of evil and darkness in the land of Mordor from J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings. The group is currently signed to Regain Records and have released...
) in 1999 and Espen “Storm” Andersen (of Strid) in 2001.
Helvete and the ‘Black Circle’
During May–June 1991, Euronymous opened a record shop which he called Helvete. The term Helvete is NorwegianNorwegian language
Norwegian is a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Norway, where it is the official language. Together with Swedish and Danish, Norwegian forms a continuum of more or less mutually intelligible local and regional variants .These Scandinavian languages together with the Faroese language...
for ‘Hell
Hell
In many religious traditions, a hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as endless. Religions with a cyclic history often depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations...
’, and comes from the Norse hels víti, meaning ‘Hel
Hel (being)
In Norse mythology, Hel is a being who presides over a realm of the same name, where she receives a portion of the dead. Hel is attested in the Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, and the Prose Edda, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson...
’s punishment’. The shop was at Schweigaards gate 56 in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
. Norwegian black metal musicians often met in the shop’s basement, including the members of Mayhem, the members of Emperor
Emperor (band)
Emperor was a Norwegian black metal band formed in 1991. They dissolved in 2001, but reunited in 2006 and again in 2007 for a few festival dates and brief US tours. The group was founded by Samoth and Ihsahn .-Biography:...
, Varg Vikernes of Burzum
Burzum
Burzum is a musical project by Varg Vikernes . It began during 1991 in Bergen, Norway and quickly became prominent within the early Norwegian black metal scene...
, and Snorre “Blackthorn” Ruch of Thorns
Thorns (band)
Thorns is a Norwegian black metal band that formed in 1989 and was part of the early Norwegian black metal scene. They made two highly influential demos in the early 1990s, Grymyrk and Trøndertun, but have only released one full-length album....
. Euronymous also founded an independent record label called Deathlike Silence Productions
Deathlike Silence Productions
Deathlike Silence Productions was an Oslo, Norway based independent record label founded in the late 1980s that focused primarily on black metal. It was the first independent label to do so. The label was founded by Øystein Aarseth, also known as Euronymous, who operated the label until his murder...
, which was based at Helvete. It released albums by Norwegian bands Mayhem and Burzum, and Swedish bands Merciless
Merciless
Merciless is a Swedish death/thrash metal band. The band was formed during the summer of 1986 in Strängnäs, Sweden by Erik Wallin Fredrik Karlén and Stefan Carlsson . They were inspired of the early fast-playing bands such as Kreator, Sodom, Destruction and Bathory...
and Abruptum
Abruptum
Abruptum was a black metal and dark ambient band from Sweden formed in 1989 by IT , All , and Ext. IT had already planned to create the band in 1987, but it wasn't until 1990 that he found the right members to do it. The same year, they recorded their first two demos. After the release of the...
. Emperor drummer Bård “Faust” Eithun worked in Helvete and lived at the back of the building; Emperor guitarist Tomas “Samoth” Haugen
Samoth
Samoth is a prominent musician and multi-instrumentalist in the Norwegian black metal scene. He was well known for his distinct guitar work and drumming in the band Emperor, as well as his formation of the death metal band Zyklon...
also lived there for a time. The shop’s walls were painted black and bedecked with medieval weapons, posters of bands, and picture disc
Picture disc
Picture discs are gramophone records that show images on their playing surface, rather than being of plain black or coloured vinyl.-Development:...
s, while its window featured a polystyrene tombstone. The shop was shut in summer 1993.
Shop-owner Euronymous was “the central figure involved in the formation of the Norwegian black metal scene”, which he “almost single-handedly founded”. He also influenced its ideology, which was described by Benjamin Hedge Olson as “hard-line, misanthropic
Misanthropy
Misanthropy is generalized dislike, distrust, disgust, contempt or hatred of the human species or human nature. A misanthrope, or misanthropist is someone who holds such views or feelings...
devil worship”. Euronymous believed that LaVeyan Satanism
LaVeyan Satanism
LaVeyan Satanism, often referred to simply as Satanism among most adherents, was founded in 1966 by Anton LaVey. Its teachings are based on individualism, self-control and "eye for an eye" morality. Drawing influences from the rituals and ceremonies of occultist Aleister Crowley and the...
was no real Satanism, and only bands who were Theistic Satanists
Theistic Satanism
Theistic Satanism, sometimes referred to as Traditional Satanism, Spiritual Satanism or Devil Worship, is a form of Satanism with the primary belief that Satan is an actual deity or force to revere or worship. Other characteristics of Theistic Satanism may include a belief in magic, which is...
could be called “black metal” and this belief was adopted by other important members of the Norwegian scene, like Faust of Emperor. At the time, bands with a style similar to Norwegian black metal, but without Satanic lyrics, tended to use other terms for their music.
Those who gathered at Helvete have been referred to as “The Black Circle” or “Black Metal Inner Circle”. The name has sometimes been widened to inhold the whole Norwegian black metal scene. However, such a term is highly disputable. Not only would it imply that the group was some kind of cult
Cult
The word cult in current popular usage usually refers to a group whose beliefs or practices are considered abnormal or bizarre. The word originally denoted a system of ritual practices...
, the accounts about it differ greatly. The books Lucifer Rising: Sin, Devil Worship and Rock and Roll and Lords of Chaos: The Bloody Rise of the Satanic Metal Underground both claim the existence of “The Black Circle”. For example, an online announcement for a film based on Lords of Chaos reads:
In an escalating unholy war, black metal bands and their obsessive fans have left a grim legacy of suicide, murder and terrorism spreading from Norway to Germany, Russia, America and beyond. The feature film will focus on the relationship between legendary figures Varg Vikernes and Euronymous and the rest of the 'Black Circle' as they wage war against the powers that be in their native country.
