True Norwegian Black Metal

I've been working on getting a full representation of Norwegian Black Metal into the system. There are a number or really interesting family trees from the scene that can be graphically represented. I recently looked up this book of photos of the bands / fans of the black metal:

True Norwegian Black Metal
[www.amazon.com] http://www.amazon.com/Norwegian-Black-Metal-Johan-Kugelberg/dp/1576874354/ref=sr...

Whatever your feeling of photos of guys playing shows in corpse paint, there's an interesting timeline in the book. I, of course, had to spend a day transcribing the entire thing. If you have a morbid curiosity with a scene that has produces church arsons and murder convictions, here you go:


Norwegian Black Metal Timeline
By Tara G. Warrior


Christianization of Norway
- 955 AD : King Olaf I
- 1015 AD : King Olaf II
- 1844 : Friedrich Nietzsche born in Rocken, Prussian Saxony.
- 1875 : Aleister Crowley born Edward Alexander Crowley in Warwickshire, England
- 1883 : Thus Spoke Zarathustra by Friedrich Nietzsche published
- 1888 : The Case of Wagner Nietzsche criticizes Wagner's music calling it sick.
- 1888 : Twilight of the Idols by Friedrich Nietzsche published.
- 1890 : Howard Phillips Lovecraft born in Providence, Rhode Island, USA.
- 1892 : JRR Tolkien born. His written work Lord of the Rings Trilogy would provide countless metal bands with names, album titles, and lyrical inspiration.
- 1900 : Norwegian artist Theodor Kittelsen publishes Scarledauen, aka The Black Death, a book of artwork depicting the late arrival of the Black Death in Norway. These illustrations would become notable and famous outside of Norway nearly one century later on several Burzum album covers.
- 1904 : The Book of the Law, is published. The famous quote "Do What Thou Wilt Shall Be The Whole Of The Law" is not only the cornerstone of Crowley's philosophies and teachings, but also became a motto disenfranchised teenagers adopted out of context almost a century later.
- 1930 : Anton LaVey, founder of the Church of Stan born Howard Levey Chicago, Illinois, USA.
- 1966 : Anton LaVey founds Church of Satan in San Francisco, California, USA. LaVey would court publicity, appearing on talk shows, and staging events such as Satanic weddings and baptisms.
- 1966 : Quorthon of Bathory born Tomas Forsberg on February 17 in Sweden.
- 1967 : Jon "Metalion" Kristiansen born May 20 Sarpsborg, Norway.
- 1967 : May 13, Chuck Scheldiner of Death born in Long Island, New York, USA.
- 1968 : Occult rock group Coven founded in Chicago, Illinois, USA.
- 1968 : Birth of Euronymous of Mayhem, Deathlike Silence Productions and Helvete record shop on April 15th as Oystein Aarseth.
- 1969 : Coven's LP Witchcraft Destroys Minds and Reaps Souls is released. The album features what is believed to be they first recording of a Black Mass on a rock album. In addition to blatant occult imagery, the band incorporated Satanic elements into their live act, garnering praise from Anton LaVey.
- 1969 : Black Sabbath formed in Birmingham, England
- 1969 : Anton LaVey writes The Satanic bible, citing such influences as Machiavelli, Ayn Rand, and Nietzsche. Some say large portions were plagiarized from an obscure early 20th century tract by pseudonymous social darwinist Ragnar Redbeard. The book has been continuously in print ever since.
- 1969 : Jan 16, Per Yngve Ohlin born Jan 16 in Sweden. Would later adopt the moniker of "Dead" in his musical career.
- 1970 : Black Sabbath's self-titled debut LP released on Friday, February 13.
- 1972 : Klaus Schulze's Irrlicht LP is released. Euronymous cited this as a great influence.
- 1973 : Black Sabbath's LP Sabbath Bloody Sabbath features Satanic cover art and songs featuring synthesizer work and both prog-rock and classical elements.
- 1973 : The Exorcist (Dir. William Friedkin) based on the book by William Peter Blatty is released and becomes a worldwide success.
- 1973 : Birth of Christian Vikernes, also known as Varg Vikernes, also known as Count Crishnackh on Feb 11 outside of Bergen, Norway.
