The Late Movies: Norwegian Black Metal

Erica Palan
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Happy Norwegian Constitution Day! In honor of the holiday, we're showcasing one of Norway's greatest (or at least most controversial) exports. Here's a little taste of Norwegian black metal.

True Norwegian Black Metal

First up: an intro to the genre.

"Revelations of Doom" by Gorgoroth

Gorgoroth, prominently featured in the previous video, is named after the plateau of evil and darkness in the land of Mordor from The Lord of the Rings.

"I Am the Black Wizard" by Emperor

Emperor played the break-up-make-up game. They formed in 1991 in Notodden, dissolved in 2001, and then reunited in 2006 and again in 2007 for a few shows.

"Deathcrush" by Mayhem

Fronted for the better part of their career by the awesomely named Maniac, Mayhem has been active since 1984. They are not without drama, though. In 1991, vocalist Per Yngve Ohlin (who went by the stage name Dead) killed himself and in 1993, guitarist Øystein Aarseth was murdered by former band member Varg Vikernes.

"Transilvanian Hunger" by Darkthrone

Although the band formed in 1986, Darkthrone didn't embrace the black metal culture—which includes wearing corpse paints and operating under pseudonyms—until 1991. Their first black metal album, Under a Funeral Moon was released in 1993.

The 10 Most Ridiculous Black Metal Videos

Ya know. In case you haven't had enough.

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