However, in his review of Lucifer Rising, Varg Vikernes
Varg Vikernes
Varg Vikernes is a Norwegian black metal musician, writer, philosopher, religious and political activist, arsonist and convicted murderer.Vikernes was born near Bergen, Norway. In 1991, he founded the one-man music project Burzum, which quickly became popular within the early Norwegian black metal...
denied its existence, claiming:
First of all the so-called 'Black Circle' was something Euronymous made up because he wanted to make people believe there was such a thing, but it was nonsense and never existed. The media on the other hand believed it existed for a while, but quickly stopped talking about it when they understood it was a fake rumor.
Likewise, when asked in Lords of Chaos “What was the Black Circle?”, Bård “Faust” Eithun answered:
It’s just a name that was invented for the people who hung out at the shop […] there wasn’t anything like members and membership cards and official meetings.
The opening of Helvete led to the black metal style spreading among Norwegian bands. As Daniel Ekeroth wrote in 2008,
Within just a few months [of Helvete opening], many young musicians had become obsessed with Euronymous and his ideas, and soon a lot of Norwegian death metal bands transformed into black metal bands. Amputation became Immortal, Thou Shalt Suffer turned into Emperor, and Darkthrone swapped their Swedish-inspired death metal for primitive black metal. Most notoriously, Old FuneralOld FuneralOld Funeral was a black/death metal band from Bergen, Norway.Old Funeral was one of the first bands to form in the Norwegian extreme metal scene, getting its start in 1988...
’s guitar player Kristian Vikernes had already left the band to form his own creation, Burzum.
Church arsons and attempted arsons
Arson
Arson is the crime of intentionally or maliciously setting fire to structures or wildland areas. It may be distinguished from other causes such as spontaneous combustion and natural wildfires...
s of Christian churches from 1992 to 1996. Some of the buildings were hundreds of years old, and widely regarded as important historical landmarks. One of the first and most notable was Norway’s Fantoft stave church
Fantoft stave church
Fantoft Stave Church is a reconstructed stave church in the Fana borough of the city of Bergen, Norway.The church was originally built in Fortun in Sogn, a village near inner or eastern end of Sognefjord around the year 1150. In the 19th century the church was threatened by demolition, as were...
, which the police believed was burnt by Varg Vikernes. He was found guilty for the burnings of Holmenkollen Chapel, Skjold Church and Åsane Church in May 1994. To coincide with the release of Mayhem’s De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas
De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas
De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas is an album by Norwegian black metal band Mayhem. Songwriting began as early as 1987, but due to the suicide of vocalist Dead and murder of guitarist Euronymous , the album's release was delayed until May 1994...
, Vikernes and Euronymous had plotted to blow up Nidaros Cathedral
Nidaros Cathedral
Nidaros Cathedral is a Church of Norway cathedral located in the city of Trondheim in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. It was the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Nidaros from its establishment in 1152 until its abolition in 1537. Since the Reformation, it has been the cathedral of the...
, which appears on the album cover. Euronymous’ murder in August 1993 put an end to this plan and stalled the album’s release. The musicians Samoth
Samoth
Samoth is a prominent musician and multi-instrumentalist in the Norwegian black metal scene. He was well known for his distinct guitar work and drumming in the band Emperor, as well as his formation of the death metal band Zyklon...
, Faust and Jørn Inge Tunsberg
Jørn Inge Tunsberg
Jørn Inge Tunsberg is a black metal musician. He lives in Bergen and plays guitar in the black metal band Hades Almighty and industrial metal band Dominanz. Formerly in the bands Immortal, Old Funeral, and Amputation. He was convicted for Åsane church arson on Christmas Eve of 1992 along with Varg...
were also convicted for church arsons.
Today, opinions on the church burnings differ within the black metal community. Guitarist Infernus and former vocalist Gaahl
Gaahl
Kristian Eivind Espedal , better known by his stage name Gaahl, is a Norwegian vocalist, best known as the former frontman of Norwegian black metal band Gorgoroth. He is also the founder and frontman of Trelldom and Gaahlskagg...
of the band Gorgoroth have praised the church burnings in interviews, with the latter saying “there should have been more of them, and there will be more of them”. However, Necrobutcher
Necrobutcher
Jørn Stubberud is a Norwegian musician. He is best known as the bassist in the black metal band Mayhem under the stage name Necrobutcher...
and Kjetil Manheim
Kjetil Manheim
Kjetil Esten Haraldsson Manheim, , was the drummer for the Norwegian black metal band Mayhem. During this time, he went by the stage name Manheim.-Biography:...
of Mayhem have berated the church burnings, with the latter claiming “It was just people trying to gain acceptance within a strict group [the black metal scene] … they wanted some sort of approval and status”.
The following is a partial list of the church arsons:
1992:
- May 23: burning of Storetveit Church in BergenBergenBergen is the second largest city in Norway with a population of as of , . Bergen is the administrative centre of Hordaland county. Greater Bergen or Bergen Metropolitan Area as defined by Statistics Norway, has a population of as of , ....
- Jun 6: burning of Fantoft stave churchFantoft stave churchFantoft Stave Church is a reconstructed stave church in the Fana borough of the city of Bergen, Norway.The church was originally built in Fortun in Sogn, a village near inner or eastern end of Sognefjord around the year 1150. In the 19th century the church was threatened by demolition, as were...
in BergenBergenBergen is the second largest city in Norway with a population of as of , . Bergen is the administrative centre of Hordaland county. Greater Bergen or Bergen Metropolitan Area as defined by Statistics Norway, has a population of as of , ....
