Just as in Norway, the Polish underground black metal community caused no small amount of chaos, leaving behind a long trail of church burnings and desecrations. However, just as the criminal elements of Norway’s inner circle were eventually brought to a standstill by police after its protagonists crossed from arson into murder, the more active elements of The Temple of Fullmoon eventually fell victim to the authorities for similar reasons.
“Followers and friends of Karcharoth [mainman of Infernum] and people from Thunderbolt were involved in murder,” explains Darken. “One friend of Paimon from Thunderbolt murdered a homeless man. Then police arrested many people and started investigations about the church burnings. Paimon had to participate in visits to the scene of the crime. Once police took him to a small town with a wooden church, which actually Paimon did not [manage to] burn, but he had to explain to the police all his actions step by step. Angry inhabitants watched everything behind [the] church fence and they really badly wanted to lynch Paimon. As a result of this investigation three people were sentenced: Cezar, as a main murderer, to twenty-five years imprisonment, Uldor [Thunderbolt drummer] for four years, and Paimon was on probation [for attempted church burning].”
“Some [activities] were pacified by the police and finally The Temple of Fullmoon was dissolved,” Darken explains. “These years had both good and bad sides. True unholy black metal ideology left a mark on the Polish underground. In Poland we do not have hundreds of black metal bands as it happens in Sweden. Trend did not kill the Polish scene and it did not disgrace its name. But at the same time this kind of extreme black metal is a weapon that turns against those who hold it. Hatred born in a group of people with psychopathic minds turns into fire that no one can predict and control. Those who kindle this fire are very soon ravaged in its flames. True darkness devours its children.”
While things had spiraled somewhat out of control for those involved, the Polish scene had nonetheless put itself squarely on the map thanks to bands such as Graveland, Infernum, Veles, Gontayna Kry, Thor’s Hammer, and Kataxu, all of whom pushed a far-right agenda within their music and interviews. With only a few bands in the country steering away from the direct influence of the radical right—predominantly Christ Agony, Holy Death, Mastiphal, Pandemonium, Behemoth, and Xantotol (and later newer bands such as Arkona, Kriegsmachine, Furia, and Evilfeast)—the rise of the Polish scene went hand-in-hand with the establishment of an extreme-right black metal subgenre, now known as NSBM—National Socialist Black Metal.
Thanks in part to activity from neighboring countries such as Ukraine and Russia, NSBM has become a movement in its own right, reaching territories such as Western Europe and the Americas, with a degree of overlap occurring between fans of the genre and more traditional right-wing music such as Oi!, RAC (Rock Against Communism), and other far-right branches of punk and rock.
Perhaps most famously, Resistance Records (a label closely tied to the white nationalist/supremacist organization National Alliance and primarily known for the punk/“hatecore” acts on their roster such as Angry Aryans) purchased Varg’s Cymophane Records and also began to release new black metal recordings, some under the sub-label Unholy Records. Perhaps the most iconic such release by Resistance was the 2000 split between Graveland and Polish skinhead band Honor, called Raiders of Revenge.
“Honor was a very popular band on RAC/Oi!/skinhead scene in Poland at that time,” Darken explains. “Honor’s lyrics were very good. They rejected Christianity and Catholic church and they referred to pagan native beliefs. One of my old friends who knew Olaf and Szczery of Honor gave me an idea of recording a split. He knew that we would perfectly understand one another. So we met and we knew that we had to record this split for the people and for the country… Honor wanted to find new audience among metal fans. I, in Graveland with strong right-wing convictions, wanted to meet radical right-wing patriots. [The] split was released by Resistance Records and caused some confusion among those who were occupied with restricting our freedom.”
While the crossover between black metal and far-right genres has occurred to some extent (particularly in Poland, where far-right organizations such as Niklot seem to be predominantly made up of black metal skinheads), many of the trappings of black metal—the corpsepaint, Satanism, and general interest in darkness and depravity—have proven alienating for many in the skinhead scene, who perhaps would rather not see their activities and ideologies depicted as evil or unholy. The harsh quality of the music has been another barrier, and indeed many NSBM bands such as Germany’s Absurd and Ukraine’s Aryan Terrorism [another Resistance-signed band] have channeled a lot of the upbeat, catchy punk influences of RAC/hatecore music, though this in turn has made the music too happy or melodic for many black metal listeners.
