 |
|
| Varg Vikernes | |
|---|---|
| Musician Info | |
| Born | February 11, 1973 (age 50), Bergen, Norway |
| Years-Active | 1988 - Present |
| Genre | Black metal, ambient |
| Notable Instruments | Guitar, bass, drums, synthesizer, vocals |
| Associated acts | Burzum, Mayhem, Old Funeral, Darkthrone |
| Website | thuleanperspective.com |
Varg Vikernes is a Norwegian musician and writer. In 1991, he founded the one-man music project Burzum, which is considered one of the most influential black metal acts in black metal history. He is also known for the murder of other Black metal musician, (Euronymous, Øystein Aarseth).
Biography[]
Born Kristian Vikernes on February 11, 1973 in Bergen, Norway, he and his family moved to Iraq when he was six years old, as his father was an electronics engineer, developing a computer program for Saddam Hussein. There were no places left at the English school in Baghdad, so Varg went to an Iraqi elementary school. He later recounted that he faced racial discrimination from the other students at his school. On one occasion, Varg got into an argument with his teacher, and called him a ‘monkey’. He stated that the teacher wouldn’t dare hit him however, as he was white. The fact that his fellow students would frequently be beaten, but he would not, was most likely what started his documented white supremacist views, believing exemption from corporal punishment made him above his fellow students and teachers. These views were not exclusive to him however. Varg claims his father owned a Swastika flag, and hated living in the same town as the Iraqi people. In regards to his mother, Varg stated that she was scared that he would one day ‘come home with a black girl’. There were also claims that Varg was part of a Neo-Nazi skinhead group as a teenager, but he denies this, saying that there were no skinheads in Bergen.
Varg began listening to heavy metal music when he was 12, and cited Iron Maiden as his biggest influence. His love of heavy metal led him to learn to play guitar at the age of 14. In 1992, at the age of 19, he started his own one man black metal band, named Burzum. It was during this time that he met Euronymous, lead guitarist of the band Mayhem. Despite being a highly influential figure in the Norwegian black metal scene, he was nevertheless controversial, due to his actions following the death of the band’s lead singer, Pelle Ohlin, better known as Dead, whereby he found the lead singer immediately after he committed suicide via a gunshot wound to the head, and instead of calling the police or an ambulance, proceeded to take pictures of the scene, and even kept pieces of Dead’s skull and gave them to people he considered worthy.
Controversy[]
While Varg and Euronymous would collaborate musically, they would partake in events that would bring black metal music to the public eye, for all the wrong reasons. From May to June 1992, he, Euronymous and other people burned down several Christian churches. Varg and Euronymous took part in the burning of at least one church together. In total, fifty churches were burned between 1992 and 1996.
Murder of Euronymous[]
In early 1993, anamosity had begun to grow between Varg and Euronymous. While it is unknown what caused the rift, it resulted in Varg stabbing Euronymous to death in his apartment on August 10, 1993. Varg claimed he acted in self defence, saying that Euronymous planned to stun him with a taser, tie him up, and torture him to death on camera. Varg’s claim of self defence is obviously questionable, as Euronymous had been stabbed twenty-three times, with sixteen wounds present in his back.
Arrest and Conviction[]
Varg was arrested on August 19, 1993. The police found 150 kilograms of explosives and 3,000 rounds of ammunition in his home. He had apparently been planning on blowing up the Blitz House, a far left social centre in Oslo. On May 16, 1994, after a two week trial, Varg was sentenced to twenty-one years in prison for murder, the arson of three churches, the attempted arson of a fourth church, and for the theft and storage of 150 kilograms of explosives. In what is probably one of the most infamous moments in music history, upon receiving his sentence, Varg looked directly at the news camera in the courtroom and gave a chilling smile.
Parole and later years[]
Varg was released from prison in 2009, and changed his name to Louie Cochet after moving to France. He has continued to face legal trouble since his release. In 2013, both he and his wife were arrested under suspicion of planning a terrorist attack after his wife purchased four rifles. The two were later released without charge, as the police were unable to find any evidence of a terrorist plot. However, Varg was charged with hate speech against Jewish and Islamic people, due to posts he made on his blog, Thulêan Perspective. He was given six months of probation, and an €8,000 fine. He has also been banned from YouTube due to the site’s policies on hate speech. Despite his criminal history, Varg has built up a dedicated following due to the intrigue surrounding his past, but as a convicted murderer, would-be terrorist and Neo-Nazi, there is no denying that he is one of the most evil musicians in music history.
Discography[]
As Burzum[]
- 1992 – Burzum (recorded January 1992)
- 1993 – Aske (EP) (recorded August 1992)
- 1993 – Det som engang var (recorded April 1992)
- 1994 – Hvis lyset tar oss (recorded September 1992)
- 1996 – Filosofem (recorded March 1993)
- 1997 – Dauði Baldrs (recorded in prison 1994–1995)
- 1999 – Hliðskjálf (recorded in prison 1998)
- 2010 – Belus (recorded in 2009)
- 2011 – Fallen (recorded November 2010)
- 2011 – From the Depths of Darkness (recorded March 2010)
- 2012 – Umskiptar (recorded September 2011)
- 2013 – Sôl austan, Mâni vestan (recorded throughout 2012)
- 2014 – The Ways of Yore (recorded throughout 2013)
- 2020 – Thulêan Mysteries(recorded throughout 2014-2020)
Other appearances[]
- 1994 – Darkthrone – Transilvanian Hunger (wrote lyrics for four songs)
- 1995 – Darkthrone – Panzerfaust (wrote lyrics for one song)
- 1994 – Mayhem – De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas (performed bass guitar)
- 1993 – Mayhem – Life Eternal (EP, performed bass guitar)
- 1991 – Old Funeral – Devoured Carcass (EP, performed electric guitar)
- 1999 – Old Funeral – Join the Funeral Procession (compilation album, performed electric guitar)
- 1999 – Old Funeral – The Older Ones (compilation album, performed electric guitar)
- 2002 – Old Funeral – Grim Reaping Norway (live album, performed electric guitar)