– Varg Vikernes is strongly suspected as the culprit, but was not convicted. - Aug 1: burning of Revheim Church in StavangerStavangerStavanger is a city and municipality in the county of Rogaland, Norway.Stavanger municipality has a population of 126,469. There are 197,852 people living in the Stavanger conurbation, making Stavanger the fourth largest city, but the third largest urban area, in Norway...
- Aug 21: burning of HolmenkollenHolmenkollenHolmenkollen is a neighborhood in the Vestre Aker borough of Oslo, Norway. In addition to being a residential area, the area has been a ski recreation area since the late 19th century, with its famous, eponymous, ski jump arena hosting competitions since 1892...
Chapel in OsloOsloOslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
– Varg Vikernes and Faust were convicted for this. - Sep 1: burning of Ormøya Church in OsloOsloOslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
- Sep 13: burning of SkjoldSkjold, RogalandSkjold is a former municipality in Rogaland county, Norway.It was created as Skjold formannskapsdistrikt in 1837. The district Tysvær was separated from Skjold in 1849 to constitute a municipality of its own, and the same thing happened to Vats in 1891...
Church in VindafjordVindafjordVindafjord is a municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Haugaland.Vindafjord was established as a new municipality on 1 January 1965 after the merger of the municipalities of Sandeid and Vats and large parts of Imsland, Skjold and Vikedal...
– Varg Vikernes and Samoth were convicted for this. - Oct 3: burning of Hauketo Church in OsloOsloOslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
- Dec 24: burning of ÅsaneÅsaneÅsane is a borough of the city of Bergen, Norway, making up the northwestern part of the city.It was a municipality in Hordaland county, from January 1, 1904, when it was separated from Hamre, until January 1, 1972 when it was merged with Bergen . The area was developed from mostly farmland to a...
Church in BergenBergenBergen is the second largest city in Norway with a population of as of , . Bergen is the administrative centre of Hordaland county. Greater Bergen or Bergen Metropolitan Area as defined by Statistics Norway, has a population of as of , ....
– Varg Vikernes and Jørn Inge TunsbergHades AlmightyHades Almighty is a black metal band hailing from Bergen, Norway. They were formed in 1992, originally under the moniker Hades. They were forced to change their name to Hades Almighty in 1998, following complaints from an American band with a prior claim to the name.-Biography:Hades were formed in...
were convicted for this. - Dec 25: burning of a Methodist church in SarpsborgSarpsborgis a city and municipality in Østfold county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Sarpsborg.Sarpsborg is part of the fifth largest urban area in Norway when paired with neighbouring Fredrikstad...
– a firefighter was killed while fighting this fire.
1993:
- Feb 7: burning of Lundby New Church in GothenburgGothenburgGothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
, SwedenSwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
1994:
- Mar 13: burning of a church in SundSund, NorwaySund is a municipality in the county of Hordaland, Norway. Sund covers the southern part of the island of Store Sotra, west of Bergen, and many smaller, surrounding islands. The history of the municipality dates back to 1838, when Sund was first established as a formannskapsdistrikt, the precursor...
- Mar 27: burning of Seegård Church in SnertingdalSnertingdalSnertingdal is a former municipality in Oppland county, Norway.It was created by a split from Biri on January 1, 1910. At that time Snertingdal had a population of 2,028....
- May 16: attempted burning of Gol stave churchGol stave churchGol Stave Church is a stave church originally from Gol, Hallingdal, Norway. It is now located in the Norwegian Museum of Cultural History at Bygdøy in Oslo, Norway. -Description:...
in BuskerudBuskerudis a county in Norway, bordering Akershus, Oslo, Oppland, Sogn og Fjordane, Hordaland, Telemark, and Vestfold. The county administration is located in Drammen.-Geography:... - May 17: attempted burning of Åmodt Chapel in BuskerudBuskerudis a county in Norway, bordering Akershus, Oslo, Oppland, Sogn og Fjordane, Hordaland, Telemark, and Vestfold. The county administration is located in Drammen.-Geography:...
- Jun 4: burning of Frogn Church in DrøbakDrøbakDrøbak is an unincorporated city and the centre of the municipality of Frogn, in Akershus county, Norway. The city is located along the Oslofjord, and has 13,358 inhabitants....
- Jun 19: attempted burning of Heni Church in GjerdrumGjerdrumGjerdrum is a municipality in Akershus county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Romerike.-General information:Gjerdrum was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 ....
- Jul 7: burning of a church in JeløyJeløyJeløy is a former municipality in Østfold county, Norway.Jeløy was established as a municipality January 1, 1838...
- Jul 21: attempted burning of Odda's Church
- Aug 13: attempted burning of Loop Chapel in MeldalMeldalMeldal is a village and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Orkdalen region.The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Meldal. The village of Meldal has a population of 609. Other villages include Løkken Verk, Bjørnli, and Storås...
- Dec 10: attempted burning of ÅkraÅkraÅkra is a former municipality of the traditional district of Haugaland in Rogaland county, Norway. Åkrehamn is the official name of Åkra. Locally the name is Haugalandet under Åkra. It is part of the settlement Åkrehamn / Vedavågen which has 9,946 inhabitants ,Åkra was created by a split from...
Church - Dec 22: attempted burning of AskimAskimis a town and a municipality in Østfold county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Askim. Askim was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 ....
Church - Dec 26: attempted burning of Klemestrud Church
1995:
- May 13: burning of Lord Church in TelemarkTelemarkis a county in Norway, bordering Vestfold, Buskerud, Hordaland, Rogaland and Aust-Agder. The county administration is in Skien. Until 1919 the county was known as Bratsberg amt.-Location:...
