«
»
Interviews

EXCLUSIVE METALSUCKS INTERVIEW: BURZUM’S VARG VIKERNES

 Wednesday, March 2nd, 2011 at 5:00pm by

Varg Vikernes - Burzum

When word spread that Burzum only-man Varg Vikernes was doing a limited number of interviews — via email only — to support his latest work Fallen (out on March 7th), we knew we couldn’t pass up the opportunity. “Grim” Kim Kelly took charge and put together a batch of thoughtful questions about Burzum’s legacy, the lyrical and musical themes of Fallen, the current black metal scene, Varg’s relationship with classical music and more. Vikernes’ answers are, well… you’ll have to read them to find out.

Hey there, thanks for taking the time to answer these questions. I’m sure you’ve been absolutely inundated with requests since word of the new album spread. Are you surprised at all that new Burzum material has received so much attention, first with the release of Belus and now with Fallen? It must be satisfying to see that your work has not been forgotten.

Hello to you. Yeah, it’s nice to see that interest in Burzum remains. I guess illegal downloading, bootleggers, burzum.org and a very slow worldwide distribution kept the name hot through the years. Oh, and a number of worthless book releases about black metal and talk about black metal films has too, of course.

burzum - fallenWhen did you begin composing the music for Fallen? Is every song new, or did you utilize older ideas or song fragments like you did with Belus?

Every song is new, if we can agree that material written between November 2009 and December 2010 qualifies as new material.

After waiting so long for Belus, it came as almost a shock to your fans to hear that Fallen was already on its way. How has post-prison life affected your creative process? One must imagine that it’s much easier to compose and create music nowadays.

Well, I made the first four albums (and Aske too) in about 18 months, so you shouldn’t be too surprised by this. In fact I see this as rather slow work, and I do it intentionally. I take my time, do a proper job, I think, and don’t work as if the end of the world comes tomorrow. Now, I do still think our world will go down the train [sic] soon, but I no longer work as if it matters…

On Fallen, the lyrics are dark, but the message is strong, at times even triumphant. There is a great emphasis on nature, death, and pagan imagery, concepts you’ve often interwoven throughout Burzum’s career. Are the songs here purely poetry, or do they have relevance to your own life as well? Lyrics like, “I am not cold anymore, I am warmed by the moonlight” sounds like a pagan awakening, and the entirety of “The Message” reads like a battle cry.

“The Message” is a battle cry, and I even censored myself a bit there in order not to be too politically incorrect (you know: there is no real freedom of speech anywhere), but the rest of the tracks deal with more personal subjects. I dare say it’s a more personal and self-focusing version of the Belus concept, really.

In the song of the same name, your personification of madness – as a pale, beautiful, lonesome but deadly maiden – was intriguing.  Was this purely a poetic image, or did you base the song/character on some existing concept or person/being?

The image is purely poetic, but at the same time strongly suggests that our mixed neanderthal-human origin is what makes us – id est the Europeans and to a lesser degree the Asians – innovative and creative. Innovation, creativity and lunacy goes hand in hand.

Varg Vikernes - Burzum

The cover image is striking. Why did you chose this particular part of ‘Élégie’ to grace the cover of Fallen? Have you been a fan of William Adolphe Bougereau for long?

A fan? I don’t know. I like his art, and he is a very skilled painter, but I only used Élégie because it fit the concept of the album perfectly.

You’ve sought to distance Burzum from the majority of black metal bands (and metal in general), and aesthetically at least, you seem to have achieved it with Fallen. At a glance, the album looks more like a CD of classical music or a soundtrack – definitely not the typical gory Satanic imagery upon which black metal feeds. Was this your intent?

Very much so. I am happy to hear the message got through… It never did with Filosofem you know, an album I made to be an anti-black metal album, the same way the début album had been an anti-death metal album. That message never got through…

You’ve said that you consider your songwriting and influences with Burzum to be more classical than anything. Do you think the compositions on Fallen would appeal to a fan of the classical genre, or to a composer?

Perhaps. Probably. If that be one with an open mind. Besides; I am a fan of the classical genre and I like it…

Stylistically speaking, Fallen marries the feral spirit of your earliest recordings with a new, modern, almost enlightened feeling. You’re not the same man who wrote the Aske EP now, and it’s fitting that your music has matured as well. How do you feel when you see people ignoring all logic and complaining because your newer material doesn’t sound exactly like what you did in the nineties?

Actually I don’t feel much when I hear of them. Or maybe I feel pity, but only for a brief moment – and I guess you know that pity is contempt? I don’t waste any more energy or time on them than I have to though. They exist. I know. Then I ignore them. As simple as that.

With that said, I think the metal community is extremely conservative. For example; about 1/4th of all Belus albums sold had the LP/vinyl format. Less than 1/10th was digital sales, and the rest was CDs.

What are your long-term plans for Burzum? Are you working on new music already, or engaging in other pursuits?

Well, I just make music and release an album when I have enough material to do so. Right now I am too busy promoting Fallen to make music… I am trying to get a book, Sorcery and Religion in Ancient Scandinavia, published, but I guess that has nothing to do with Burzum…

Thanks very much, the last words are yours.

Thank you for the interest. If you want an English translation of the Fallen lyrics you can visit the only official Burzum website; www.burzum.org.

-KK

Tags: , ,
  • Vakarm

    Interesting interview. Burzum is probably the only 2nd wave black metal band i listen to. Varg has always been faithful to his own musical style and i respect him for that.

  • canea

    “…worthless book releases about black metal and talk about black metal films”

    He should be happy these things have kept him relevant.

    He always seems like he’s trying so hard to come across as a deep thinker. Hmmm.

    • shitstain

      you are fuckin retarded

      • AdamShead

        1

    • matt111

      Youre talking about Varg Vikernes.
      Show some respect.
      He will kill you.

    • BeardShorts

      I agree….He’s spent his career trying to hard and worrying to much about his image and imagery, rather then working hard on creating interesting music. And to matt111…Yes he will kill you. This piece of shit spent time in jail for stabbing and killing and man. And somehow people still give him undeserved attention….

      • Clint

        Man! You guys must WANT to get stabbed!

      • Cheapi

        angry black man

    • Christof

      the films & books about the norwegian black metal scene have all been pretty badly done so far… he has a good point.

  • Mongorian

    Hate burzum and black metal in general, not to mention I think his views are offensive, but theres no denying hes an interesting character.

    Props to Kim for a good interview and avoiding all the obvious questions as well

    • Jewers

      +1 on all points

    • Adam

      This.

    • Igottawocket

      Agreed.

    • Andy

      100%.

  • Type-O-Negative

    I’m always impressed by interviews with Varg. I may not agree with his views on the world but at least he is honest and very well spoken.

    Though on a side note, I don’t see that buying albums on vinyl is really that conservative anymore. How is buying something that may be traditional but not a huge part of the music distribution model conservative? I may be wrong but getting things all on mp3 seems a lot more conservative to me. After all you aren’t spending 20 bucks on an album you could get cheaper on mp3. Just a thought.

    • Mongorian

      lololol brah has been in prison quite a while dude. I daresay if u asked him he might not even have heard of justin bieber!

      • Type-O-Negative

        “Who the fuck’s Justin Bieber?”

        • Link

          Who’s Justice Beaver?

          • gnarlk

            a crimefighting beaver…

      • Clint

        …..who listens to Metallica.

    • Dean

      If CDs, vinyls, and MP3s were equivalent products, I might be inclined to agree. But they are not.

      One thing the music industry (or rather Apple) conveniently forgets when pushing and saying everything will be sold by download eventually is that MP3 files are not, never have been, and never will be equivalent in quality to CDs. It is impossible for them to be so. MPEG-II Layer 3 compression is a lossy compression algorithm. That means that when you reconstruct the music out of the compressed data, the sound is not the same as it was before it was compressed. As it turns out, the frequencies we do not hear are just as important to the sound as the ones we do. They give a sense of “space” between instruments, a sense of body to the sound. Even at its highest bitrate, an MP3 will always sound extremely muddy, and like you are listening to a band where all the musicians are standing in exactly the same space (even if this is physically impossible).

      Do not just take my word for it. I have a receiver on my home theatre that can properly decode the lossless soundtracks on Blu-ray Discs. And to say the lossless version makes it a lot easier to separate music and sound effects from the dialogue is like saying that MP3 flat-out sucks. Find yourself a friend with a receiver like mine and listen to a couple of discs with lossless audio on them through it. It will surprise you.

      To call a scene conservative because it rejects MP3 is therefore inaccurate. Rejection of MP3 comes from wanting the best bang for one’s buck with the music one buys. It has nothing to do with fear of change or fear of progress. MP3 is, in fact, regression. It would be more accurate to call the MP3 embracers conservative. Now, if the rest of the music world were embracing DVD-Audio or SACD like they should have done, and we were all digging our heels in and buying our music exclusively on CD, then the word conservative would apply to us on that issue.

      It does not.

      • Mmmm

        You totally missed his point.

        Vinyl was the standard format before CD took over, nowadays vinyl is trendy in the metal scene.

        Varg meant, if I got him right, that the metal scence is ran by trends. If vinyl format is “cool” to buy right now, then I guess that’s pretty conservative to get a vinyl. He meant that it’s apparent – based on the format sales – that metal audience rather strongly tries to identify themselves as a part of “something” – be it trendy clothes, opinions or so called “original record format”.

        If the person is in just for the music experience, vinyl has it’s sides of course, but so does mp3 and the convenience it provides. Music is for YOUR enjoyment, not for show-off to friends (at least in an ideal world).

        Metal is now, and has been that for long, more about being identified to a certain group, rather than about the MUSIC. This is ridiculous, but there’s little else we can do besides ignore it. Just look at the new bands; there is NOTHING innovative in many many years with a very few exceptions, who don’t get any attenttion. Nowadays, metal is controlled by market forces and not by attitude or passion.

        Too bad.

  • http://laburroteca.com K-milo

    Really cool guys! I remember sending you something about that album cover… Well done!

  • Kye

    Great interview. Varg was the last person I expected to ever pop up on this site.

    • MadetheSame

      Agreed. Esp. since I think the guys that run this site are of jewish decent and aren’t too PC to just do a interview regarding the tunes and post it. I sent blabbermouth a bunch of shit on this back in the day and they just ignore it. Over opinionated sometimes. Like that overly bias review of Reinkaos. Judge it for the music before spewing shit about a individual.

    • treghet

      It’s not the first Varg interview here.

      • GloriousJohnson

        he does all his interviews by email and not over the phone so it doesn’t seem that odd. he’s just gonna type some shit into the computer. he did the same thing for the decibel cover too. pretty good interview none the less.

  • rzberry

    @Type-O-Negative: Maybe he was saying that because the majority of purchases were CD and vinyl (older formats), and only a small amount are digital, that metalheads are conservative in that they cling to the old ways rather than embracing the new?

    • Type-O-Negative

      That was my take on what he said. Just kind of a curious way to look at things, especially from someone who holds onto older ideals.

  • Dingas McCloud

    Good interview, definitely an interesting character. I thought the questions were careful and calculated, almost to a fault.

    • Grim Kim

      Thanks dude (and everyone else who dug it). My questions WERE very calculated, actually; I’ve interviewed him before to mixed results, and have used that experience to try to suss out the kind of questions/phrasing that will get him to open up (or at least give a multi-word answer).

      If you or anyone else has any interest in reading the interview I did with him last year, lemme know and I’ll post it on ye olde Ravishing Grimness. He got annoyed with me quite a bit and ignored a few questions, so I wanted to get him to play ball this time.

      • mtbree

        haha.like ya would a dog.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Ryan-Sean-Heron/9391234 Ryan Sean Heron

    varg seems like such a friendly jovial fellow

  • Stuff

    -Quick notes:

    -Did anyone else catch the subtle racism in the comment: “…and to a lesser degree the Asians.” (Obviously, he believes that Europeans are the most innovate and creative “race” and, his non-mention of Africans or natives of the Americas is equally telling of his opinions on those “races.”)
    -Also, his statement about checking his website for the English translation of the lyrics seems to imply that Kelly’s interpretations of the lyrics were wrong.

    • http://www.facebook.com/people/Ian-Murphy/1037267155 Ian Murphy

      Vargs past actions are pretty reprehensible, and I doubt I’d ever want to meet him for a beer. That said, he has been plagued (as has a lot of the Norwegian BM scene, like Darkthrone and Watain) with mistranslations and misinterpretations of this thoughts and lyrics. So I imagine he is directing people to his site so that they don’t read something at some fanzine that misrepresents what he’s saying.

    • Beastmaster

      Who realistically were the first civilization builders? Middle-Eastern peoples and then Europeans alongside Asians. African nations have never done anything important and neither have Natives of the Americas. It’s as simple as that.

      • CJ

        Good to see Varg is still enabling racist dipshits such as yourself to have a platform.

      • http://secondperiodindustries.blogspot.com Robert

        The Egyptians invented calculus. Last I checked, Egypt’s in Africa. The oldest archaeological evidence of metalworking was found in modern day Nigeria. The Bantu knew of ceramics, metalwork and agriculture as early as the 6th century AD. Tenochtitlan was a city inhabited by “Natives of the Americas” with a population of almost a quarter of a million. Of course, I guess to you none of this is anything important.

        • Jane Doe

          100

      • soy el niño más bonito

        you’re a fucking idiot. african “nations” didn’t exist until europe imposed that concept upon them. and anyway, remember the zulus? the ones that kicked colonial ass for a while? and all of the pre-colonial american civilizations, like the aztecs or the incas or the olmecs and toltecs and maya? while europe was living in its own shit for hundreds of years during the dark ages the maya were creating a fucking 2000-year calendar, charting the stars and living like kings. same with the aztecs. when the spanish came they were absolutely stupefied at the majesty and complexity of aztec civilization. then they burned it all and grabbed the gold.

      • Mahiuouhukj

        Are you fucking kidding me? Africans had civilizations long before anything resembling a civilization emerged in Europe.
        And have you ever heard of Egypt?

      • jdbunch

        I second everyone else’s replies, I just wanted to add that you’re a fucking idiot.

        • Matt

          mmmMMM. That’s good knowledge!

    • cougar party

      I think what Varg is referring to is the theory that Neanderthals bred with early humans in what is now considered to be Europe and Asia which would introduce new genes or attributes that were not introduced to people on other continents.

      But yes, he making a not-so-veiled insinuation that modern people of European descent are superior to others.

      • M.

        Which is utter pseudoscientific drivel. The idea that Neanderthals and early humans may have interbred is a genuine hypothesis that is hotly debated, but far from accepted generally. The available evidence indicates, though, that if such interbreeding did occur, all of humanity worldwide shares in that heritage.

        “Thoughtful”? In a way. But with his racism and historically illiterate harkening back to a golden pagan age that never existed, Vikernes consistently demonstrates that he’s a pea-brain.

        • Alex_P

          Agreed. I don’t get the sense that Varg has any knowledge of anthropology beyond his primitive 19th century ideals, and hearing the man speak is generally cringe-worthy. You’d think that in prison he’d have had more time to read.

          • Jane Doe

            I’m sure he did: all the Neo-Nazi organizations like to put out “literature.”

      • Howie

        There’s no truth to that. Genetically, people are just as likely to share traits with people from other races and nationalities as they are with people of their own race. Humans evolved in Africa and then dispersed into Europe, Asia, the Americas, etc. but people haven’t really been around long enough to have significant genetic differences.

        • ACoffinShip

          I was going to comment on the rest of this but holy shit apparently there’s a MetalSucks Anthropologist Brigade or something that came out against the knuckle dragging racists. So I’m not really needed.

          I just wanted to point out that there’s more genetic diversity in a few areas of Africa then there are across the ENTIRE non-African human population. I agree with you though in that we haven’t been around long enough for even that genetic variation to matter particularly.

          As to the overarching topic at hand, many hypotheses on civilization suggest that it occurs when it HAS to. It isn’t some sort of natural progression, civilization tends to crop up when physical mobility is inhibited and people are more or less forced to settle down. Hunter gatherers had a considerable amount of leisure time and led healthier lives than the early civilizations based in part around not having to shack up next to your herd.

          Meaning that even IF there were no great African or Native American civilizations (which isn’t necessarily true in the first place) it isn’t a sign that these people were mentally inferior in any way. It’s much more likely to indicate that their social structure was by and large meeting their needs. Why live in a smelly, infested city when you don’t have to?

    • http://~ B. Ewing

      If you read through the articles on burzum.org, i distinctly remember stumbling upon a sort of race breakdown about intelligence where varg directly compares the intelligence of different races to the performance of an old vs a new computer! i might be a little off but it was definately along those lines. That was the point at which i was like, “ok enough of this shit.”

      now im going to go read the lyrics to the message and see what thats all about

      • Fufkin

        It’s a shame old Varg won’t read this thread – he might learn something.

        • http://www.facebook.com/people/Clayton-Russell/553693986 Clayton Russell

          I bet he reads .. but I also bet he doesn’t care

          • matt

            Im also agree that Varg problably wouldnt care, especially because one of the people criticising him OVER THE INTERNET’s name is Fufkin.
            Nice.

          • WowWee!

            Im also agree

    • Paradox Kirby

      WHAT THE FUCK, ISNT THIS A METAL WEBSITE?!

      • M.

        What’s your point? That the only people commenting should be racist morons?

        • matt

          yes, indeed that is exactly what i want. racism ftw.
          br00000000000tal \m/ fingers

  • Gecko

    Am I the only person not impressed with this interview at all? It was like reading something on the last few pages of Metal Edge or Kerrang or whatever. New Burzum album now that Varg is out of prison, here’s what it’s about, the art is cool, the end. But maybe I’m just a dick for thinking he’d have something more interesting to say about the world and not just his new album (whether I agree with it or not, at least it’d be entertaining).

    • john doe

      yes this interview sucked. he is fucking boring…just a low life murderer who is trying to keep going the only thing he has to feed his ego.

      but thanks for giving such a kind hearted interview to a website run by jews, varggy!

      • Tides of Chaos

        “but thanks for giving such a kind hearted interview to a website run by jews, varggy!”

        Dayum, made me shoot tea out of my nose hahaha.

      • gnarlk

        yeah, varg’s an ass and his music is extremely overrated.

    • Grim Kim

      Sorry to hear I failed you, guys. Varg’s publicity team made it very clear that he would refuse to answer any questions that did not specifically deal with the new record, so I tried to do as much as I could within those narrow parameters.

      • CJ

        He has a publicity team to filter out questions that might hurt his poor widdle feelings? What a total shitlord in every way.

        • Cheapi

          Aww, did his political and ideological views hurt your poor widdle feelings? Are you bitter and angry over it? Awwww. :’(

      • john doe

        no no you didnt let us down. guess i shouldnt have said the interview sucked, it was varg. “i write 4 albums in 18 months. see, i take my time, i do a proper job”…..oh really. delusional.

        sorry kim!

  • http://giantofthemountain.bandcamp.com Lordassenfroth

    great interview. i cant wait to hear the album.

  • noobpotato

    Awesome interview guys. Thank you for not retracing the same old bullshit of vargs life in the 90′s and concentrating mainly on his artistic direction in 2011.

    • McGerkey

      This. Like the focus on the music.

      Fallen is a great album.

  • Balls

    Fuck this racist piece of shit.

    • Baron

      1

    • Ryan

      you know i’ve been trying to justify listening to this guy but that right there says it all.

      would have accepted “racist murderer piece of shit” too

    • jacksonattack

      So much this.

    • http://www.facebook.com/people/Sam-Nordmark/1228420587 Sam Nordmark

      Christ, just listen to the fucking music. I stopped caring about lyrics/ideologies in music since I actually realized that I don’t have to take an asshole of a vocalist’s word for law, let them think what they think and enjoy the music.

      • Conrad

        Normally, I’d agree with you, but Varg is too active politically to support his music monetarily.

    • Steve O

      Hvis is the epitome of black metal that was never and never will be matched, and you disregard it solely on the basis of the beliefs of the musician behind it. Are you stupid?

      Also, if you don’t want to support an artist monetarily then just download the fucking album. Jesus christ…

      • Clint

        You fuck pieces of shit?!? Even racist ones?!?

  • Ryan

    Nothing about the new clothing line?

    • soy el niño más bonito

      this.

      • Strahalov

        1

    • Fredrik

      1

  • Ryan

    haha how long do you think grim kim researched that cover image?

  • Sergeant D

    Lol @ this dipshit. Wow you killed somebody, I have half a dozen friends and family members who did too. Oh and you are in a terrible band? How original.

    Move along kids, nothing to see here.

    • Aether Jake

      YOU JUST DON’T UNDERSTAND THE GENIUS THAT IS BURZUM!!!

    • Isaac

      Personally, I don’t care whether or not he killed somebody; I just like the music. I don’t masturbate over the guy, but he’s alright. I do hate the fanboys who do, though.

    • gnarlk

      +10000 sarge. never could understand the bullshit hero worship…

    • Clint

      “Half a dozen”? How about “0″?

  • Chainsaw Majini

    He looks like Dennis Hopper in the first photo.

  • Isaac

    “’The Message’ is a battle cry, and I even censored myself a bit there in order not to be too politically incorrect (you know: there is no real freedom of speech anywhere)…”
    Bull. Fucking. Shit. Stand up for your ideologies, you goddamn hypocrite. I’m fine with him spouting all the gay-bashing and racism he wants as long as he backs it up. What a pussy.

  • ACoffinShip

    “I even censored myself a bit there in order not to be too politically incorrect (you know: there is no real freedom of speech anywhere)”

    If you think that freedom of speech means you’re entitled to people buying your racist screed then you’re a goddamned idiot. Sorry your true values can’t compete in the marketplace of ideas.

    • nick

      I think he’s referring to the very real fact that in many countries his cd’s could be banned if he tries to incite people to violence.

      • ACoffinShip

        His wording is ambiguous, so I will admit that it is possible. I can only hazard a guess based on how I’ve heard this language used in America, which has seen entertainers fired by their companies or having lost some of their advertisers decry the infringement on their free speech when in fact “free speech” is an issue of government intervention.

        I am not a lawyer, but from what I could dig up googling I found a couple exceptions to hate speech laws based on works of artistic expression. I believe as an artist he’d be safe and is more likely than not just stirring the pot.

        Alternatively, (with tongue planted firmly in cheek here) compromising your artistic expression because it might break “the law” in some country IST NOT KVLT!

  • nordvek

    burzum sucks and this guy is a fool. i still dont get how you can stab someone 20 something times and get out of prison

    • Moltanic

      Easy, the Norwegian legal system is shit. Fun Fact: Varg actually stabbed Euronymous 28 times.

      • nick

        So a system where a killer can be released and become a productive member of society is shit but one where non-violent drug offenders can come out so fucked up they go on to terrorize their communities is better?

        What is the recidivism rate in Norway compared to U.S.?

        • http://www.facebook.com/people/David-Mollica/9373117 David Mollica

          This is a valid point.

          • alex

            except for the fact that being in Burzum doesn’t count as a productive member of society

          • nick

            Alex; It doesn’t bother me if you dislike the guy or his music but the fact is he supports his family and pays his taxes. That’s all I mean by being productive.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Ben-Alexander/1092891172 Ben Alexander

    It’s a good thing Kim posts here occasionally, it always gives me something interesting to read.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Emmanuel-Quinones/100000463639580 Emmanuel Quinones

    i was hoping this was a Sgt D troll article :(

  • VoodooChaos

    but he hates Jews !

    • Aaron

      He hates a l ot of people! Also He’s published in a neo-nazi paper. Also, he’s a jerk who killed on eof his firends!

    • Isaac

      …and? There are far worse people who do.
      And it’s not like he limits it to that one religion, anyway.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Charles-Conover/1008254459 Charles Conover

    I cant figure out why this guy is still relevant. There are many better options when it comes to black-metal bands… also reusing riffs from Belus is a bit lazy, in my opinion.

  • sinsinsinsinsinsinsinsinsin52
  • kmfcm

    I thought maybe if you limited it to questions about music, he might not talk crazy… . ..oh well

  • Utmu

    I love it when metalheads get into an intellectual discussion on this site. I too was going to bring up Tenochtitlan and the Native South and Central Americans, but it seems everyones already covered it.

  • justAZombie

    “you know: there is no real freedom of speech anywhere”

    Are you kidding me, Varg? What, are you 14? No one is going to arrest you for saying what you want to say. If you’re referring to the fact that the majority of people hate on you for what you say, that isn’t because there’s no freedom of speech. It’s because your ideas are simultaneously dumb and abhorrent.

    • LaughingMan

      What are YOU, totally dumb? Of course there ISN’T something like freedom of speech, which country are you from btw? At least in Germany and other european countries you will go to prison for MUCH longer than a rapist/child abuser/murderer for just stating “political incorrect”, i.e. not valued by political leadership, opinion in public or even on the internet. You think THIS is freedom of speech? Go ahead, I’ll keep laughing…

  • saqdancer

    i had this album monthes ago thanx to mediafire

    it is grim

  • Noobie McNoob

    Varg= Most boring person in metal.

    All of you who buy into the idea that this guy is smart or thoughtful really need to pick up a book. So much s*** comes out of his mouth, he could start bagging it and selling it to farmers.

  • redcloudrising

    this guy is a fucking moron. get off his dick and let him wallow in his own self pity.

  • redcloudrising

    and his music is “meh”.

  • hitler

    fuck this wigger

    • Beenyad

      I lol’d

  • http://www.burzum.com/ Burzum Analysis

    Bring back Nazi occultist Varg. Hippie Varg is boring as paint.

    • Grim Kim

      1

  • Blake

    “and I even censored myself a bit there in order not to be too politically incorrect (you know: there is no real freedom of speech anywhere)”
    Censor yourself?! WHY? There IS freedom of speech. He just doesn’t WANT to “offend” anyone so he can sell more music. That is all. And it’s ironic that the ones who get all uptight about his “views” STILL end up supporting him.

  • Jason H.

    That was a really interesting interview, I thought Kim did a very good job with the questions. I’ll admit Varg is certainly talented musically, but I cannot bring myself to support his music due to my abhorrence of his views on….well, everything.

  • Brrrrrrt

    this guy = piece of shit!

  • -_-

    Yeah I’ve got to agree with most people by saying this dude is a complete fucking lunatic.
    People like this deserve no publicity for the abominations they call ‘music’. Varg is a psychotic murderer and self-claimed neo-Nazi. Fuck him and fuck this site for publishing this shit.

    • Hummus Hamas

      To his credit, he’s abandoned the movement. But, he’s still a bigoted fuck.

      • Shafuy

        Nice post from someone calling himself HAMAS.

      • panzer

        No, he did not. Read his last interviews for some Russian Neo-Nazi websites(you can find them on the official website) and you will see. Hail Varg!

  • Dirtman73

    Dear Varg,

    It is my greatest wish that one day you are viciously gang-raped by a group of militant black separatists.

    P.S: Borezum sucks and you are a supremely boorish dipshit.

    Sincerely,
    Dirtman73

    • Little Earth

      You are racist et i want to fuck you.

  • Doomed do Better

    So I guess we’re not going to mention the whole face stabbing thing anymore aight. Let’s just focus on Vince’s drinking and driving and not the face stabbing. Face stabbing is definitely off the agenda, stabbed right off.

    • CJ

      10

  • dread

    I tried to text someone about this and my word selection came up
    “Barf Bitterness on metaphysics” when I tried to enter Varg Vikernes on metalsucks.
    I sent that.

    • Andy

      I lol’d

  • Magnifishit

    LETS CRUCIFY HIM!

  • satanstornade

    I love his camo outfit. Anyone knows what brand/model it is?

  • Kill all the White People

    Fascinating how a scene that is generally opposed to hip-hop, religion and censorship can get so offended by racism. You can’t have it both ways, y’all. Either give in to hatred fully and completely, or start listening to top 40 shit instead.

    • nick

      It’s weird dealing with racists. I mean, I grew up in the rural mid-west. I’m no stranger to casual racism but most of the people I grew up around weren’t out and out white supremacists, they just had misinformed ideas about other people they’ve never had any contact with and were otherwise decent hard-working guys. Some of the shit they’d say from time to time was repulsive and ignorant but to put it bluntly, even racists need friends.

      I’ve chastised friends for making racist jokes but ultimately there are other redeeming qualities to most people that would outshine their vague and confused ideas about “race”. So basically, while I do my best not to judge people based on their skin color (which is, I think, a continual struggle and challenge for many people) I can forgive some amount of bigotry. Their is however a line to my tolerance. I don’t think I could relate well to an admitted skinhead, nazi, or klansmen.
      That doesn’t mean that I couldn’t enjoy a piece of work they’ve produced. That’s just me though.

    • Lupus McKay

      Exactly, Kill all the White People. This whole Varg bashing reeks of hypocrisy and left-winged political correctness (the new fascism, by the way…). I bet a lot of people throwing their arms to the sky here enjoy Rage Against the Machine, System of a Down and Cannibal Corpse. In their eyes, it’s OK to support terrorism (which kill LOTS of innocent people), fetus killing and virgin disembowelment, but to kill a so-called-friend in self defense and speak your mind is wrong.

      • DoomyTunes

        I’ll bite.

        You can’t be liberal and Fascist. Fascist regimes are the tip of the right wing and generally take away freedoms – What freedoms are taken away by President Obama? What rights are being infringed upon? Scrolling through the Bill of Rights, I don’t feel like any of my rights/freedoms have been restricted since he took office. Hell, during President Obama’s span of office, corporate entities have been given extended civil rights (which I don’t agree with).

        Rage Against the Machine doesn’t sponsor or condone terrorism, (as a presumed male) decisions concerning a woman’s rights to her should not be up to you, and Cannibal Corpse is no worse than any independent horror movie. It’s entertainment. In addition, none of these bands condone any kind of bigoted view.

        Varg Vierknes hates other people for the stupidest reason imaginable, that they have more melanin in their skin than he does. He supports violence against people for no other reason other than they are different and he believes them to be inferior. He dismisses facts, history, and the laws of his country because it interferes with his small minded view of how the world is “suppose” to be.

        The ugliest crime in this world is unadulterated, self-imposed ignorance and the brain behind Burzum is guilty a million times over.

        • Little Earth

          Varg Vikernes hates who he wants. People need your opinion to know whom they have to hate? Because people must to love everybody and to advocate pacifism to be respectable in your opinion? But you, who are you ? A priest ? When I see you mentality bisounours “peace and love), no, I don’t think i live in the same world.
          For my part, I consider that pacifism, the ideology of peace and of love are ” anti ” metal and don’t reflect reality. Violence is part of human nature.
          Me, I don’t listen metal because I love my neighbour and people, but to release tension in me and to express my aggressivity.
          Varg Vikernes is in his country. And as all Norwegians, it’s normal and natural that they are able to decide WHO can live with them, in their country. If they don’t like African, it’s their right. If they don’t want Norway become African or Muslim in 50 years, it’s also their right.
          Who are you to decide for Norwegians, what is good or not?

          • http://ametaleducation.blogspot.com/ Throne777

            Question begging on the issue of race/nationality.

            Just because someone’s black they can’t be Norwegian? On what criteria are you judging nationality? Genes? Taking that to its logical extreme, everyone would be African.

            Also, what right do people have to decide where other people can live? How far can that boundary extend? I don’t want to share the planet with far right ideologists, does that mean I can send them to the moon or something?

        • marc

          It’s not about hating other people, if you don’t want certain types of people around doesn’t mean you hate them… they are different, they have different skin color, different genes, different cultural and “spiritual” backgrounds, and you rather stay among your own people, sorround yourself with your own kind, it’s about yourself, not the others… the problem with liberalism and the liberal world is that they want to force a mixed society, a society where individuals share no common values, where everyone is alienated… when all races die all cultures will be dead too, only a single mass culture will be possible for a mass of indistinguishable individuals…

    • Lupus McKay

      But don’t you think, DoomyTunes, that politically-correct, left wing thinking people are taking it too far? You talk about freedom, yeah: “you are free as long as you think like me. If you even dare turn your head to the right, or your thoughts seem ignorant to me, you’re a fascist, a moron and deserve to die.”
      See? Double-standard thinking at best.
      And as for RATM, they claim they hate the US system and goverment. So why don’t they just pack their shit and leave as Carnivore says? Oooh, no, they keep milking the cash cow and deceiving their fans. “I hate the system, but love the dollars”.
      Hypocrisy at its lowest.

      • DoomyTunes

        You really didn’t read what I wrote, did you?

  • Rory

    Anyone know the name of the photographer that took these pictures?

  • Dean

    Kim, you deserve credit for getting answers out of Varg at all. I have written for sites where our primary source was the home video industry, and the lengths they will go to in order to make you only ask questions about the release being publicised and the disc it is on are legend. So do not worry about the asshats in these comments who know nothing about the way creative industry relates to the journalists.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Britt-Granitt/582086079 Britt Granitt

    Say what you will about the man, but there is no denying that he is one of the most interesting characters in music. I very much enjoyed this article.

    • http://ametaleducation.blogspot.com/ Throne777

      In what way is he interesting?
      As has already been said, he’s a total moron, he’s so far up himself he could make a cavity search look as invasive as a handshake & his music is utterly mediocre at the best of times.
      So he killed someone. That doesn’t mean he’s suddenly as psychologically fascinating as The Joker.
      He has nothing interesting to say, he hasn’t done anything for interesting reasons & he makes thoroughly uninteresting music.

      As an aside, in what way does he make anti-black metal music? Making an album like ‘Yoshima Battles The Pink Robots’ is anti-black metal, making an album that sounds exactly like a black metal album is not.
      Nor is having black and white pics of you looking gloomy holding a weapon in a forest ‘anti-black metal’. If any type of pic is typically black metal, it’d be that.

      I have no issue with magazines interviewing him, or with people listening to the music, I just wish people would stop acting like he’s mysterious or deeply profound, or a dark genius, etc. He’s just a fuckwit with too much hype.

  • radam

    I’ll admit that Fallen is great, a natural evolution from Belus…Of course when dealing with Burzum the elephant in the room is Varg.

    Yes, Varg is borderline sociopathic…he’s also a racist among other unsavory qualities. I absolutely abhor his political views, and the lyrics to Budstikken made me a smidge uncomfortable while reading them. While I cannot agree or support his views, it is not my place to judge him.

    I find J. Dahmer fascinating, and I could read about him and watch interviews with for hours, but does that mean I agree with cannibalism and murder? Of course not. If it engages you, it stimulates the brain and shows you the world in all of it’s brutal and unvarnished manners..Only a dolt refuses to experience other cultures and art, be they ugly or noble, just because they do no agree with their views…Makes you no better than Puritans who censored and destroyed what they did not agree with…

    It’s very easy to be a HUGE Burzum fan, but abhor racism, bigotry and homophobia.

  • Little Earth

    Throne777 :
    1) The Norwegians are the children of their ancestors, who are themselves white. It is therefore logical that the children of the Vikings are not black and Norwegians to be like their white ancestors. I could say the same things with African peoples. I would find it unfair to have a majority of whites in a country where the ancestors of this country are black. Europe for the Europeans, Africa for Africans.
    2) The nationality of an individual is defined primarily in relation to parental inheritance. Citizenship is first and foremost a matter of genetic heritage, cultural and territorial. