Vikernes maintained his innocence on all counts during police interrogations, and was eventually released in March for lack of evidence. Although he often intimates his involvement in the arson of the Fantoft Stave Church, it has never been proven that he committed this crime, which is considered one of the most serious and callous of the fires.
In the wake of Varg’s interrogation at the hands of the Bergen cops, a number of others in the Black Metal scene were also rounded up by different police departments and questioned regarding church arson and the murder of the homosexual in Lillehammer, including Samoth and Bård Eithun of Emperor, the latter of whom was in fact guilty of the killing. Still, evidence was scarce and all were released after being interviewed.
BÅRD EITHUN
WAS THE MURDER YOU COMMITTED IN LILLEHAMMER ON THE NEWS?
He was discovered two days later by a schoolgirl who was jogging in the area. It wasn’t on the news until then. So I talked to Østein and I talked to Vikernes too, and when he heard about this he made some other plans about burning down a church. When I came back to Oslo the evening after I was supposed to go with him and Øystein to burn down a church. So that’s what we did.
YOU PARTICIPATED IN BURNING OF THE HOLMENKOLLEN CHAPEL?
At least that one, yes. It was not anything big really. They were in the shop in Oslo talking about it. They asked me if I wanted to come with them, and yes, of course—I’d already killed a man so it’s okay to be involved in this too, to burn down a church. We went up to a church and we had bombs, but they didn’t work so we had to come back. The bomb was something that he [presumably Eithun is referring here to Vikernes] made at home. Some kind of simple bomb, it was supposed to work so that when it exploded it would light some gasoline. We broke into the church and placed the bomb on the altar of the church, surrounded by papers and gasoline. The bomb exploded but flew from where it was laying all the way into the other room inside the church. It didn’t work and did not light the gas. So we had to go up again to the church and light it by hand with a lighter. We put a lot of books, notebooks, and stuff up against the wall and we lit it. That was successful.
DID THE CHURCH BURN DOWN?
Yes, it burned down completely. Later we were watching the news. The first story in the news was about the murder which I did and the second story was about the burning, so that evening I was in the two main reports on the news. I was quite nervous, but the cops didn’t have any traces or evidence.
UGLY TRUTHS, SCREAMING HEADLINES
Once the anti-Christian crime wave was seen as emanating in some fashion from the Black Metal movement, media attention began to escalate at an exponential rate, much to the glee of the prime movers in the scene, Vikernes and Aarseth. The most infamous article published at that time is a cover feature of issue 436 of glossy U.K. Metal magazine Kerrang!, which hit the newsstands on March 27, 1993.
Dominated by a striking shot of Vikernes glaring through long locks of his darkly dyed hair, with two huge knives crossed in his fists, the cover also featured a blazing church and smaller inset photo of the band Emperor, decked out with corpsepaint, a cowled robe, and medieval weaponry. The tabloid-style headline promises: “ARSON... DEATH... SATANIC RITUAL... The Ugly Truth About Black Metal.”22 Inside, the five-page article luridly presented the Norwegian version of Black Metal to the rest of the world. The author, Jason Arnopp, described his subjects with sensational gusto, but the bulk of the article is entirely based on alleged comments from Vikernes and Aarseth.
Under a giant quote spreading across two pages, “We are but slaves to the one with horns...” the article begins.23 It relates the rise of church burnings, commenting that in Norway, “Black Metal has become a national menace.”24 Along with details on Mayhem and Burzum, the America bands Deicide and VON are also mentioned as representative of the dangerous new trend. VON were merely an obscure group who managed to release one raw-sounding demo tape, Satanic Blood, which became legendary within the Norwegian scene. In Kerrang!, Vikernes is quoted as claiming VON was an acronym for “Victory-Orgasm-Nazis,” although this appears to be a fanciful notion on his part.