“There are many common factors in these two scenes,” ponders Darken, who views such merging as part of a larger picture, one naturally informed by his own worldview. “It is not only about black metal or RAC/Oi!/skinheads, but about an outbreak of liberation ideologies strengthened by a mutual cooperation of people of different religions, political convictions, right-wing ideologies, left-wing ideologies. Today, skinheads read leftist articles about banks and corporations. Leftist young are inspired by paganism. I think that contemporary world with all its problems is a new place where many people have their own convictions and very often right-wing convictions.”
One of several notorious covers of The Fate Worse Than Death album by Poland’s Thor’s Hammer.
The NSBM and far-right black metal scene grew slowly, like black metal itself, eventually reaching a wide array of territories, its peak thus far occurring around the mid- to late 2000s. Eastern Europe—a stronghold for the far right generally—would remain at the center of this rise, with Ukraine contributing a number of successful bands, such as Kroda, Hate Forest, and Nokturnal Mortum, whose symphonic folk black metal includes the use of traditional Ukrainian woodwind instrumentation. Russia meanwhile contributed bands such as the folk-leaning NSBM act Temnozer and an underground circle called Blazebirth Hall, a sort of far-right version of France’s Black Legions, home to bands such as Forest and Nitberg.
While NSBM is an explicitly political beast, other bands with far-right ideals have chosen to explore more esoteric, and often nature-inspired territories. Indeed, it’s interesting to note that the most successful far-right black metal bands rarely add political content to their music or art. First on the list must be Burzum, and second Ukrainian outfit Drudkh, which rose from the ashes of Hate Forest and managed to break into the black metal mainstream thanks to their emotive compositions and the fact that they refuse to print lyrics or give interviews, despite describing themselves as “Conservative Revolutionary” and having shirts emblazoned with the slogan “Art for White Intellectual Elite.”
Ultimately, it seems that bands pushing a political agenda of any sort are likely to have only a limited overlap with the rest of the black metal scene, presumably to the disappointment of those who hoped to see the genre become a genuinely political movement. This is perhaps unlikely, since the nihilism and misanthropy often at the heart of black metal—as well as the shrouded nature of its aesthetic and vocal techniques that frequently render lyrics indecipherable—make it not particularly well-suited to expressing political opinion. In fact, for many within black metal the NSBM movement remains of little interest, partly for musical reasons and partly due to a distaste for the politics involved. Indeed, it’s worth noting that the majority of bands and fans, even those who are actually sympathetic to the ideologies involved, feel that black metal should not be tainted with any politics, regardless of their nature.
“I ascribe as much raison d’être to NS Black Metal as to Christian ‘Black’ Metal, in other words: NAUGHT,” explained Watain’s Erik Danielsson in an online interview with Beyond the Dark Horizon. “Black Metal is a cult of Satan, its foundation is the cultivation of Chaos and Darkness, and no little pimple-ridden Internet-nazi movement can change that. Stick
to your loathsome punk-music instead, it suits the greatness of your ideals much better…”
Euronymous explained his stance in one 1992 interview, saying, “As Mayhem is NOT a political band, I don’t really like to mix topics like this into band interviews, but anyway I’m still keeping the faith. I openly admit that I am a Stalinist and I’m very fascinated by extreme countries like Albania and Rumania in the good old days.” He also said in Slayer Magazine issue 8, “Even though I’m active in the most extreme communist party here (Albania inspirations) I leave to the Punks to write about that in the lyrics.”
It’s interesting to note that both Metalion and Euronymous were friends with the left-wing grind legends Napalm Death and loved their early work, Slayer’s editor explaining that it was only their continued use of socially aware lyrics once they had been labeled as death metal that the Mayhem mainman disliked. Indeed, Euronymous himself appears to have shared some of the band’s values.