- May 25: burning of Såner Church in VestbyVestbyVestby is a municipality in Akershus county, Norway. It is part of the Follo traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Vestby.-Name:...
- Jun 14: burning of Moe Church in SandefjordSandefjordis a city and municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Sandefjord. The municipality of Sandefjord was established on 1 January 1838...
- Jul 21: attempted burning of a church college in EidangerEidangerEidanger is a rural parish and former municipality of Porsgrunn, in Telemark County, Norway.-History:Eidanger was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 . It was merged with Porsgrunn on 1 January 1964....
- Sep 3: attempted burning of Vågsbygd church college in OddernesOddernesOddernes is a former municipality in Vest-Agder county in Norway. It is located in the present-day municipality of Kristiansand. The former municipality of Oddernes encircled the city of Kristiansand, and it encompassed villages such as Flekkerøy, Vågsbygd, Slettheia, Lund, Strai, Mosby, Justvik,...
- Nov 3: burning of Innset Church in RennebuRennebuRennebu is a municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Orkdalen region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Berkåk, located along European route E6...
Murder of Magne Andreassen
On 21 August 1992, Bård “Faust” Eithun stabbed-to-death Magne Andreassen, a gay man, in LillehammerLillehammer
is a town and municipality in Oppland county, Norway, globally known for hosting the 1994 Winter Olympics. It is part of the traditional region of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Lillehammer. As of May 2011, the population of the town of Lillehammer was...
. Police initially had no suspects, and Faust remained free for about a year. The murder, however, was an ‘open secret’ within the Norwegian scene around Helvete.
Murder of Euronymous
In late January 1993, Varg Vikernes of Burzum was interviewed by a journalist from Bergens TidendeBergens Tidende
Bergens Tidende is Norway's fourth largest newspaper and largest newspaper outside Oslo, with a circulation of about 87,000 copies . Founded in 1868, it is a Norwegian-language newspaper published daily in Bergen. It reaches approximately 260,000 readers every day , mainly in the counties of...
. Vikernes had requested the interview to get publicity for the black metal scene and for Øystein Euronymous’ record shop Helvete. However, the interview led to a police investigation and Vikernes was put under arrest for a week. Faust was also arrested and charged with the Andreassen murder. Euronymous decided to shut Helvete due to this negative attention.
On 10 August 1993, Vikernes and Snorre Ruch traveled from Bergen
Bergen
Bergen is the second largest city in Norway with a population of as of , . Bergen is the administrative centre of Hordaland county. Greater Bergen or Bergen Metropolitan Area as defined by Statistics Norway, has a population of as of , ....
to Euronymous’ apartment in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
. Upon their arrival a confrontation began, which ended when Vikernes fatally stabbed Euronymous. His body was found outside the apartment with twenty-three cut wounds – two to the head, five to the neck, and sixteen to the back.
It has been speculated that the murder was the result of a power struggle, a financial dispute over Burzum records, or an attempt at “out doing” the stabbing in Lillehammer. Vikernes claims that Euronymous had plotted to torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
him to death and videotape the event – using a meeting about an unsigned contract
Contract
A contract is an agreement entered into by two parties or more with the intention of creating a legal obligation, which may have elements in writing. Contracts can be made orally. The remedy for breach of contract can be "damages" or compensation of money. In equity, the remedy can be specific...
as a pretext. On the night of the murder, Vikernes claims he intended to hand Euronymous the signed contract and “tell him to fuck off”, but that Euronymous attacked him first. Moreover, Vikernes defends that most of Euronymous’ cut wounds were caused by broken glass he had fallen on during the struggle. This version is doubted by Faust and other members of the scene.
Whatever the circumstances, Vikernes was arrested within days and in May 1994 was sentenced to 21 years in prison for the murder and for four church burnings. Vikernes smiled when his verdict was read and the picture was widely reprinted in the news media. That month, Mayhem finally released the album De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas
De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas
De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas is an album by Norwegian black metal band Mayhem. Songwriting began as early as 1987, but due to the suicide of vocalist Dead and murder of guitarist Euronymous , the album's release was delayed until May 1994...
, which features Euronymous on electric guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
and Vikernes on bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
. In 2003, Vikernes failed to return to Tønsberg
Tønsberg
is a city and municipality in Vestfold county, southern Norway, located around north-east of Sandefjord. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Tønsberg....
prison after being given a short leave. He was re-arrested shortly after while driving a stolen car with various weapons.
Conflict with other music scenes
Many recall a strong rivalry between Norwegian black metal and Swedish death metalScandinavian death metal
Swedish death metal is a death metal music scene developed in Sweden. Many Swedish death metal bands are associated with the melodic death metal movement, thus giving Swedish death metal a different sound from other variations of death metal. Unlike American death metal groups, the first Swedish...
scenes. Fenriz
Fenriz
Leif Gylve Nagell , better known as Fenriz, is the drummer and lyricist of the Norwegian black metal duo Darkthrone...
and Tchort
Tchort
Terje Vik Schei , better known by his stage name Tchort, is a Norwegian musician. He is known for his time spent playing bass for the black metal band Emperor and for leading the progressive metal band Green Carnation...
have noted that Norwegian black metal musicians had become “fed up with the whole death metal scene” and that “death metal was very uncool in Oslo” at the time. A number of times, Euronymous sent death threats to some of the more ‘mainstream’ death metal groups in Europe. Allegedly, a group of Norwegian black metal fans even plotted to kidnap and murder certain Swedish death metal musicians.
