The
Early Norwegian black metal scene was a group of Norwegian
black metal enthusiasts in the early 1990s, which was identified by some as a
cult –
The Black Circle. Consisting of youths ranging from late teens to mid-20s, most of such enthusiasts congregated at the record store
Helvete (”Hell”) in
Oslo. It is from this scene that the "Second Wave" of black metal emanated, and possibly where later crimes, that would overshadow this era of black metal, had been conceived and elaborated.
The scene was the focus of controversy due to crimes committed by some of its members; two cases of murder, alleged cannibalism and over a dozen cases of arson. In addition to this, "Satanic" crimes were attributed to the black metal scene in the Norwegian media. For example, one Norwegian TV channel conducted an interview with a woman who claimed that her child was sacrificed by "Satanists"; she later claimed that they murdered her dog too.
[Satan rides the Media (1998)]Suicide of Per Yngve Ohlin
On 8 April 1991,
Mayhem vocalist
Per Yngve Ohlin (aka 'Dead') committed
suicide in a house shared by the band. Fellow musicians often described Ohlin as a strange and introverted person. However he was best known for his infamous performances – which involved cutting himself, carrying around a dead crow, and wearing clothes that had been buried weeks prior to the concert.
He was found with slit wrists and a
shotgun round to the head, by Mayhem guitarist
Øystein Aarseth (aka 'Euronymous'). Ohlin's
suicide note read "Excuse all the blood" and included an apology for firing the weapon indoors. Before calling the police, Aarseth went to a nearby store and bought a disposable camera to photograph the corpse, after re-arranging some items. One of these photographs was later used as the cover of a bootleg live album entitled
Dawn of the Black Hearts.
Eventually, rumours surfaced that Aarseth made a
stew with pieces of Ohlin's brain, and made
necklaces with fragments of Ohlin's skull. The band later denied the former rumour, but confirmed that the latter was true.
Additionally, Aarseth claimed to have given these necklaces to musicians he deemed worthy. Mayhem bassist
Jørn Stubberud (aka '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."
Helvete
During May–June 1991,
Øystein 'Euronymous' Aarseth of the band
Mayhem opened an independent record store which he called
Helvete. The term
Helvete is
Norwegian for
hell, and originates from the
Norse expression
hels víti, meaning
the punishment of Hel. The record store was located in
Oslo, Schweigaards gate 56. Several musicians in the scene frequently met in the basement of the record store, such as the members of Mayhem, the members of
Emperor,
Varg Vikernes of
Burzum, and Snorre Ruch of
Thorns. Euronymous also founded his record label
Deathlike Silence Productions in its basement, releasing some of the most important Norwegian black metal recordings. Rare classic
death metal records were also sold at the store.
Bård Faust worked in Helvete and lived at the back of the building,
and
Samoth also lived there for a time.
The store's walls were painted black and decorated with medieval weapons, posters of bands, and
picture discs, while its window featured a polystyrene tombstone.
In summer 1993, the store was closed only months before Aarseth's murder by Varg Vikernes of Burzum.
Black Metal Inner Circle?
Although the scene is often referred to as the "Black Metal Inner Circle" (particularly by Aarseth), such a term is highly disputable. Not only would it imply that some sort of
cult existed at the time, the accounts about it differ strongly. 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 Metal Inner 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 denied the existence of the "Black Metal Inner Circle", 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 rumour.
Similarly, when asked in
Lords of Chaos "What was the Black Circle?", Bård Faust replied:
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.
Church arsons and attempted arsons
The Fantoft stave church.
Members and fans of the Norwegian black metal scene claimed responsibility for inspiring (and perpetrating) over 50
arsons directed at Christian churches between 1992–1996.
Many 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 destroyed by Varg Vikernes.
He was found guilty for the arsons of Holmenkollen Chapel, Skjold Church and Åsane Church. To coincide with the release of Mayhem's
De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas, Vikernes and Aarseth had conspired to blow up
Nidaros Cathedral, which appears on the album cover. Aarseth's murder in August 1993 put an end to this plan and delayed the album's release.
