Varg Vikernes aka: Burzum/ Count Grishnach released from prison

[Anurizm]

a little news for those who don't already know and are into old school black metal. He was released from prison july 7th and is going to be releasing a book and a new album. www.burzum.org

I can't wait til they are released :D

[Dusty]

Yup, very excited.
If it's even half as good as Filosofem, I'll be happy.

They sure are lax on murder in Norway, though. ;)

[Crass]

More like he's going to cash in now.

[kab]

Yeah, maximum penalty is 21 years. I'm guessing Vikernes wasn't convicted of first degree murder, claiming self defense etc., so him being paroled now, after... 15 years? Also, he's gotten married and has a kid. Isn't too odd by our standards that he's out.

In fact, he'd been out sooner, had he not skipped town while on weekend leave and been found riding a stolen car, with gas masks, bulletproof vests, assault rifles, etc. =p

Still, he owes millions in damages for a couple of church burnings, legal expenses etc.

[DeadlyFreeze]

I was going to say you have bad taste in music, but you just have bad taste in human beings. Why would you want to give this a guy a dime?

[Brushcommander]

Haha oh wow.
A faggy vampire is going to play Varg.
http://www.metalunderground.com/news/details.cfm?newsid=44874

[kab]

The whole "True Norwegian Black Metal"-scene is a fucking joke BTW. Back in the day there were like 20 guys, trying to make it look like there was a huge following of satan-worshipping black metal kids. they were really just a few guys with long hair playing shit music on purpose, but the media ate it up, making up crazy stories every week and printing the stuff front page.

There are no bad ass satanist cult in real life, just a bunch of guys who like ugly music, trying to hype their stuff through the roof by being bad ass, ending up going more than a little insane and killing eachother over their image.

[Crass]

The whole "True Norwegian Black Metal"-scene is a fucking joke BTW. Back in the day there were like 20 guys, trying to make it look like there was a huge following of satan-worshipping black metal kids. they were really just a few guys with long hair playing shit music on purpose, but the media ate it up, making up crazy stories every week and printing the stuff front page.

There are no bad ass satanist cult in real life, just a bunch of guys who like ugly music, trying to hype their stuff through the roof by being bad ass, ending up going more than a little insane and killing eachother over their image.

The music is good, but the "scene" has always been a comedy show. You just can't take yourself that seriously, and at the same time expect others to take you seriously.

However I do think those kids created something unique and special in black metal back in the 90's, it must have been an inspiring environment because it really spawned some fantastic albums. You have to remember these guys were kids back then, the antics can be excused, and I do think the music was spawn out of something pure. Don't shit-talk the music just because you yourself don't happen to like it, or the people who made it. The songwriting has merit, and so do the musicians (there are exceptions here as there is everywhere).

[kab]

The old-school black metal gives me very little, allthough I can't say Ive really tried to "get into it" either. It's mainly the scene and their lame antics that provoke me, the whole satanist thing is fucking ridiculous, the image is laughable and the fact is that protecting this image led to murder and arson (that could very easily have ended up killing a lot more people), and in later years torture and other acts of violence. It's not only inexcusable, it makes any artistic merit these guys may have invalid, as the image overshadows the art and makes it into a cheesy joke.

The fact that people still glorify a scene that provoked and celebrated such idiocy is sad. The music being decent doesn't change that.

BTW: I am a metalhead myself, and I've listened to my share of black metal, both older and newer bands, and I find the music often sacrifices music for style and image, just like the guys who make it.

[Hyskoa]

Let's all donate money to the ex-con.
It'll be awesome!

[Crass]

The old-school black metal gives me very little, allthough I can't say Ive really tried to "get into it" either. It's mainly the scene and their lame antics that provoke me, the whole satanist thing is fucking ridiculous, the image is laughable and the fact is that protecting this image led to murder and arson (that could very easily have ended up killing a lot more people), and in later years torture and other acts of violence. It's not only inexcusable, it makes any artistic merit these guys may have invalid, as the image overshadows the art and makes it into a cheesy joke.

The fact that people still glorify a scene that provoked and celebrated such idiocy is sad. The music being decent doesn't change that.

BTW: I am a metalhead myself, and I've listened to my share of black metal, both older and newer bands, and I find the music often sacrifices music for style and image, just like the guys who make it.