There was also rivalry between Norwegian and Finnish black metal bands. Impaled Nazarene
Impaled Nazarene
Impaled Nazarene is a Finnish black metal band that incorporates elements of grindcore in their sound and punk rock in their aesthetics. The band is currently signed to Osmose Productions of France....
printed “No orders from Norway accepted” and “Kuolema Norjan kusipäille!” (‘Death to the arseholes of Norway!’) on early pressings of their first album and innuendo and snarky comments were made in fanzines. Beherit
Beherit (band)
Beherit is a black metal band from Finland. The band was formed in 1989 by Nuclear Holocausto , Black Jesus and Sodomatic Slaughter , with the purpose of performing "the most primitive, savage, hell-obsessed black metal imaginable." "Beherit" is the Syriac word for Satan...
's mainman 'Nuclear Holocausto' used the rivalry to play a series of telephone pranks on Mika Luttinen
Mika Luttinen
Mika Luttinen was born in Oulu, Finland, in 1971. In 1990, he formed the Finnish black metal band Impaled Nazarene, where he is the singer and main lyricist. After numerous line-up changes, he remains the only original member. Besides his main project, he has been in the death/black metal band...
(of Impaled Nazarene) in which he would call him in the dead of the night playing nursery rhymes at high speed on a cassette recorder. At the time, Luttinen upheld that the messages were threats from Norwegian black metallers.
List of artists
The following is a list of Norwegian artists that released black metal music during 1991–1993:| Band | Formed | From |
|---|---|---|
| Ancient Ancient (band) Ancient is a Norwegian black metal band from Eidsvåg, Nesset, formed in 1992. The band has released six full-length albums released by Metal Blade Records and a variety of mini-albums, EPs and special releases. Ancient used to have the classic raw black metal sound, similar to Darkthrone's works... |
1992 | Eidsvåg Eidsvåg, Nesset Eidsvåg is a village in the municipality of Nesset in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is the administrative centre of the municipality. Eidsvåg is located at the end of the Langfjorden on the isthmus connecting the Romsdal peninsula to the Norwegian mainland... , Nesset Nesset Nesset is a municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway on the Romsdal Peninsula. The administrative centre is the village of Eidsvåg. Other population centers include Rausand, Boggestranda, Myklebostad, Eresfjord, and Eikesdalen.... |
| Arcturus Arcturus (band) Arcturus is an avant-garde metal band formed in Norway in 1987. They named it Arcturus , after the Behenian fixed star Arcturus.-Biography:The band has released four official full-length albums... |
1987 | Oslo Oslo Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King... |
| Burzum Burzum Burzum is a musical project by Varg Vikernes . It began during 1991 in Bergen, Norway and quickly became prominent within the early Norwegian black metal scene... |
1991 | Bergen Bergen Bergen is the second largest city in Norway with a population of as of , . Bergen is the administrative centre of Hordaland county. Greater Bergen or Bergen Metropolitan Area as defined by Statistics Norway, has a population of as of , .... , Hordaland Hordaland is a county in Norway, bordering Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Telemark and Rogaland. Hordaland is the third largest county after Akershus and Oslo by population. The county administration is located in Bergen... |
| Carpathian Forest Carpathian Forest Carpathian Forest is a Norwegian black metal band formed by Nattefrost and Nordavind in 1990.-Biography:Carpathian Forest emerged with the demo tape "Bloodlust and Perversion" in 1992. In 1993 the band released a second demo: Journey Through the Cold Moors of Svarttjern... (aka Enthrone) |
1990 | Sandnes Sandnes is a city and municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. It is part of the region of Jæren.-History:Sandnes was separated from Høyland as a municipality of its own in 1860, and gained city status the same year... , Rogaland Rogaland is a county in Western Norway, bordering Hordaland, Telemark, Aust-Agder and Vest-Agder. It is the center of the Norwegian petroleum industry, and as a result of this, Rogaland has the lowest unemployment rate of any county in Norway, 1.1%... |
| Darkthrone Darkthrone Darkthrone is a Norwegian black metal band. They formed in 1987 as a death metal band, but after embracing the black metal style in 1991, they became a driving force in the Norwegian black metal scene. For most of this period Darkthrone has consisted of just two musicians, Nocturno Culto and... |
1987 | Kolbotn Kolbotn Kolbotn is the centre of Oppegård, Norway. The population is about 6,000.Kolbotn has several elementary schools, four middle schools and a high school.The Norwegian black metal band Darkthrone formed there in 1986.... , Oppegård Oppegård Oppegård is a village and municipality in Akershus county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Follo. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Kolbotn. The new municipality of Oppegård was separated from the municipality of Nesodden on 1 July 1915... |
| Dimmu Borgir Dimmu Borgir Dimmu Borgir is a Norwegian black metal band from Oslo, Norway, formed in 1993. Dimmu borgir means "dark cities" or "dark castles/fortresses" in Icelandic, Faroese and Old Norse. The name is derived from a volcanic formation in Iceland, Dimmuborgir... |
1993 | Oslo Oslo Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King... |
| Emperor Emperor (band) Emperor was a Norwegian black metal band formed in 1991. They dissolved in 2001, but reunited in 2006 and again in 2007 for a few festival dates and brief US tours. The group was founded by Samoth and Ihsahn .-Biography:... |
