The early Black Metal scene and its actions pretty much defined the most obscure movement within the Metal genre. It doesn’t matter if you agree or disagree with their motives to burn down over 50 churches between 1992 and 1996, these musicians — and in some cases free riders and “fans” — crossed a line that shouldn’t be crossed. Countless innocent people could have been hurt and/or killed during these acts.
With that out of the way, I do have to admit that I understand their motives and I have a weird, maybe a bit morbid, interest in these kind of stories. Like with GG Allin or Niklas Kvarforth, I find myself attracted to these stories.
Even before I started getting into Black Metal musically, I was extremely interested in stories about Black Metal. Stories that had nothing to do with the musical side of the genre. Stories about church burnings, self-mutilation, torture etc.
Stories like the ones told in True Norwegian Black Metal, a documentary that mostly centers around former Gorgoroth vocalist Gaahl. You can see the most popular, and often ridiculed, piece of an interview with Gaahl, taken from that film, above. Surely, I’m using it to lighten up the mood a little bit, especially considering the documentary is rather dark in itself.
But don’t misunderstand me, I’ve watched TNBM (a couple of times) with an open mind and so should you if you’re interested in Black Metal or just obscure stories about a couple of weird people. Make the jump to watch the 5-part documentary now.
