Probably the most sensationalist publication in black metal history was the infamous Kerrang! release with Varg Vikernes on the front cover, and images on churches and other monuments burning in the background. This was in winter 1994, some time after the second arrest of Varg Vikernes - in August 1993, some time after the killing of Euronymous that same month - and largely contributed to the mythos surrounding the legendary Norwegian Black Metal "Inner Circle" and their alleged criminal activities.
According to Kerrang!, there was a militia of "neo-Fascist Satanic terrorists" who were roaming in Norway, and taking orders from Vikernes and Euronymous. The killing of Euronymous was, according to then journalist Jayson Chandler, the result of a power struggle between the two men.
And since the "Satanic Terrorists" no longer had a leader, they were effectively a "dormant cell" to use military jargon... but they were still dangerous.
At least that's how the story goes. Varg Vikernes, Bård "Faust" Eithun, Tomas "Samoth" Haugen, Jørn-Inge Tunsberg, and Snorre "Blackthorn" Ruch were all eventually convicted and faced jail time, but none of these men ever admitted to being a "satanic terrorist" or "taking orders from Euronymous". Although some bands (ex: Carpathian Forest) have later embraced the term "Satanic Terrorist" in order to "ride the wave" of media sensationalism.
The Entire Black Metal "Inner Circle" Interviewed
One famous quote of Varg Vikernes while he was in prison goes something like this (reproduced from memory, as it was from an old 2004 letter I believe).
Varg Vikernes: Bård Eithun [Faust] is the only reason I was convicted for the Holmenkollen chapel fire... because he was there himself and said I did it. Tomas Haugen [Samoth] is the only reason I was convicted for the Skjold church fire... because he was there himself and said I did it. Jørn-Inge Tunsberg is the only reason I was convicted for the Åsane church fire... because he was there himself and said I did it. [...] All the charges against me were brought about by false testimonies from Euronymous' friends.
Of course, many of these black metal bands faced some major controversies themselves - the killing of a gay man in Lillehammer by Bard/Faust of Emperor, for example.
And it's true that in the early days of Norwegian black metal, after the death of Euronymous, bands were "pressured" to pick a side between Varg and Oystein, as Fenriz of Darkthrone tactfully puts it. And according to Varg, the "Emperor rats" were particularly close to Euronymous (although even then, there was always some tension with Ihsahn whom Euronymous humiliated routinely).
On Faust and Samoth, the Emperor duo...
The issue with this kind of black metal drama is that we only ever hear one side of the argument. Like Fenriz said, you are either "team Varg" or "team Euro". And stories can often get wild and further deviate from the truth. This is unfortunate, as fans of black metal who just want to learn more about the actual history of the genre.
In his book "Racist Metal: The Rise of National Socialism in Heavy Metal Music", expert heavy metal Antoine Grand gave various interviews to members of the Norwegian "Inner Circle" of black metal. Meaning, those closest to Euronymous.
We have compiled some of the most important quotes here, to hear "both sides" of the story. The first from Emperor's drummer Faust, who also played in Enslaved (he was the original drummer of the band), and was also involved in the Lillehammer hate crime of killing a gay man.
Faust: I was sentenced to 14 years of imprisonment for one first degree murder and for the burning of one church in 1992. I admitted to the full charge in court since the evidence against me was overwhelming...
Interestingly, he doesn't mention his relationship with Varg Vikernes. He claims he "never met the Count", which is contradicted by an interview in "Orcustus - The Shadow Of The Golden Fire" in which he himself interviews Varg and praises both Burzum and Mayhem as "True Death Metal" (they weren't called black metal yet).
But he does say that he "doesn't believe" the stories about Varg Vikernes and Euronymous being in a dispute over a girl (an unfounded rumour from the horrible movie Lords of Chaos, which manages to be even worse than the book), or a power struggle in a "Satanic Terrorist" organisation, which he claims is a media fabrication.