1991 | Notodden Notodden is a town and municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Øst-Telemark. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Notodden.... , Telemark Telemark is a county in Norway, bordering Vestfold, Buskerud, Hordaland, Rogaland and Aust-Agder. The county administration is in Skien. Until 1919 the county was known as Bratsberg amt.-Location:... |
| Enslaved Enslaved (band) Enslaved is a progressive black metal band formed in June 1991 in Sveio, Norway, and currently based out of Bergen, Norway.-History:Enslaved was formed in June 1991 by Ivar Bjørnson and Grutle Kjellson when they were 13 and 17 years old, respectively. The band name was inspired by an Immortal demo... |
1991 | Haugesund Haugesund is a town and municipality in the county of Rogaland, Norway.-Location:Haugesund was separated from Torvastad as a town and municipality of its own in 1855. The rural municipality of Skåre was merged with Haugesund on January 1, 1958. Haugesund is a small municipality, only 73 km²... , Rogaland Rogaland is a county in Western Norway, bordering Hordaland, Telemark, Aust-Agder and Vest-Agder. It is the center of the Norwegian petroleum industry, and as a result of this, Rogaland has the lowest unemployment rate of any county in Norway, 1.1%... |
| Fimbulwinter Fimbulwinter (band) Fimbulwinter was a black metal band that was part of the early Norwegian black metal scene. It formed in Oslo during 1992 and released two demos that year. In 1994 it released its only album, Servants of Sorcery. Featuring a cover of Celtic Frost's "Morbid Tales", it was the first release by newly... |
1992 | Oslo Oslo Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King... |
| Gorgoroth Gorgoroth Gorgoroth is a Norwegian black metal band based in Bergen. Formed in 1992 by Infernus , the band is named after the dead plateau of evil and darkness in the land of Mordor from J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings. The group is currently signed to Regain Records and have released... |
1992 | Bergen Bergen Bergen is the second largest city in Norway with a population of as of , . Bergen is the administrative centre of Hordaland county. Greater Bergen or Bergen Metropolitan Area as defined by Statistics Norway, has a population of as of , .... , Hordaland Hordaland is a county in Norway, bordering Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Telemark and Rogaland. Hordaland is the third largest county after Akershus and Oslo by population. The county administration is located in Bergen... |
| Hades/Hades Almighty Hades Almighty Hades Almighty is a black metal band hailing from Bergen, Norway. They were formed in 1992, originally under the moniker Hades. They were forced to change their name to Hades Almighty in 1998, following complaints from an American band with a prior claim to the name.-Biography:Hades were formed in... |
1992 | Bergen Bergen Bergen is the second largest city in Norway with a population of as of , . Bergen is the administrative centre of Hordaland county. Greater Bergen or Bergen Metropolitan Area as defined by Statistics Norway, has a population of as of , .... , Hordaland Hordaland is a county in Norway, bordering Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Telemark and Rogaland. Hordaland is the third largest county after Akershus and Oslo by population. The county administration is located in Bergen... |
| Ildjarn Ildjarn Ildjarn was a black metal project from Norway that formed in 1991. Ildjarn recorded music until 1997 but did not officially end until 2005. The man behind Ildjarn was Vidar Vaaer, although some releases were collaborations with a musician known as Nidhogg... |
1992 | Bø Bø, Telemark Bø is a municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Midt-Telemark. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Bø i Telemark. The municipality of Bø was established on 1 January 1838... , Telemark Telemark is a county in Norway, bordering Vestfold, Buskerud, Hordaland, Rogaland and Aust-Agder. The county administration is in Skien. Until 1919 the county was known as Bratsberg amt.-Location:... |
| Immortal Immortal (band) Immortal is a black metal band from Bergen, Norway, founded in 1990 by current frontman/guitarist Abbath Doom Occulta and former guitarist Demonaz Doom Occulta... |
1990 | Bergen Bergen Bergen is the second largest city in Norway with a population of as of , . Bergen is the administrative centre of Hordaland county. Greater Bergen or Bergen Metropolitan Area as defined by Statistics Norway, has a population of as of , .... , Hordaland Hordaland is a county in Norway, bordering Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Telemark and Rogaland. Hordaland is the third largest county after Akershus and Oslo by population. The county administration is located in Bergen... |
| Mayhem Mayhem (band) Mayhem is a Norwegian black metal band formed in 1984 in Oslo, Norway and regarded as one of the pioneers of the influential Norwegian black metal scene... |
1984 | Oslo Oslo Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King... |
| Satyricon Satyricon (band) Satyricon is a Norwegian black metal band, and the first one in the genre to join a multi-national record label .-Biography:Satyricon was formed in 1990 by Czral and Wargod. Ulver and Satyr soon joined them... |
1991 | Oslo Oslo Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King... |
| Thorns Thorns (band) Thorns is a Norwegian black metal band that formed in 1989 and was part of the early Norwegian black metal scene. They made two highly influential demos in the early 1990s, Grymyrk and Trøndertun, but have only released one full-length album.... (aka Stigma Diabolicum) |
1989 | Trondheim Trondheim Trondheim , historically, Nidaros and Trondhjem, is a city and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. With a population of 173,486, it is the third most populous municipality and city in the country, although the fourth largest metropolitan area. It is the administrative centre of... , Sør-Trøndelag Sør-Trøndelag - References :... |