[Martin Ledang, Pål Aasdal (2008). Once Upon a Time in Norway.] The musicians
Samoth,
[ Lords of Chaos (1998), page 79] Faust,
[ and Jørn Inge Tunsberg]
Today, opinions differ within the black metal community concerning the legitimacy of such actions. Guitarist Infernus and former vocalist Gaahl of the band Gorgoroth have praised the church burnings in interviews, with the latter also opining "there should have been more of them, and there will be more of them".[Dunn, Sam (2005). .] However, Necrobutcher and Kjetil Manheim of Mayhem have disapproved of 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".
Partial list of church arsons reported by English-language media sources:
1992:- May 23: burning of Storetveit Church in Bergen
[ Lords of Chaos (1998): 79]
- Jun 6: burning of Fantoft stave church in Bergen
[ Lords of Chaos (1998): 78] – Varg Vikernes is strongly suspected as the culprit, but was not convicted.
- Aug 1: burning of Revheim Church in Stavanger
- Aug 21: burning of Holmenkollen Chapel in Oslo
[ – Varg Vikernes and Faust were convicted for this.]
- Sep 1: burning of Ormøya Church in Oslo
- Sep 13: burning of Skjold Church in Vindafjord
[ – Varg Vikernes and Samoth were convicted for this.]
- Oct 3: burning of Hauketo Church in Oslo
- Dec 25: burning of a methodist church in Sarpsborg
1993:- Apr: attempted burning of a church in Myre
- May 10: attempted burning of a church in Jeløy
- Aug: attempted burning of a church in Bodø
- Sep: attempted burning of a church in Røa, Oslo
1994:- Mar 13: burning of a church in Sund
- Jun 4: burning of Frogn Church in Drøbak
- Jun 19: attempted burning of Heni Church in Gjerdrum
- Jul 7: burning of a church in Jeløy
1995:- May 12: burning of Lord Church in Telemark
- May 25: burning of Såner Church in Vestby
- Jul 21: attempted burning of a church college in Eidanger
- Sep 3: attempted burning of a church college in Vågsbygd
- Nov 3: burning of Innset Church in Rennebu
Murder of Øystein Aarseth
In late January 1993, Varg Vikernes of Burzum was interviewed by a journalist from Bergens Tidende. Vikernes had requested the interview in order to gain publicity for the black metal scene and for Øystein Aarseth's record store Helvete. However, the interview led to a police investigation and Vikernes was put under arrest for a week. Aarseth decided to close his record store due to this negative attention.
On 10 August 1993, Vikernes and Snorre Ruch travelled from Bergen to Aarseth’s apartment in Oslo. Upon their arrival a confrontation began, which ended when Vikernes fatally stabbed Aarseth. 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.
Regardless of the circumstances, Vikernes was arrested within days, and a few months later was sentenced to 21 years in prison for both the murder and church arsons. In a controversial display, Vikernes actually smiled at the moment his verdict was read, an image that was widely reprinted in the news media.Conflict with other music scenes
Many recall a strong rivalry between Norwegian black metal and Swedish death metal scenes. Fenriz and Tchort have noted that Norwegian black metal musicians were "fed up with the whole death metal scene"[Zebub, Bill (2007). Black Metal: A Documentary.] and that "death metal was very uncool in Oslo" at the time.[Martin Ledang, Pål Aasdal (2008). Once Upon a Time in Norway.] On a number of occasions, Euronymous sent death threats to the more commercialized death metal groups in Europe.List of artists
The following is a list of Norwegian artists that released black metal music during 1991-1993:
List of music releases
The following is a list of black metal releases by Norwegian bands during 1991-1993. Releases in bold are albums, releases not in bold are demos and extended plays:
Before 1991:
1991:- 1991-05: Burzum – Burzum Demo I
- 1991-09: Burzum – Burzum Demo II
- 1991-??: Thou Shalt Suffer - Into The Woods Of Belial
- 1991-??: Thou Shalt Suffer - Open The Mysteries Of Your Creation
1992:- 1992-06: Satyricon – All Evil
1993:- 1993-06: Hades Almighty - Alone Walkyng
- 1993-11: Ulver – Vargnatt
- 1993-??: Ancient - Eerily Howling Winds
