Original subtitles

Norwegian texts: Jørn-Are Haugli Johansen

As churches begin to burn, a golden age in black metal begins.

With a number of defining releases.

Many are recorded in the Grieg Hall in Bergen.

It's strange to think that some of the most extreme, gravelly -

Norwegian black metal bands go to Grieg Hall and record albums -

- who remain as bauts in rock history.

The tension between pretty, bourgeois, Bergen Philharmonic -

- and extreme metal with cutting guitars ...

Pytten, the producer, has had an enormous amount to do with -

- how Norwegian black metal was presented, acoustically.

As one of those who was the birth attendant for Norwegian black metal sound.

A soundscape that almost the whole world has since tried to repeat.

These two were some of the first things I did.

The first metal recording in the Grieg Hall was my father -

- who was an old school friend of Pytten.

I asked my father if he knew anyone with a studio.

Then he thought a little. "The puddle is drifting down in the Grieg Hall." He called.

"My son has a band. They are not that old, so they do not have much money."

"Yes, they can come to me." "Do not say that, you have not heard the music."

It was a brutal entrance into the world.

The doctrine of harmony no longer applied. It was gone.

But I was extremely fascinated.

The puddle, which then receives the Old Funeral, puts them into the Grieg Hall.

He makes sure that a bunch of relatively inexperienced musicians get -

- a sound they had not dreamed of. Not least a sound they themselves wanted.

It's a gift!

Pytten has been a key figure in Norwegian metal.

After we recorded the Funeral tape, Amputation came.

Amputation later became Immortal.

The word spread about good recordings with Pytten.

After Old Funeral and Amputation came Immortal, Emperor, Burzum ...

He did not become unemployed.

All this was happening while we were waiting for "De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas".

Mayhem's spectacular record was what everyone was waiting for.

Waited, waited and waited. In 1992, recording begins -

- by "De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas". In Grieg Hall with Pytten.

When we recorded "Mysteriis", -

- Mayhem was me, Øystein and Varg.

We also chose Grieg Hall because of Varg. He was from Bergen.

He knew Pytten.

They were looking for a great sound, so we did it on stage in the Grieg Hall.

We put the Marshall stack to Øystein here.

He recorded melodies and solos. Turned this way.

And then I had a microphone on a stand, a little high, and placed it here -

- when we in the control room listened and heard that it was the right position.

We used the room. This wonderful room.

-That was a long time ago. -Yes.

-Good to see you again. -You too.

Yes, this is where we created magic.

This was the temple of sound. Judgment of sound.

The acoustics in the Grieg Hall are intended for symphonic orchestra.

I did not want to take the whole Grieg Hall with me.

Then you can lose control. So we made a small cage for the drums.

After a while of talking and discussion and yelling. "Hey Hey!"

Above the drums were nine floors of tall houses. Open all the way to the ceiling.

Then you get a fantastic openness, and just listen to some of what has been done -

- of drums on that record.

We had to complement the riff with very dynamic drumming.

Dynamic symbols, crescendo and all that.

New ideas about drumming that no one had done before at that time.

Pytten was no ordinary producer.

He was so much more engaged.

We worked as a team to make this happen.

Absolutely.

I did not think I had said anything that, but in the mixing process ...

I wanted the drums louder. When you saw another way ...

-Did you do it? -Yes.

Here was the mixing desk, and there I recorded the vocals.

Interesting.

I still get goosebumps.

It felt very good to be here, alone in the dark.

With candles. I saw the text there and everything was fine.

It was like being in a trance.

Like that ... A little opera, but aggressive and dark.

You added black metal to something completely new and different.

-With that vocal. -Thanks.

You know that.

-Thanks! -Raw.

I loved doing it and it was really good.

But I can not say that at that time I understood what it would be.

I do not think I saw the future this record got.

Without Mayhem's magnum opus, Norwegian black metal would not have been as it is.

Sound-wise, lots of atmosphere. How the lyrics are.

It solidifies some of the cornerstones.

"De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas" is a damn important record.

The songs, the mood and everything around the record.

That's probably the essence of black metal, I think.

It's a kind of extraterrestrialism.

You get a rush from hearing "Freezing Moon".

It can withstand the test of time.

When you listen to the record, you are taken to a place -

- which is more than the sum of the parts and circumstances surrounding it.

It's like a black hole in the center of the black metal universe.

The police in Bergen are without a trace after the fire in Åsane church.

Police are now asking witnesses to report.

We will follow these matters closely.

Here we are in an area where we have had only one fire per year.

Now we can sum up to 8-9 in 1992, -

- so it is an area that needs increased attention.

January 20, 1993, black metal goes from underground to front page fabric.

The count then goes to Bergens Tidende and tells -

- that he knows who is behind the church fires. The police take him in.