“He was a communist at one point,” confirms Necrobutcher, “he liked the fact that [the Communist party] was a revolutionary party in Norway. In their party program it said they supported armed revolt against the government, he just supported evil things so he supported that as it was considered a terrorist organization here in Norway. But his girlfriend was an old communist back in the day. The idea that everyone was equal and everyone did their share and was treated equal, you know, it’s good thoughts, that you can ride the public transport for free, it’s a taxpayer thing, so he probably liked the general idea but when he got older he understood it was not working, he saw the Berlin Wall come down and the Soviet state collapse.”
Whether Euronymous’ own passion for communism (his signature was still including Communist iconography in letters written not long before his passing) was ideologically driven or inspired by its worst excesses, it was certainly a major interest, and the fact that it wasn’t integrated in any way into his art—just as Varg’s interest in the far-right was kept separate from Burzum—speaks volumes.
That said, black metal fans and musicians are not, for the most part, overly sensitive when it comes to the politically incorrect. For better or worse, most black metal listeners make a distinction between art and artist, something that is easier to do when politics are left at the door and not forced into the art itself. For instance, acclaimed American act Wolves in the Throne Room, who can probably be considered the genre’s most high-profile left-leaning outfit (though their art is again apolitical), have never shied away from acknowledging the influence of Burzum. Black metal fans, unlike those of other many other genres, are rarely offended by the politics of an artist in a way that would stop them engaging with the artist’s work, a point highlighted by Darken’s admiration for Euronymous.
It’s therefore not surprising that a degree of crossover between race-focused/nationalist bands and the non-political black metal scene is found completely acceptable, even if the ideologies in question are seen as bogus or at least irrelevant by some. For example, a number of musicians from the Polish NSBM scene have gone on to feature in secular bands without any significant backlash. Some of the biggest and most commercially successful black metal bands in the scene today, in fact, curiously feature ex-members of Polish NS band Swastyka (later renamed Sunwheel). The aforementioned Paimon, himself once a member of Swastyka as well as Veles, has gone as far as to publicly distance himself and his band Thunderbolt from their NSBM past in favor of a Satanic ideology, and has since lent his talents to a number of Norwegian apolitical acts including Dead To This World, Aeturnus, and Gorgoroth.
Likewise, black metal supergroup War caused some outrage due to their song “I am Elite,” (which featured explicitly racist lyrics regarding “niggers and kikes,” courtesy of vocalist All of Abruptum and Ophthalamia), yet both Peter Tägtgren (who played drums and produced the record) and Paul “Typhon” Thind (who released the record on his label Necropolis) are opposed to racism and politics within black metal.
“My biggest thing is censorship and freedom of speech,” Typhon told the Metallian website. “Apparently that was All screaming the line and it wasn’t planned. Peter Tägtgren called me up immediately and said he didn’t want anything to be affiliated with him. I am not a big fan of racism. In fact I can’t stand it. My parents are northern Indian and they moved to England. They experienced racism and I experienced racism… That said, I don’t believe in that stuff but… to each his own.”
“For sure it did [cause problems], ’cos there were lines in there that I didn’t know,” Tägtgren recalls, shaking his head. “It was not supposed to be like that, it was not racial shit, it was about hating everything except yourself, you’re the elite. I didn’t give a shit, and I still don’t give a shit, as long as I know what I stand for. When Pain got big in 1999 people started digging and found stuff like War [but] I don’t associate with the political speech that they have. It’s the same as with those bands that I recorded who had a more right-wing thing; if they didn’t go to me, they went to someone else and I’d rather have the money, no big deal. I felt the music was good and I really don’t give a shit what they sing.”
Necropolis were not alone, and other apolitical labels in the underground, such as Drakkar, have also published music by extreme right bands such as Grand Belial’s Key and Arghoslent, alongside releases by non-political bands such as Watain, Tsjuder, and Mütiilation.
