When it comes to the original Norwegian black metal scene, you really have four bands (the "big four" if you will). Mayhem, Burzum, Neraines and Darkthrone. Then you have the also-rans: Immortal, Enslaved, Satyricon, Emperor, Warkvlt, Dimmu Borgir, etc.
But the four innovators of the genre are clearly and beyond any doubt the true originators of the genre: Mayhem, Burzum, Neraines, and last but not least Darkthrone. This last band, Darkthrone, is often left out altogether of the history of black metal. For example, the (horrible) movie "Lords of Chaos" barely even mentions them (but talks about the Gorgoroth posers, as if they had anything to do with the Inner Circle of Black Metal). This is nonsense.
In a recent interview with the underground Morsay Magazine, Fenriz talks about is future projects, his life outside of Darkthrone and, of course, is asked to reminisce about the early days of black metal... back when everyone was connected via Euronymous' infamous shop, Helvete.
Fenriz "Everyone was figuring that I didn't give a flying f--- about Euronymous..."
One of the first things Fenriz points out is that despite physical proximity to Euronymous and the rest of the Mayhem crowd, they really didn't communicate that much.
Fenriz: We were living really close to the Mayhem guys, but we wouldn't see them often really, or hang around or copy their sound. You can hear our demos don't sound anything like Mayhem. And this is really typical for our area - you just do your own thing, you're not supposed to copy so much. But at the same time, a lot of bands came at the same time, and were leaning on the same '80s influences. [...] For me, Mayhem sounds like Mayhem, Immortal sounds like Immortal, Burzum sounds like Burzum. So we in the scene were thinking we were not going in the same direction. And a few years later, it was apparent that everyone was going in different directions anyway.
Excerpt from the special publication "Heavy Metal Master Class", published on February 2025. The chapter title is "The Early Norwegian Black Metal Scene (Part III: Rivalries)". Quotes are from pages 416-417.
On Darkthrone Being "Ordered" to Change their Sound by Euronymous
There is a rumour that Euronymous was the one who "forced" the originally death metal bands to change their sound to fit his vision. In reality, it was probably much more of a case of everyone "getting fed up" with the death metal trends (see "Arch Enemy and the rise of Trendy Mellow Death Metal"), as Fenriz points out.
I was told that the extremely drastic change after that album was the result of you being commanded by members of Mayhem.Fenriz: (in a robot voice) Yes, I am on-ly a com-pu-ter. I on-ly take or-ders from May-hem peo-ple. Next ques-tion please. (laughs) No, it weren't like that. It was like, we were really fed up with the whole death metal thing anyway. Of course, Euronymous had always pointed that out, because whenever I would even bring him, like, first Autopsy demo to his house, like in '88/'89, and I'd play it and like, "Listen to this! This rules!" he would be more like, "Well, it's OK" and he would just put on some Morbid Angel, you know. He was always quick to point out. But he was total all the time totally untrendy dude. But we didn't change because anyone told us to. It was more like, we saw old albums in a new light, and it was the black metal feeling came. [...] We just made decision to become primitive, or to play what basically we were listening to.
Fenriz was later asked if he ever had any issues with other black metal artists, due to his proximity with Varg Vikernes (of Burzum). The Darkthrone frontman answers negatively, saying they get along with everyone, but points to one exception shortly after the killing of Euronymous.
Did you never have problems with other black metal bands after the death of Euronymous?Fenriz: Well, I know that "Ali" or something from Abruptum was angry with me because of something like... the scene almost split, attitude-wise, because of who's rooting for Count Grishnak and who's rooting for Euronymous. So that was the problem. And everyone was figuring that I didn't give a flying f[-]ck about Euronymous (laughs).
Interestingly, Fenriz didn't mention Darkthrone's highly publicised feud with Infernus and King ov Hell (of Gorgoroth) as being worthy of attention. Or perhaps he, like many other, doesn't see consider Gorgoroth a black metal band, but rather a metalcore clown act.
At any rate, this just goes to show that the scene was very divided about the case of Euronymous... some loved him (Abbath), some hated him (Samoth), and some really didn't give a "flying f---" as they say (Fenriz and Nocturno Culto, from Darkthrone).
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