| Thou Shalt Suffer | 1991 | Notodden Notodden is a town and municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Øst-Telemark. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Notodden.... , Telemark Telemark is a county in Norway, bordering Vestfold, Buskerud, Hordaland, Rogaland and Aust-Agder. The county administration is in Skien. Until 1919 the county was known as Bratsberg amt.-Location:... |
| Ulver Ulver Ulver is a musical group from Norway. Since their first, folklore-influenced black metal release entitled Bergtatt – Et eeventyr i 5 capitler , Ulver’s musical style has been fluid and increasingly eclectic, blending genres such as rock, electronica, symphonic and chamber traditions, noise and... |
1993 | Oslo Oslo Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King... |
List of music releases
The following is a list of black metal recordings and releases by the aforesaid bands during 1991–1993. Releases in bold are albums, whilst the rest are demos and extended plays.| Year/Month | Band | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987-08 | Mayhem | Deathcrush Deathcrush Deathcrush is an EP by the influential Norwegian band Mayhem. It was released in 1987 and was the first studio release by any band of the Norwegian black metal scene. "Chainsaw Gutsfuck" was voted Most Gruesome Lyrics Ever by Blender Magazine. Though influential to black metal, its lyrics and sound... |
|
| 1989-12 | Stigma Diabolicum | Luna de nocturnus | |
| 1990-03 | Stigma Diabolicum | Lacus de luna | |
| 1990-11 | Mayhem | Live in Leipzig Live in Leipzig -Credits:*Dead - vocals*Euronymous - guitar*Necrobutcher - bass*Hellhammer - drums... |
recorded live on 26/11/1990 but not released officially until July 1993 |
| 1991-?? | Mayhem | Freezing Moon and Carnage | these songs feature Dead Dead (musician) Per Yngve Ohlin , better known by his stage name Dead, was a Swedish black metal vocalist best known for his work with Norwegian black metal band Mayhem... as vocalist and appeared on the 1991 Projections of a Stained Mind compilation |
| 1991-05 | Burzum | Burzum Demo I | |
| 1991-06 | Thorns | Grymyrk Grymyrk (album) Grymyrk is an influential demo by the black metal band Thorns, recorded in June 1991. The songs comprise parts played by electric guitar and bass only.-Track listing:# "Lovely Children" – 3:29# "Fall" – 2:20# "Thule" – 6:52# "Fairytales" – 4:02... |
|
| 1991-07 | Thou Shalt Suffer | Open the Mysteries of Your Creation | |
| 1991-07 | Enthrone | Black Wings | |
| 1991-07 | Arcturus | My Angel My Angel (EP) My Angel is a 1991 EP by Arcturus. Arcturus's first work published on an actual record label, My Angel represents a halfway point between band leader Steinar Sverd Johnsen's original project Mortem, a death metal band, and Arcturus's later symphonic black metal and avant-garde metal albums... |
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| 1991-08 | Darkthrone | A Blaze in the Northern Sky A Blaze in the Northern Sky A Blaze in the Northern Sky is the second album by the Norwegian black metal band, Darkthrone. It contains the band's first black metal recordings. The album was recorded in August 1991 and released in February 1992.-Recording and release:... |
recorded in August 1991 but not released until February 1992 |
| 1991-09 | Burzum | Burzum Demo II | |
| 1991-10 | Immortal | Immortal Immortal (EP) Immortal is a 7" EP recorded by the Norwegian black metal band Immortal. It was later repackaged in 2000 as part of the True Kings of Norway compilation by Spikefarm Records.- Track listing :- Personnel :* Abbath – bass, vocals... |
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| 1991-10 | Thou Shalt Suffer | Into the Woods of Belial | |
| 1991-12 | Enslaved | Nema | |
| 1992-02 | Ildjarn | Unknown Truths | |
| 1992-03 | Burzum | Burzum Burzum (album) Burzum is the self-titled debut album by the Norwegian black metal artist Burzum. It was recorded in January 1992 and released in March of that year. The album was later re-released as Burzum / Aske to include the songs from the Aske EP... |
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| 1992-04 | Burzum | Det Som Engang Var Det som engang var -Credits:*Count Grishnackh – vocals, rhythm and lead guitar, bass guitar, drums, synthesizer-External links:*... |
recorded in April 1992 but not released until August 1993 |
| 1992-06 | Satyricon | All Evil | |
| 1992-06 | Enslaved | Yggdrasill The Forest Is My Throne / Yggdrassil The Forest Is My Throne/Yggdrasill is a split album by Satyricon and Enslaved.-Satyricon:#"Black Winds" – 7:07#"The Forest Is My Throne" – 5:00#"Min Hyllest til Vinterland" – 5:24#"The Night of the Triumphator" – 6:10-Enslaved:#"Heimdallr" – 6:40... |
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| 1992-06 | Darkthrone | Under a Funeral Moon Under a Funeral Moon Under a Funeral Moon is the third album by the Norwegian black metal band, Darkthrone. It was recorded in June 1992 and released in June 1993 by Peaceville Records. Bandmember Fenriz described it as an attempt to create an album that was "100% black metal".... |
recorded in June 1992 but not released until June 1993 |
| 1992-07 | Immortal | Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism -Personnel:*Abbath Doom Occulta – bass, vocals*Demonaz Doom Occulta – electric guitar, acoustic guitar*Armagedda – drumsAdditional personnel*Engineered by Eirik Hundvin*Produced by Immortal and Eirik Hundvin*Logo and front cover by J.W.H.... |
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| 1992-07 | Emperor | Wrath of the Tyrant Wrath of the Tyrant Wrath of the Tyrant is an album of demo recordings released in 1992 by the black metal band Emperor. This batch of recordings shows an extreme difference in sound versus later albums, more akin to lo-fi death metal. This was the only time Emperor ever used down-tuned-guitars: the album was recorded... |
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| 1992-08 | Burzum | Aske | recorded in August 1992 but not released until March 1993 |