18 years old, unemployed and belongs to the rawest hard rock community.

Today he was imprisoned for four weeks.

"We are behind all church fires in Norway, and we do not stop now", -

- claims the 18-year-old in an interview.

He does not admit the content of the interview.

How would you describe the environment he comes from?

There are details, but the apartment he had was very special.

-In what way? -We found very special weapons.

-What kind of weapon? -Knives and things like that.

The media attention in the wake of this is taking a lot of people to bed.

Hell is the characteristic name of this store in Oslo.

It is alleged that the accused is connected to the environment here.

-I know nothing about anything. - We did not ask.

They called.

Some had been skeptical of the boys boys culture at Hell -

- and withdrew from it.

Others also see the possibility of being able to promote bands in the start-up phase.

So there is a duality in the environment.

To go from a fairly anonymous existence where people did not fully understand -

- what was your scene ... People shrugged about it.

To stand there with a follow-up spot ... "Hi! You! Satanist!"

I remember fists in the window from neighbors. They knew I had ...

I did not play with Vikernes anymore. He had quit before this happened.

I got out of it in the Count's time.

He proudly claims to be behind the record launch of all time.

For the accused, the prison stay has been part of the price.

He bluffed church fires to get a buzz about the music, it is claimed.

I have obviously managed to get PR.

-It was only PR for the album? -Of course.

Are you part of a satanic movement?

No.

Are the Nazi signs just to provoke?

It's a little different. To show support for Nazism.

Jewish extermination, for example. Because it was people.

I might as well have stood with a portrait of Stalin.

The so-called Count was released this afternoon.

The charge for church fires is upheld.

It was a bubble of its own. A world of its own.

For those who were into it, it was completely real and the way it should be.

Although it was completely distorted.

Øystein wanted to release records in cabin and pine.

It's good, but he did not have financial coverage for it.

He owed a lot of money here and there.

That was also what made him and Varg get in trouble with each other.

We had just become friends again.

I started getting letters that he missed the old days and stuff.

That we should make contact and stuff. Finally I went in and visited him.

Then we agreed that I should play over the bass tracks of the Count.

We knew there were things going on. Great enmity between him and Varg.

One of them came up with something crazy, probably.

No one knew what, where or who.

They started sending death threats to each other.

For Euronymous, death threats were ... He was always like that.

He sent death threats to everyone, but he did not put much into it.

But when you send death threats to someone like Varg Vikernes, -

- he probably thought: "Better him than me."

I was told that Øystein was dead when I was going to ...

... call down in the shop. No one picked up the phone.

I should say I could not bear to come.

It was strange that no one answered, Øystein lived in the shop.

I called, but thought he had gone home.

I called his parents in Ski.

His mother picked up the phone, and she said that Øystein had been found dead.

He had been killed.

The man who was found killed this morning is Øystein Aarseth.

A famous person in the small Satanist milieu.

He was found by a neighbor at 05. He had been stabbed several times.

The police have secured traces at the scene, but are so far on bare ground.

It was Jan Axel who called me.

"Now you must hear! I tried to get hold of Øystein yesterday."

"He was not home, so I called his father."

"He told Øystein he was killed."

I could not say a word. He said, "Hello, are you there?" "Yes."

It was just completely incomprehensible.

I could not imagine that this would come to a level ...

To stand in front of a murder case ... It was completely ...

The first time I met Varg Vikernes was when I first questioned him.

We were at his house. Knocked. Unregistered.

Then we heard a bang, and he opened the door.

Then he stood there with an insane wooden club with nails in it.

He looked ugly at us.

It was obvious to us that there was a fear in the environment -

- that he who tries, and does not follow his "leaders", -

- it would have ugly consequences for.

In connection with the murder in Tøyengata in Oslo in August, Kripos -

- identified the so-called Count's fingerprint in blood.

It was discussed whether he should be driven to Oslo.

Or if we were to take a plane or train. We took him by car.

On the way over ... We switched to driving.

He was sitting in the middle between two police officers.

Eventually he fell asleep.

Then the head went down, and then it became quiet.

We just drove.

Then he woke up, and he was just like a little child waking up.

Smile on your face, shiny, nice eyes.

Looked up ... "Good morning."

And then he probably realized where he was.

Then he got really hard in the eyes.

Then he went in black and back to the cold. Then he sat completely still.

But the little ... the seconds he was a little kid -

- who wakes up in the morning ... Then I saw that it was a human too.

It was actually Kristian Vikernes.

When we were able to transport him to Oslo and put him in custody, -

- let go of the roof also for these young people.

They would tell what they had been involved in, when they could not be caught -

- or punished for it, by the environment.

They gave up and wanted to tell how it was.

When the most prominent figure of them all -

- gets killed, it's kind of like ... "What happens now?"