Faust: As for the incident with Vikernes and Euronymous I think it is fair to say that the whole thing started more or less with an unnecessary disagreement between the two, which escalated towards a peak that no one could foresee. Sure, Euronymous owed Vikernes some money for the first Burzum album Euronymous released on his label, DSP [Deathlike Silence Productions, Euronymous' record label, tn], but if that is the sole reason, only Vikernes can answer. At least it wasn't over a girl, I can say that for sure.
Another Emperor member, Samoth (Tomas Haugen), has been listed among those who gave information to police, and appeared in police interviews after the wave of arrests... Petrified, Terrorizer and other early zine transcripts record that Samoth (and Faust and others) were among witnesses who gave statements that were used in court to convict Varg Vikernes... and to convict themselves!
Samoth: [About the arson and killing], it's so long ago. It's something I hardly ever think about these days. But I'm forced to think about it, because people keep asking about it. It's not at all relevant [to my current music]. With the popularity of the black metal movement, I'm not surprised people are interested. [...] There's not even [that] much to talk about. It's irrelevant to who I am now. I'm much more grounded.
Interestingly, in another interview, Samoth claims he was offered a change to play bass in "Mayhem and Satyricon" - this was never publicly corroborated by either Necrobutcher or Satyr.
On Tunsberg and Snorre Ruch, the other actors...
Another name that often comes up is that of Jørn-Inge Tunsberg. While he claims to be himself a Satanist and musician, he has never sold any major records like the other bands, and it's unclear whether he was even in a band at the time. He was allegedly just a "fan of Euronymous" and did what the Mayhem members wanted - perhaps this is where the "taking orders from Euronymous and Vikernes" rumours came from.
His answer to the question is much more straightforward than the others. He stated in documentaries that he does not regret his role, and reiterates this in the Grand interview.
Jørn-Inge Tunsberg: The most important thing that happened [in black metal] was [the arsons and murder]. So that's something I stand for, and I stood for it then, I will stand for it now and I will stand for it until I die. [...] It's kind of a statement, to break down [the social order].
This statement should be taken with a grain of salt, however, as Tunsberg was only a very minor character in the overall black metal scene.
Which isn't the case with Snorre "Blackthorn" Ruch, on the other hand, who was a major contributor to Mayhem's seminal album De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas, and convicted for being an accomplice in the killing of Euronymous in 1993.
Snorre "Blackthorn" Ruch: When I stood outside Øystein's door I heard noise inside and Øystein came out, with [Varg Vikernes] on his heels, covered in blood, rushing down the stairway... I realized that this was going to hell. [...] So I ran down the stairs, past them, and into the square outside the building.
In the Until the Light Takes Us documentary, when asked why he confessed, he answers: "I just cracked... I gave up (nervous laugh)".
An interesting perspective from Necrobutcher...
In addition to all these quotes from famous black metal musicians (except Tunsberg, whose only claim to fame is being "acquainted" with Euronymous), there is some interesting trivia that comes from Mayhem founder and bassist Necrobutcher.
Necrobutcher: They [the police] bugged Euronymous' phones, [because he talked] about killing people before [...] so they probably were thinking to themselves, "We didn't nail this guy for all the church burnings, so let's nail him for murder, and get rid of this f*king guy in Oslo the same time." So that's basically what happened.
You can read the full Necrobutcher and Mayhem interview here. It's interesting to say the least. It makes it seem very much like a mafia movie? A better one than the revisionist garbage in Lords of Chaos at least.
The police were somehow aware that a homicide was about to take place in Norway, and did nothing? Of course, this is just speculation on his part, but his instincts have shown to be correct more often than not in the past (see the Dead/Euronymous relation). These interviews are very important to preserve for future documentation about the state of black metal in the early 1990s Norwegian landscape. There has been much rumour-mongering, often driven by media speculation, that the signal to noise ratio is almost null. That's why it's always better to speak to the bands and band members directly, when given a chance, rather than rely on second hand info - like Lords of Chaos and other fiction.
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