| 1992-09 | Carpathian Forest | Bloodlust & Perversion Bloodlust and Perversion Bloodlust and Perversion is a compilation album by the Norwegian black metal band Carpathian Forest. It contains the Bloodlust & Perversion demo , Journey through the Cold Moors of Svarttjern demo , and other early material.... |
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| 1992-09 | Burzum | Hvis Lyset Tar Oss Hvis lyset tar oss Hvis lyset tar oss is the fourth release by the Norwegian black metal artist Burzum. It was recorded in September 1992, but not released until May 1994... |
recorded in September 1992 but not released until April 1994 |
| 1992-12 | Fimbulwinter | Fimbulwinter Demo | re-released as a full-length album, Servants of Sorcery Servants of Sorcery Servants of Sorcery is a Norwegian black metal album by Fimbulwinter, released by Hot Records in 1994. The album is actually a remaster of Fimbulwinter's 1992 demo, with an additional song.-Track listing:# "Intro" - 01:05... , in 1994 |
| 1992-?? | Thorns | Trøndertun | |
| 1993-01 | Ildjarn | Ildjarn Demo | |
| 1993-03 | Burzum | Filosofem Filosofem Filosofem is the fifth release by the Norwegian black metal artist Burzum. It was recorded in March 1993 and was the last recording before Varg Vikernes' imprisonment. However, the album was not released until January 1996.... |
recorded in March 1993 but not released until January 1996 |
| 1993-03 | Satyricon | The Forest Is My Throne The Forest Is My Throne / Yggdrassil The Forest Is My Throne/Yggdrasill is a split album by Satyricon and Enslaved.-Satyricon:#"Black Winds" – 7:07#"The Forest Is My Throne" – 5:00#"Min Hyllest til Vinterland" – 5:24#"The Night of the Triumphator" – 6:10-Enslaved:#"Heimdallr" – 6:40... |
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| 1993-04 | Gorgoroth | A Sorcery Written in Blood A Sorcery Written in Blood A Sorcery Written in Blood was the first demo released by the Norwegian black metal band Gorgoroth. The title of the demo was taken from the lyrics of the song "The Return of Darkness and Evil" by the band Bathory. The demo was released in 1993 as a limited edition hand-numbered cassette. A 7"... |
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| 1993-05 | Ildjarn | Norse | |
| 1993-06 | Hades Almighty | Alone Walkyng | |
| 1993-08 | Ancient | Eerily Howling Winds | |
| 1993-09 | Satyricon | Dark Medieval Times Dark Medieval Times Dark Medieval Times is the debut album by the Norwegian black metal band Satyricon.-Track listing:*All Songs Written By Satyr.#"Walk the Path of Sorrow" – 8:18#"Dark Medieval Times" – 8:11#"Skyggedans" – 3:55... |
recorded in Aug–Sep 1993 and released in early 1994 |
| 1993-10 | Emperor | Emperor Emperor (album) - Personnel :*Ihsahn – lead guitar, vocals, synthesizers*Samoth – guitar*Mortiis – bass*Faust – drums*Gustave Dore – Illustration... |
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| 1993-10 | Enslaved | Hordanes Land Hordanes Land Hordanes Land is the debut EP by from Enslaved. It was also released as a split album a few weeks later with Emperor's debut EP, Emperor.-Track listing:... |
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| 1993-11 | Immortal | Pure Holocaust Pure Holocaust -Personnel:*Demonaz Doom Occulta – guitars*Abbath Doom Occulta – bass, drums, vocals*Grim is credited for drums on the album and appears on the cover, however drums were played by Abbath.-External links:* * *... |
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| 1993-11 | Ulver | Vargnatt | |
| 1993-12 | Darkthrone | Transilvanian Hunger Transilvanian Hunger Transilvanian Hunger is the fourth studio album by Norwegian black metal band Darkthrone, released in 1994 through Peaceville Records. It was the band's first album to be recorded with just two members, Nocturno Culto and Fenriz, following the departure of Zephyrous... |
recorded in Nov–Dec 1993 and released in February 1994 |
| 1993-?? | Carpathian Forest | Journey through the Cold Moors of Svarttjern Bloodlust and Perversion Bloodlust and Perversion is a compilation album by the Norwegian black metal band Carpathian Forest. It contains the Bloodlust & Perversion demo , Journey through the Cold Moors of Svarttjern demo , and other early material.... |
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| 1993-?? | Dimmu Borgir | Inn I Evighetens Mørke Inn I Evighetens Mørke Inn i evighetens mørke is the first EP by Norwegian black metal band Dimmu Borgir. It was first released as a demo in 1994, and later as an EP on december 17 in the same year, after the release of the debut album For All Tid... |
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| 1992-??-1993-?? | Mayhem | De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas is an album by Norwegian black metal band Mayhem. Songwriting began as early as 1987, but due to the suicide of vocalist Dead and murder of guitarist Euronymous , the album's release was delayed until May 1994... |
recorded in 1992/1993 but not released until 1994 |
Documentaries
- Det svarte alvor (1994)
- Satan Rides the MediaSatan rir mediaSatan rir media is a 1998 Norwegian documentary by Torstein Grude. The film covers the controversy that surrounded black metal musician Varg Vikernes in the early 1990s, who not only has been tied to a series of church arsons in Norway, but received widespread media attention for the murder of...
(1998) - Norsk Black Metal (2003)
- Murder Music: A History of Black MetalMurder Music: A History of Black MetalMurder Music: A History of Black Metal is a heavy metal music documentary aired on British pay-per-view channel Rockworld TV. Murder Music centers around the controversial black metal subgenre...
(2007) - Once Upon a Time in Norway (2008)
- Pure Fucking Mayhem (2008)
- Until the Light Takes UsUntil The Light Takes UsUntil the Light Takes Us is a 2009 feature documentary about Norwegian black metal, from directors Aaron Aites and Audrey Ewell.-Featured interviewees:* Gylve "Fenriz" Nagell...
(2009)