"What's going on with this environment and this movement now?"

He was black metal. He was the highlight of that genre.

I never felt like it was the same again. That did not happen.

Yes, so far, mass was produced in retrospect, but not for me.

For me, it was a black hole afterwards.

When he disappeared, I felt it was not worth anything more.

Now I have to stand and play.

But we can well stop filming.

I went to Øystein's funeral. There I saw Jan Axel.

I explained that I have premises in Skippergata. "Do you want to jam a little?"

I met Jan Axel on the tram by chance.

He wanted to start Mayhem. "Do you want to join?"

"What? I haven't done this in years. Sure?"

"Yes, we need someone who can sing. I want you."

"What about the guitarist? He who was Mayhem is gone."

Jan mentioned a name.

He knew a guy named Rune Eriksen.

I was so skeptical, but then I thought about it for a very long time.

"OK, I'll show up for the first rehearsal."

Jan and I had talked about that if we got the right feeling, -

- then we would drive on. Otherwise we would give a damn.

We started, and I looked at Jan. He looked at me and just ...

"Yes! We're back!" Damn ...

I was told on Elm Street that this was a very bad idea.

"Why are you doing this?" I do not think anyone supported us.

It's perfect when we do such negative music.

Give me more negativity, and I'll give you back!

I took it as inspiration. Everything that went to hell was delicious!

After the confusion had subsided, people rolled up their sleeves, -

- and then they continued with the music. There was a lot of attention -

- because there had been many dramatic events.

Remember that the attention was not of the good kind.

The most influential metal magazines ran tabloid style.

When it had no news value, they said, "We do not like this."

"We do not recognize this."

But the music was too good, and it was too important.

In 1993 Immortal goes on a European tour with Greek Rattan Christ -

and Blasphemy from Canada.

The first time many on the continent experienced Norwegian black metal live.

When it comes to abroad, no one could imagine -

- that you could play like that. They were three times as happy as everyone else.

They had a completely different expression.

When we go on stage, we go on stage to shock, -

- to bring out aggression and do a damn raw show.

We do things on stage that you do not see today.

Easily.

The impact on the metal scene was enormous.

Nothing new happened in metal. People recycled old ideas.

Suddenly Norwegian black metal came.

At first it was the headlines, but then you could focus on the music again -

- and see that it was new and exciting. It made metal interesting again.

There was something that spoke to the subconscious -

- and captured the mind in a way that changed the rules of the game.

You had to develop new ears, in a way, and listen to music in new ways.

It took me a long time to figure out what the Emperor was doing.

Suddenly I realized that.

Emperor was one of the great ambassadors for Norwegian black metal.

They toured with the Cradle of Filth in 1993.

Then we were 17-18 years old.

With Cradle of Filth as the warm-up band.

It took a while before we realized that things were actually starting to get big.

An international phenomenon where we were one of the bands with very high status.

It was a budding beginning to be accepted in the metal industry.

In 1994 comes Emperor's "In the Nightside Eclipse".

Emperor proves to be much more technical and musical.

They are more progressive in expression, although they retain the core.

It is also one of the first albums to attract attention abroad.

The first black metal record I heard was "In the Nightside Eclipse".

And who gets really good reviews.

If any black metal record is considered a work of art, it is.

This was something completely new.

I remember the feeling of being shaken up by the chair.

I had never heard the like.

It is in many ways the beginning of symphonic black metal.

Without "In the Nightside Eclipse", Dimmu Borgir would not have sounded like they do.

We have gone our way. We wanted to try to create an expression -

- based on our own feelings. Simply.

That which comes from within. Instead of being a copy of something that has been done before.

We were perhaps one of the first bands to take advantage of -

- synth and keyboard more extensive.

We listened to Emperor and Enslaved, who also had synth and stuff.

But we used synth as a tool in the writing process.

We got a lot of pepper for that, but very proud of it today, -

- that we have not allowed ourselves to be swayed by bad criticism.

We do things our way, and that's always been the case.

We may well have been "outcasts" in this scene.

It was never important for us to make music to play fast -

- or sound as extreme as possible. We leave that to others.

For us, it was more about hitting a nerve with a feeling -

- of a riff, for example. Then I have achieved what I want.

Dimmu probably contributed to the popularity. Their sound is much bigger.

If the music is magnificent, it more likely reaches a larger audience.

It may have enticed people to explore more.

Norway's most important music event, the Spellemann Prize.

One million TV viewers and several thousand in Spektrum are at the party.

Why are you so pink, but sometimes black as a year? Dark Cities!

Who would have thought that black metal would become the living room -

- that they received Spellemann Prize nominations? Not me.

It was kind of like ... "What the hell happened now?"

You did not notice it until you got it in the middle of your face.