NS-oriented labels are also often happy to deal with apolitical bands and fans: Supernal Music, for example, was the home of non-NS bands such as Fleurety, Deinonychus, and The Meads of Asphodel, but increasingly promoted race-focused bands, signing acts such as Hate Forest/Drudkh, Sunwheel, and Capricornus. (Just as notable were the monthly newsletters of its highly successful mail order department, where owner Alex Kurtagi —now a writer for publications such as American Renaissance and Alternative Right—promoted far-right musings alongside the primarily apolitical releases on sale.) Similarly, No Colours Records, while primarily an NSBM label, released efforts by non-political bands such as Suicidal Winds, Falkenbach, Urgehal, and Inquisition.
However one chooses to view the bands themselves, there is little doubt that the label “NSBM”—now an umbrella term for any act displaying right-wing tendencies—is somewhat misleading and awkward. For a start, many of the bands in question are Nationalist rather than National Socialist. The number of bands dealing with specifically “National Socialist” ideas and themes is actually somewhat small, since that entails rather more than merely a pride in one’s country of origin and a racist outlook. Indeed the pigeonholing nature of the label means that even many of the most openly race-conscious bands are hesitant to accept it.
“NSBM has never been an appropriate description of Graveland’s music and activity,” explains Darken. “First of all, we should ask: is black metal a wrong place for political convictions? If you think about a little bit longer, you will understand that this is an opinion spread and supported by governmental vipers and censors who work for them. Of course not each black metal band has to be politically committed—black metal is not hardcore! However, if a black metal musician has a need to express his political convictions and opinions he has a right to do it. No one has a right to censor him. True black metal is uncompromising, unpredictable, unyielding… a dangerous element! Black metal is fire! At the moment NSBM is popular in the underground as it is much more extreme and uncompromising than ordinary commercial black metal. Many black metal bands betrayed black metal ideas and became dull and unremarkable. In [the] underground NSBM fires anger and provokes radical actions. Government departments and other institutions restricting our freedom regard NSBM as a threat for public order! Although I do not identify with NSBM, I am glad that true black metal fights for survival and authenticity!”
At the same time, while NSBM and Nazi-related black metal undoubtedly attracts some listeners thanks to this perceived sense of uncompromising intolerance and misanthropy, there are some who see Nationalism, National Socialism, and racism in
general as being incompatible with the sort of elitism at work in both black metal and Satanism. It’s a point recognized by those within both the Satanic and far-right camps:
“Just belonging to a certain nationality will never make you superhuman,” Dissection’s Jon Nödtveidt, a prominent Satanist, explained to Metalcentre.com in 2003. “Simple racism or nationalism is nothing but just another herd mentality for feeble-minded humans to, without logical reason, make themselves feel superior to each other in all their confusion, without having to accomplish anything at all but just being the mentally passive, easily guided apathetic flocks of cattle that they are… The true elite is self-made!”
“I think that white supremacy is just as dumb it gets,” explained Ritual Butcherer, guitarist for Finnish legends Archgoat, to Crypt in 2006. “The world is full of white trash without any kind of ideology, living their ordinary lives as valuable as dog’s crap on your shoe. I see the [black metal] ideology as individualism, not as a race thing. If the only value you find in yourself is your race, rather than your achievements or beliefs, then you are standing on nothing. The whole black metal scene is full of true death and Satanism-oriented, non-Caucasian individuals from Greece, South America and more, who have been pioneers of this music. Now some lowlife who is just following the path these guys made over a decade ago, thinks he can question them by their origin. I have had the pleasure of being in contact with many band members from those mentioned countries and you could not even compare them to these modern black metal scum.”
“Satanism is based on lies and egoism,” argues Darken, who once told Decibel Magazine that “In the Third Reich, Satanists would end in [the] gas chamber.” “There is no brotherhood and friendship—the basic elements ensuring the survival of people as a group for many years. Very often worshipers of Satanism fight against one another… Lies, betrayal, egoism—these are the values characteristic for worshipers of darkness and Satanism… Heathen religions have only one aim: to make a man a strong individual capable of surviving and ensuring future for his children. Then you are ready to live your life. You have strength to fight. You do not need to hide yourself in basements or cemeteries worshiping [a] demon who wants to possess your mind and soul.”
Black Metal: Evolution of the Cult Page 51