- 1973 : Italian prog rock band Goblin, best known for composing film scores for horror director Dario Argento, are formed.
- 1976 : The Omen (Dir. Richard Donner) is released and becomes a worldwide success.
- 1977 : Death SS formed in Milan, Italy. The band is notable for their ultra-heavy sound, occult lyrical content and imagery; combining horror theatrics into their stage show, using evil pseudonyms, and wearing corpse paint makeup.
- 1977 : Suspiria directed by Dario Argento is released in theaters. Goblin's original soundtrack album released.
- 1979 : Zombie (Dir. Lucio Fulei) is released.
- 1979 : Venom formed in Newcastle upon Tyne, England.
- 1981 : The Evil Dead (Dir. Sam Raimi) is released. The film becomes an underground must-see in Scandinavia throughout the 1980's.
- 1981 : Venom's Welcome To Hell LP is released.
- 1981 : Mercyful Fate is formed in Copenhagen. Notable for Satanic/occult themes and imagery, singer King Diamond's use of corpse paint and wide vocal range.
- 1982 : Sodom formed in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. Later that year the Witching Metal demo tape is released.
- 1982 : Venom's landmark Black Metal arrives on the scene, complete with a Satanic goat head on its otherwise pitch black cover. The album both served as one of the primary musical inspirations for Norwegian Black Metal as well as coining the terms which would name the sub genre.
- 1982 : Hellhammer formed in Zurich, Switzerland. Euronymous would later adopt his stage moniker from the title of one of their songs.
- 1983 : Morbid Angel formed in Tampa, Florida, USA.
- 1983 : Possessed formed in San Francisco, California, USA.
- 1983 : Hellhammer release demo tapes Death Fiend and Triumph Of Death.
- 1983 : Mantas formed in Altamonte Springs, Florida, USA. The band records the highly influential Death By Metal demo tape.
- 1983 : Bathory formed in Stockholm, Sweden.
- 1984 : Possessed's Death Metal is released. Believed to be the first time the phrase was coined and used.
- 1984 : Scandinavian Metal Attack compilation LP released. Bathory contributes two tracks.
- 1984 : Sodom release the Victims of Death demo tape followed by In The Sign Of Evil ep.
- 1984 : Mayhem formed in Ski, Norway.
- 1984 : Bathory's self-titled debut LP is released.
- 1984 : Hellhammer's Satanic Rites demo is released, filled by the Apocalypitc Raids EP later the same year. By 1984's end, Hellhammer dissolved and became Celtic Frost, recording and releasing the Morbid Tales EP.
- 1984 : Mantas changes their name to become Death, reissuing the Death by Metal demo under their new moniker. Also that year the band releases both live and rehearsal recordings, in addition to previously rehearsal demos onto the burgeoning tape trading scene.
- 1985 : Death release the Infernal Death demo.
- 1985 : Possessed release the Seven Churches full length LP.
- 1985 : First issue of Slayer magazine published. The issue is written entirely in Norwegian, as all issues would be until issue 5.
- 1985 : Celtic Frosts' landmark first full length release To Mega Therion is released featuring Sweiss artist H.R. Giger's "Satan I" on its cover.
- 1985 : Sacrogfago is formed in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Their blatant use of Satanic imagery and crops painted, bullet-belted appearance will prove influential to the Norwegians.
- 1986 : Sodom release their Obsessed By Cruelty LP. The first track, "Deathlike Silence," would later provide the name of Euronymous's black metal label.
- 1986 : Sareofago release the Satanic Lust and The Black Vomit demos.
- 1986 : Morbid Angel release the Scream forth Blasphemics and Blood For The Devil demos.
- 1986 : Mortuary Drape are formed in Alessandria, Italy.
- 1986 : Tormentor formed in Budapest, Hungary.
- 1986 : Mayhem release the Pure Fucking Armageddon demo.
- 1986 : Morbid are formed in Stockholm, Sweden. The lineup included Per Yngve Ohlin, aka "Dead."
- 1987 : Mayhem release the Deathcrush mini LP. The release would establish the Norwegian black metal sound. The EP is dedicated to Metalion of Slayer magazine.
- 1987 : Rotting Christ formed in Athens, Greece.
- 1987 : Darkthrone formed in Kolbotn, Norway. Formed as a death metal outfit, the changed their sound and adpted demonic stage names upon meeting Euronymous.
- 1987 : Treblinka formed in Stockholm, Sweden. Notable for their black metal sound and use of corpse-paint make up.
- 1987 : Necrovore's Divus De Mortuus demo recorded and released. Early on, this San Antonio, Texas group were cited as an influence by Mayhem, and championed in the international underground metal tape-trading community.
- 1987 : With the publication of issue 5, its first all-English edition, Slayer magazine goes international.
- 1988 : Treblinka releases Crawling In Vomits demo.
- 1988 : Old Funeral formed in Bergen, Norway. The band was more notable for its ex-members than its music. Abbath and Demonaz of Immortal, Varg Vikernes of Burzum, and Jorn Tunsberg of Hades Almighty and Immortal all were members.
- 1989 : Beherit formed in Rovoniemi, Lapland, Finland. Three isolated teens donned corpsepaint and spikes and became pioneers of the minimal and pummeling black metal sound.
- 1989 : Dissection formed in Sotrmstad, Sweden.
- 1989 : Thorns formed in Trondlheim, Norway. Founder Snorre Ruch is best known for establishing the Norwegian black metal guitar sound, as well as being the man who accompanied Varg Vikernes on the long drive from Bergen to Oslo that ended with Vikernes killing Euronymous.
- 1989 : Von formed in San Fransisco, California, USA. Varg Vikernes notably wore a Von t-shirt during his murder trial.
- 1989 : Abruptum formed in Finspang, Sweden. Notable for being early pioneers of the dark ambient style, marked by synth work and screams. Signed by Euronymous to his Deathlike Silence label.
- 1989 : Found of Deathlike Silence record label by Euronymous. It is the first label dedicated solely to black metal. The imprint had distribution through Voices of Wonder, all releases were tagged "Anti-Mosh" and numbered. The label's life and its founder's would be abruptly cut short.
- 1990 : Immortal formed in Bergen, Norway.
- 1990 : Impaled Nazarene formed in Oulu, Finland.
- 1990 : Bathrory's Hemmerheart LP is released. A concept album detailing the Christian invasion of Scandinavia and the forced conversion to Christianity.
- 1990 : Satyricon formed in Oslo.
- 1991 : Mayhem's Dawn of the Black Hearts bootleg is released with a cover featuring a photo of Dead's body taken by Euronymous. A recording of a notorious 1990 Sarpsborg gig, organized by Slayer magazine's Metalion, after which Dead was hospitalized as a result of severely cutting himself on stage.
- 1991 : Marduk release Fuck Me Jesus demo.
- 1991 : Thorns release Grymrk demo.
- 1991 : Von release Satanic Blood LP.
- 1991 : Sadistik Exekution's LP The Magus is released. Metalion later acquires several copies from the band, donating them to the Helvete shop. Euronymous becomes a fan and is photographed wearing one of their t-shirts.
- 1991 : Beherit release The Oath of Black Blood LP.
- 1991 : Emperor formed in Notodden, Norway.
- 1991 : The Helvete record shop opens early summer in Oslo.
- 1991 : Burzum are formed in Bergen, Norway. Notable for being the one man band of the notorious Varg Vikernes. A Tolkien fan, Varg chooses the name "Burzum," meaning darkness in Tolkien's Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Varg's early alias of "Count Grishnachk" was taken from Tolkien as well --- a modification of the name of an Orc, the beasts who make up the Dark Army and Middle Earth. Both Tolkien themes and Norse mythology color the music of Burzum. Beginning as black metal of the raw/primitive variety. Burzum's music later became purely electronic due to Vikernes' incarceration, since Norwegian prisons forbid guitars.
- 1991 : Enslaved formed in Haugesund, Norway.
- 1991 : On April 12 of 1991, Mayhem vocalist Dead commits suicide in the house he shared with Mayhem guitarist Euronymous, who photographed the body upon discovering it.
- 1992 : Darkthrone release the A Blaze In The Northern Sky LP showing off their new, stunningly primitive, sound.
- 1992 : The burning of the Fantoft stave church in Bergen, Norway on June 6th, 1992.
- 1992 : Infernus forms Gorgoroth in Bergen, Norway. Their name comes from JRR Tolkien, who gave the name Gorgoroth to the plains in the evil lands of Mordor from which the volcanic Mount Doom sprang. The band see their music as a vehicle for spreading their vehement anti-Christian beliefs.
- 1992 : Ulver formed in Oslo, Norway.
- 1992 : Burzum's self-titled LP is released on the Deathlike Silence label.
- 1993 : Emperor release Hordane's Land Split LP (with Enslaved).
- 1993 : Though it had closed temporarily a few times previously, Helvete closes down for good in 1993 a few months before Euronymous is killed.
- 1993 : Mayhem's Live In Leipzig CD is released as the band's tribute to Dead. Recorded November of 1990, the live show featured such props as rotting meat thrown into the crowd, decapitated pig's heads impaled on spikes adorning the stage, and a dead raven in a plastic bag for the singer to inhale the smell of. In addition, Dead would intentionally cut himself, particularly on his wrists, as a part of the performance.
- 1993 : Abruptum's Obscuritatem Advoco Amplectere Me LP is released on Deathlike Silence.
- 1993 : August 10, Varg Vikernes drives from Bergen to Oslo and stabs Euronymous to death in the hallway of Euronymous's apartment building. Varg is accompanied on the long drive by Snorre Ruch of Thorns.
- 1993 : Gorgoroth's A Sorcery Written In Blood demo is released. This demo is also part of a split vinyl release with Burzum later that year.
- 1993 : Satyricon's Dark Medieval Times LP is released.
- 1993 : Tormentor vocalist Attila Csihar records as session vocalist for Mayhem's De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas LP which was not released until after Euronymou's murder.
- 1994 : Ulver's Berglatt LP is released on Metalion's Head Not Found label. It is a Norse mythology-centered concept album.
- 1994 : Emperor's In The Nightside Eclipse LP is released. Recorded in the Memorial Hall of the Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg and considered by some to be the definitive Norwegian Black Metal album.
- 1994 : Darkthrone release Transilvianian Hunger. The LP was a response to balck metal's increasing notoriety and oncoming commercialism. The LP includes lyrical contributions from Varg Vikernes.
- 1994 : Mayhem's De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas is released on Deathlike Silence Productions, dedicated to Euronymous. By then, the band had effectively ceased to exist, having been consumed by the chaos that ensued in the aftermath of Euronymous's murder and the arson investigations.
- 1994 : Varg Vikernes stands trial for 3 church arsons and the murder of Euronymous. He is convicted and sentenced to the 21 year maximum, of which was expected to serve 12.
- 1994 : Abruptum's In Umbra Malitiae Ambulabo, In Aeternum In Triumpho Tenebraum LP is released on Deathlike Silence. Along with Enslaved's 1994 LP, Voices of Wonder distributed this album under the Deathlike Silence imprint as previously planned at the time of Euronymous' death.
- 1994 : Slayer issue 10 is published. This 86 page issue remains the definitive account of the events of 1992 and 1993, as written by an eloquent scene insider with first person knowledge of all the people involved.
- 1995 : Mayhem is reformed by members Necrobutcher and Maniac.
- 1997 : On October 29, Anton Lavey dies.
- 1997 : Jon Notdveidt of Dissection is convicted for murder and incarcerated.
- 1999 : Chuck Schuldiner of Death is diagnosed with Pontine Glioma, a rare cancer of the brain stem. He dies December 13, 2001.
- 2003 : The Nuclear War Now label reissues Von's collected demos.
- 2003 : Varg Vikernes failed to return to prison during a short leave, and is arrested in a stolen car heading towards the border.
- 2004 : Jon Notdveidt reforms Dissection upon his release from prison.
- 2004 : Attila returns to vocal duties for the still-active Mahem, with Necrobutcher being the sole remaining original member.
- 2004 : Gorgoroth's infamous Black Mass in Krakote concert/DVD filming. The overtly Satanic stage presentation involved 120 decapitated sheep heads, fire, four nude male and female hooded models, drenched in blood, and hanging from crucifixes. Footage was confiscated by Polish authorities and remains unreleased.
- 2006 : Jon Notdveidt of Dissection commits suicide in August.
- 2006 : Varg Vikernes is denied parole.

I never really liked this metal sub genre. However, I've always been very interested in Mayhem's history. And those demos we've been adding lately are fun to research.