"What happened now?"

"Nominated for the Spellemann Prize? Do you fuck?"

Then it was like ... "Yes, yes."

We got a lot of fights from some people within the underground scene.

Then you are called "sellouts" and you name it.

It is always a double-edged sword when you have such an internal thing.

Of course you want to sell records, but also stay at a level -

- which is very secretive. It's something that's yours.

"This is not public property. We have worked for this."

It should be a bit like that subculture that is extreme.

Now it's like this: "Satyricon on the VG list. What the hell happened?"

Society is changing. People are changing. Black metal has also been -

- in development, and I think it's good.

If black metal is to be interesting, it has to be moving.

When we released the album "Satyricon" in 2013 ...

There was no way how many reactions there were -

- that Sivert Høyem sang on a song.

Then I explain, "This is just inside your head."

"Had I sung the same lyrics, it would have been ... black metal."

"But you did not see this coming, and we will play a little with that."

We will move on, we will find new ways to express ourselves.

We will try to move both the definition and the associations.

We almost have to do that.

Black metal has always been characterized by paradoxes and doubts, -

- and that's what makes it so dynamic.

One has the old school and a progressive wing.

You need the old school, because you have to remember where you come from.

It's a riff. The core value of Darkthrone is riffs.

Without a good riff, you have nothing to offer.

Many who got a touch of black metal-feeling, thought:

"Early black metal is not enough, so we have to add to this atmosphere."

As an estimate of synth and more melodic features on top -

- already simple, drawn rifle lines.

Then I mean it is half misunderstood.

But now we make bread. The others can make cake.

But you get tired of cake too.

So we're kidding.

We must not forget Taake, -

- which keeps it going to this day.

Which is completely true to black metal as it was in the beginning.

We keep the old flame alive, I say.

I found my expression at the very beginning and ...

Has not really changed vision at all.

I still have a lot to give.

I have always felt that I have seen the world in a different way.

Been preoccupied with completely different things than my peers.

Thought in paths they could not imagine thinking in.

It could be frustrating to be different before, -

- but this style of music helped me find myself -

- and be proud to be different. Just give up being A4.

Some people have extreme things inside them, and it has to come out.

Then it's better to get it out in the music.

I think it's important to be a complete human being and recognize -

its animalistic, destructive sides as well.

To live my way, it has been important to make friends with -

- all negative, destructive things.

Black metal zoomed in on a kind of primitive part of people -

- which is not usually fully expressed in other music genres.

When someone illuminates this inner landscape, -

- it is extremely liberating.

Black metal is the soundtrack to a lot of inner turmoil.

That we dare to put into words the difficult feelings we have.

As a fan, I felt very at home in it when I was younger.

I was a little alone and without identity and felt difficult feelings, -

- and black metal was an expression of that. It was healing for me.

I recognize that in a lot of other black metal fans.

There are few normal fans of black metal. If you dig it, -

- is it usually because it gives you a kind of outlet -

- or an experience that touches you on a spiritual and psychological level.

It does not affect everyone, but those who are affected become an important part of it.

It is powerful and makes us feel powerful.

We feel that we can rise above everything that depresses us.

Everything that weighs us down and makes us feel left out.

As outsiders. But not here.

Everyone looks "dangerous", but there are the happiest people there are.

I have never felt unwanted here.

If you are a black metal fan, really, then you are going to Norway.

In the same way that Beatles fans go to Liverpool.

It's exactly the same. If people are fans, then they should come here.

Then they go to Inferno and to Neseblod to take a picture in the basement.

It is important to them.

Especially this place I think is a dream for any metal fan.

When you are here, you really feel where things come from, -

- and how it all went.

Whatever you want to find, you will find it here.

There is fantastic selection here.

This is a church candle.

They were famous for burning churches, and now you can do it -

- without consequences.

All these extra-musical things like suicide, lawsuits, fires ...

Murder and stuff. It has triggered quite a large willingness to pay.

Among people who are interested in buying records, shirts and such.

It has also led to a cash flow to record companies, bands and musicians.

It's almost like that ...

What should you call it? Varg Vikernes' cultural scholarship.

I'm 100% sure that these extremely talented artists -

had managed to make just that music and got those careers -

- they have got, without all the board here, which comes down to -

- very, very few people. This is incredibly good music.

Damn, how well this has worked out!

We like Mayhem because it's such a raw feeling.

Not like that ... It feels sharp, in a way.

A little like that ...

Cutting tones, in a way. I like that.

It's so nice when you've had so much power against you -

- for so many years, and then get to the top in the end.

I think people understand how delicious it is.

To be able to land with both feet on the ground with the mind somewhat intact.

And hopefully have forty good years left.

To enjoy it. There hasn't been that much fun in the last 25 years.

Who's laughing now?