Wednesday 25 May 2011

Kerrang, Issue #436, March 27, 1993

"We Are But Slaves of the One with Horns..." - Kerrang, Issue #436, March 27, 1993, Jason Arnopp


This "exclusive" article arguably led to the discovery of the Norwegian black metal subculture by the rest of the metal world around 1993, before the most infamous events of the subculture's history were still to occur. Outlandish statements are made by both Varg "Count Grishnackh" Vikernes of Burzum, and Oystein "Euronymous" Aarseth of Mayhem. Kerrang throw around accusing statements such as "...an extreme group of neo-Fascist Devil Worshippers..." and ask the ridiculous question, "Has Heavy Metal Gone Too Far?" Some of the statements made by both Vikernes and Aarseth in the interview back up my view that the black metal musicians indeed knew exactly what they were doing, and used their outsider status and alternative views to conjure up a preconceived idea of the underground movement that was black metal to a press agency and a public that knew nothing about it to begin with. Kerrang, a magazine that prides itself in being the leader of the pack as far as heavy metal goes, shows a great degree of bias here, not even regarding the style of music being played, rather the events and sensationalism that surround it, whereas in an article written a year later in a more repsected publication, Britain's Terrorizer, black metal had an entire feature article and outlined key bands and recordings. I intend to show that Kerrang were merely sucked in by the creativity and twisted "ideals" of two simply put, clever, PR representatives who also happened to have key places in the Norwegian black metal scene.

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