Black metal has become everything that I believe it takes a stand against, I think there is little to no merit in the genre as it stands, but I think that the history of the genre is something that reinforces the ideas it is supposed to represent. Black metal music has a real sense of desperation, alienation and rebellion to it, and the events that have taken place in the past lends credibility to what is said. I don't really condone murder, but as a listener I can draw something from the fact that even though it is all about image now, it spawned from something real, in contrast to pop music for example, which has never been about anything but making money and catering to the demands of others. I think black metal is about more than "playing shit music on purpose" it's about taking a stand for yourself and what you believe in, in contrast to the trends and mindlessness of the mainstream. Of course, if you don't identify with the ideology of the genre, you will never be able to get more out of it than a few good tunes, but I like my music to "mean" something (to the extent that any meaning can be drawn from anything at all).

Of course, any meaning that I derive, might just be something I myself have injected into it, but that doesn't really matter if it's of help to me. I must point out that there is an overwhelming majority of black metal bands that don't offer anything more than genre masturbation, who bring nothing to the table and play only for the sake of nostalgia and fulfilling an image, but there are a few bands that I (personally) believe have real merit, and those are the ones I am talking about here.

As for the "scene" and the people in it, I really couldn't give less of a shit. Every "fan" I have ever met has been a complete idiot and a douchebag, with an inflated image of his own self worth. They tend to think that they are some form of human elite, even though they have accomplished nothing of value for anyone, not even themselves, and wouldn't be able to handle themselves even for a second if they couldn't rely on the people they supposedly hate for support.

[kab]

While the old-school black metal scene was born out of alienation, desperation etc., from what I've read and seen, it quickly turned into a couple of guys with strong beliefs, and a bunch of followers, who jumped when their "leader" said jump. There was a lot of pressure to live up to the image the media contrived, and life imitates art as they say, soon enough, Vikernes set fire to a chruch and the guys who were shouting "satanists!" had a field day on the news.

The music, while made by a scene consisting of alienated and disillusioned young men, to me is just a link in the hype machine, and since the image they wanted to portray was that of chaos and atonality, I find little joy in listening to it. It, to me, doesn't portray anything real, other than the fact that they probably didn't want mainstream acceptance for the music itself, they just wanted to be seen as bad and "evil". In a way, pop music, even that made purely for profit, atleast stays true to it's core, while black metal, while surely without compromise (atleast to the image), still wanted attention from the mainstream media, but for the scene.

Thats the thing that sometimes annoys the hell out of me about the "metal-fan mindset", that everything has to be like it was 20-years ago to be "real". I think the true essence of metal is the "fuck you, we'll do what we want"-thinking, but so many people out there go crazy when their favourite band changes anything about their sound.

[Dusty]

I was going to say you have bad taste in music, but you just have bad taste in human beings. Why would you want to give this a guy a dime?

Hey, thanks for insulting my musical tastes...but for your information, I believe in separation of art and artist. Burzum made some great music..and I'm curious to see what he'll do next.

Thats the thing that sometimes annoys the hell out of me about the "metal-fan mindset", that everything has to be like it was 20-years ago to be "real"

I know exactly what you mean...but that is a generalization, even if it's somewhat true. There are those of us that appreciate all forms of metal, old and new. When I like a band, I usually stay faithful to them regardless of style changes.
Samael, for example, used to be a black metal band and morphed into some weird techno-metal-dance-hybrid and I still listen to them. People get way too wrapped up in the "trv" black metal fans. They are idiots, no doubt...but in the end, it's just music and there are normal people that listen to this music as well because they enjoy it. Again, Filosofem is one of the most soothing albums I own. It's nice and ambient...it's great to paint to.

[Pezz]

Samael, for example, used to be a black metal band and morphed into some weird techno-metal-dance-hybrid and I still listen to them.

I prefer to call that Industrial Tanzmetal :D

[Sorknes]

There's metal and there's metal. There's a lot of people I don't agree with whatsoever in any way politically or even personally in any subject in the visual artworld but whom I actually quite enjoy the art of. Same goes for music.

This guy in particular has become quite a known figure here of course, land of origin and all, for good and for worse. The guy was stupid enough to not return after a break from prison as well. And he's done some interviews over the years that for me looks like he's just going with whatever has the strongest pull at him for the moment in the environment, he is somewhat of a great artist but at times he really looks like just a follower without too many original thoughts. The fact of the murder, manslaughter, or whatever you want to name it according to your stance was not looked upon as a "deed" either, even if some people seems to want to push that point, mainly people that has more than one issue to say it that way.

I enjoy different kinds of metal, and has for a long time. The church burning is a frigging retarded thing to do. I am not Christian, but I *do* care a lot about our heritage, and even though there was just a small bunch of losers doing that, they ended up ruining cultural heritage. Our oldest churces does in fact house images of Odin and his "friends" because people around here wanted to be "double sure" they were not crossing any gods, so yeah.. Duh.

And as for murder... I hope there isn't even a slight suspicion that I agree with that, of course.

When it comes to penalties here in Norway, there's a lot that's wrong with them, but there's also a lot that's right. We have a low crime rate compared to other places, and a lot actually get so called "rehabilitated". Take a look at the part that Michael Moore (yeah, I know, I know) didn't put into his Sicko movie about Norway, it's on YouTube.

The movie coming these days about the metal scene here in Norway is also a kind of a "troublesome topic", as in, the people that actually has any serious business with the metal scene here, or had, is no way supporting this so called documentary and doesn't want to have anything to do with it.

There's differences in the metal scene as there is in certain close knitted groups of visual art worlds. There's the normal people, the marketing geniouses, the true artists, the posers, the whacko's, the moneymakers, etc.... A lot of it is just a built up image that is in no way meant to be taken seriously, it's a part of the trade. Like the people making GTA doesn't actually try to get as many people as possible go out there in the real world and do what's done in the game.

It's up to whoever though, if you just go by the music, or if you go by the people doing the music, etc. There's a lot of people in the world not having anything to do with metal that I probably should've boycotted but that I don't. There's probably some in metal that I should as well but that I don't. Just look at the rap and Hip Hop scene and whatever you call all those, they're not exactly angels there either, but boy do they sell.

[GriNGo]

Ah.. Varg is out.. i really hope he finds time to make more of his amazing music. All you assholes that come in here saying black metal is shit, should just probably leave. Only Burzum, BM fans here please... cause there are quite a few Mayhem fans that hate Varg. (Personally I enjoy both bands). Church burning, killing, is wrong of course, lets hope he doesn't do it again...

EDIT: Checked out his site.. he's at it again! (Making music that is).
http://www.burzum.org/img/gallery08/big/photo05.jpg

In this news (http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=no&tl=en&u=http://www.dagbladet.no/2009/07/04/magasinet/innenriks/kriminalomsorg/kirkebrann/drapsdom/7051663/) article (google translate).. says he's making a new album.. can't wait!

[Shard]

hope he doesnt disappoint you guys..
loved when nodtveidt got out and dissection regrouped to make reinkaos. too bad wasnt up to standard with the old stuff..

[DeadlyFreeze]

Hey, thanks for insulting my musical tastes...but for your information, I believe in separation of art and artist.

Your welcome, I can only imagine that someone who is willing to kill someone and burn down churches is going to have some music that reflects that attitude, which makes it not so much art as it is a manifesto.

...of course I could be wrong, does he sing about ponies and rainbows?

[Dusty]

Your welcome, I can only imagine that someone who is willing to kill someone and burn down churches is going to have some music that reflects that attitude, which makes it not so much art as it is a manifesto.

...of course I could be wrong, does he sing about ponies and rainbows?

Honestly, not even going to bother to try to explain it. With your insulting attitude, it's pretty obvious you are only out to get a rise out of people that enjoy this kind of music.

[Anurizm]

Honestly, not even going to bother to try to explain it. With your insulting attitude, it's pretty obvious you are only out to get a rise out of people that enjoy this kind of music.
well said :yayca:

[RyerOrdStar]

So we should all only listen to music about ponies and rainbows? What about all the pop music that talks about playing people to get what you want? Or the rap that talks about shooting people up for "cred"?

You know what...I don't know why I took the bait.

Looking forward to seeing what's in store for his stuff.

[FranciscoShreds]

Awesome. I've been listening to some of my old BM just getting back into the swing of things. A new Burzum album would be great. Hope some he releases samples to keep us salivating.

[s.ketch]

Burning down churches and murder is pretty fucking metal.

[Fallout]

Blah, Burzum/varg were completetely overrated anyways. I've listened to Hvash gfhg rerv (something like that...) quite a few times and never really found anything interesting about it at all. For some, it's the 'rawnesss/minimalism'. Others say it's the 'attitude' and few more say it's the 'atmosphere'. Just completely failed to impress me in any way. I'm pretty sure he's going to wank around more, and spur up more controversy.

[GriNGo]

Burning down churches and murder is pretty fucking metal.

Laughing out loud... but at your pathetic attempt at being sarcastic.

[s.ketch]

I was being entirely serious. It's pretty hardcore.