THE INFAMOUS KERRANG! COVER
The entire article is reminiscent of the earlier Bergens Tidende piece about Vikernes. In it both Aarseth and Vikernes refer to an organization behind the crime wave in Norway, the “Satanic Terrorists,” which they are part of. Arnopp makes an interesting aside that Aarseth claims he and Vikernes “are of equal standing” within the group.25 Aarseth also brags of ten “inner circle” members who in turn direct and manipulate a larger body of Black Metal “slaves,” and that the Helvete shop provides an economic basis for the terrorism.26 He says he does not involve himself in the actual crimes because if he was arrested the movement would fall apart. This could support Vikernes’s later contention that Aarseth was actually afraid to take part in any of the riskier activities.
Regarding his own deeds, Vikernes is quoted by Arnopp as saying, “I’m accused of child abuse, church burnings, some murders, possession of illegal weapons... a lot of things,” but refuses to comment about any guilt on his part.27 He describes Burzum’s Aske mini-album as “a hymn to church burning ... It’s saying, ‘Do this. You can do this too.’ And we convert the souls of kids with our music...”28 He declares his biggest fear above all is being committed to a mental institution.
Regarding the arson motives, Vikernes states: “We support Christianity because it oppresses people, and we burn churches to make it stronger. We can then eventually make war with it.”29 This curious quote is revealing, and similar sentiments became part of Black Metal ideology. The Church should not be opposed for its cosmology per se, but rather its contemporary state of weakness and its rejection of its former draconian conduct (such as the Inquisition). Both Vikernes and Aarseth told the Kerrang! journalist they had been raised as either agnostics or atheists.
An intriguing passage in the article discusses the genesis of the interests held by the Satanic Terrorists. Arnopp asserts that both Vikernes and Aarseth cited Venom and Bathory as early influences, and when he pointed out that Venom’s use of Satanism was purely a gimmick, Aarseth insisted the Norwegians “choose to believe otherwise.”30 Aarseth then claims knowledge of ten assorted deaths tied to the influence of Venom’s music. “I hope Venom know about this, and they think it’s terrible. It is their legacy,” he gloats.31
KERRANG! SPREAD
The Kerrang! exposé is also notable as it appears to be the first media story which labels the Black Metal scene as “neo-fascist.” Arnopp quotes members of Venom and mainstream U.K. Metal band Paradise Lost (who the article claims were haphazardly attacked by teenage Black Metalers while on tour in Norway), referring to the Satanic Terrorists as Hitlerian Nazis. Vikernes makes only one comment in the article which might imply any truth to this allegation: “I support all dictatorships—Stalin, Hitler, Ceaucescu... and I will become the dictator of Scandinavia myself.”32 The last statement of this exclamation would be recycled in many of the later mass-media articles on Vikernes and Black Metal.
The Kerrang! cover story must have electrified everyone in the Norwegian underground. In addition to their newfound extracurricular activities, Vikernes, Aarseth, and the other key personalities in prominent bands like Emperor were still very much involved in their music projects—and now the biggest Heavy Metal magazine in the world had just given them an unprecedented amount of sensational coverage.
Years later in retrospect, all involved realize the absurdity of much that was said. Vikernes now insists vehemently (with what is undoubtedly significant validity) that many of his remarks were fabricated, misunderstood, misquoted, or taken out of context; others reflect back on the mentality of the scene at that time and see it as naive and deluded. Like it or not, however, the Kerrang! article was what brought Norwegian Black Metal to the rest of the world’s attention. It probably meant the crimes would eternally overshadow the music, but it was undoubtedly the best piece of international P.R. the scene would ever receive.
IHSAHN OF EMPEROR
WHY WERE THE CHURCHES BURNED?
To be honest, I think that many of the things that were done and said were just for the shock value of it. Some burned churches as a symbol against Christianity, and some burned churches just to prove themselves worthy, to say to the respected persons, “Look, I burned a church, I’m really true.” Some did it just for the sake of burning a church, just to be bad.
HOW DID YOU FIRST HEAR WHAT WAS HAPPENING?
I first heard about the church burnings on the news. Then I ran into Vikernes and he said, “Look, I burned a church!” and showed me photos. I don’t know if he showed them to everybody, but I don’t think he was very discreet about it. It was impressive—it was very evil to have burned a church, if you look at it that way. I guess I was excited about it, since anti-Christian thoughts had been discussed and I got very into it. I still have anti-Christian views, but for other reasons than I had before. I guess that’s just part of the progression.
WHAT WERE THE REACTIONS IN THE SCENE?
I remember that everybody was very inspired, thinking, “Yeah, I want to do a thing like that.” Everyone was very drawn into it, because it was our thing. It became very personal; it was almost like us against everybody. You felt that brotherhood you get when you have people who are your friends, they agree with you, and you create something together. You felt part of something very strong. Like in a band, you create something together that you’re all very fond of and you personally get very attached to the creation, or in this case, the destruction. In a sense you create war.
DID YOU FEEL THINGS WERE GETTING OUT OF HAND?
I didn’t care much about the value of human life. Nothing was too extreme. That there were burned churches, and people were killed, I didn’t react at all. I just thought, “Excellent!” I never thought, “Oh, this is getting out of hand,” and I still don’t. Burning churches is okay; I don’t care that much anymore because I think that point was proven. Burning churches isn’t the way to get Christianity out of Norway. More sophisticated ways should be used if you really want to get rid of it.
IN RETROSPECT, IS THERE VALUE IN WHAT WAS DONE?
Burning churches was a symbolic act, and it proved that some people in Norway were very much against Christianity. I also have very much respect for extreme things. Things that are extreme are fascinating, as long as they don’t go against me or those I care about. I like extreme things. It underlined and strengthened my individual feelings. It was one step further away from normal daily life for me, as for many other people.
SAMOTH OF EMPEROR
HOW ORGANIZED WERE THESE ACTIVITIES THAT WERE CONNECTED TO THE NORWEGIAN BLACK METAL SCENE?
Most of the actions were more or less “let’s do it tonight” kinds of things. But that didn’t make them any less serious. It was not like “Knights around the Round Table”... there was not a formal meeting before any act would take place, where people were told what to do and things like that. For a little while there was unity and some some strong ideas, but it soon became too unserious. Way too many people knew what was going on.
WHEN DID YOU FIRST BECOME AWARE OF THE IDEA TO BURN CHURCHES, AND FROM WHERE DID THIS ORIGINATE?
I think it was from something Vikernes hinted in a letter that made me aware of the idea. This was in ’92. Later I was shown some photos at the Helvete shop of some church ruins. I participated in the church burnings because it felt right to do so. It all happened quite spontaneously, even though the thought of doing it had been lurking in my mind for awhile. I did not really think much about it afterwards, and still don’t.
I view my arson as a sociopathic outburst, an extreme act towards the church and society. That was the intention. I still find the concept of reducing a church into a pile of ashes appealing. However, I’m not concerned about it anymore, nor do I think it’s the way to get rid of Christianity. These church fires didn’t awaken much more than a huge media hysteria and even stronger prejudice among the common people, which in the end was quite negative for us. It also led to a Black Metal hype, based upon the media, who are well-known for sensationalizing everything. Of course, we did prove a point and people are aware that there are anti-Christian forces around. Still, I think serious, intelligent propaganda is maybe a more effective way to get through to people.
DID YOU EVER HAVE THE FEELING THINGS WERE GETTING OUT OF CONTROL OR GOING TOO FAR?
I realized of course that everything had taken a very extreme turn. Anyway, I had chosen my way, so it did not disturb me really.
WHAT ARE YOUR FEELINGS ABOUT CHRISTIANITY IN NORWAY?
SAMOTH OF EMPEROR
We cannot control nature! In the big picture we are but small cosmic dust. We have no control whatsoever on the universe. The earth can strike us down and crush us all. When, or if this will happen we know not—only time will tell. I think humanity has gone “off the edge.” I don’t see any major changes amongst people of today’s world. People choose not to think. It’s a difficult thing to try to change things in the world. Christianity, for example—I think it would be close to impossible to actually wipe out Christian belief and dogma; it’s very deeply rooted in society. In retrospect to all the talk about what to do to destroy Christianity, I think there’s a lot of naiveté going around. To actually gather people and weapons for a total war against Christianity and the common society is a nice dream indeed, but hardly the reality. I even see church burning as a finished chapter. It was a good symbolic anti-Christian act, but now it’s nothing of any value at all—even the shock effect is gone. But the fact is that Christianity and all the other monotheistic religions are such destructive and false belief systems. Some people might actually open their eyes to serious and intelligent anti-Christian propaganda. The problem is that the common people don’t really care; they don’t think. It doesn’t matter for them if they are a member of the State Church or not. They are so caught up with being normal and being like everyone else, so they baptize their children in the church for that reason only. The same goes for confirmation and marriage. Most of these people have no strong religious belief, they just do it. If that “trend” would change then the Church would lose a lot of its power, because in Norway much of that power is based upon a bunch of stupid statistics. Let’s hope the next generation, our generation that is, will bring in more open- and strong-minded people who believe in individual and religious freedom, rather than narrow-minded conservatives, who believe in a type of society that we truly despise.
NORWEGIAN HEADLINE:
“THE CHURCH BURNED ON THE WEDDING NIGHT”
HELLHAMMER
HOW STRONG IS CHRISTIANITY IN NORWAY NOW?
It’s the biggest belief here.
IS A LOT OF THE “SATANISM” JUST A REACTION AGAINST THAT?
I don’t know, because from the first time I was against the burning of the Norwegian churches. Totally. I told them, why not burn up a mosque, the foreign churches from the Hindu and Islamic jerks—why not take those out instead of setting fires to some very old Norwegian artworks? They could have taken mosques instead, with plenty of people in them!
FANNING THE FLAMES
The church burnings which began in the spring of 1992 would continue until the present, although they have not received as much publicity after the court trials were concluded in 1994. When we interviewed him in 1995, Vikernes claimed he knew of approximately thirty church arsons which had occurred the previous year, and stated that they continue to take place. Asked why there was little media coverage of the ongoing trend, he explained:
Most of [the churches] are just damaged. If something burns to the ground you usually hear about it. But there are a lot of smaller chapels which have been burned, and Christian schools, and we read almost daily in the papers about grave desecrations. A week doesn’t go by without a report of grave desecrations.33
A November 7, 1995 article in Norway’s Aftenposten newspaper focused on the history of the church burnings, listing the foll
owing “official statistics”: 1992—thirteen fires, ten cases solved; 1993—ten fires, five cases solved; 1994—fourteen fires, seven cases solved; 1995—seven fires, three cases solved at the time of the article. These figures vary considerably from some of Vikernes’s claims, although they add up to a startling forty-four church attacks over four years. If Varg is to be believed, the number could be even higher, and more arsons have occurred since the end of 1995. A spokesman for the Kripos (roughly the Norwegian equivalent of the FBI) stated to Aftenposten that in every case which was solved, the culprits were Black Metal “Satanists.”
BATF ARSON PREVENTION BOOKLET
Whether the church burnings and other acts of vandalism in Norway will eventually stop is difficult to say. As chapter 12 will reveal, the trend has spread to nearby Sweden and into some countries in Central Europe. A purely coincidental development would appear to be the rash of churches recently hit by arson in the United States. While this trend appears to have begun in the early 1990s, it has been escalating. In 1995–96 there were investigations into 429 incidences of church arsons, bombings, or attempted bombings. The epidemic mostly afflicted poor black churches in the South, and public outrage against a presumed conspiracy of racist terrorism resulted in the President’s formation of a National Church Arson Task Force in June, 1996. The Task Force has since concluded that no nationwide conspiracy exists, and suspects arrested in relation to the the fires have been blacks and Hispanics as well as whites. The motives in specific incidents have ranged widely, from revenge to vandalism to racial hatred.
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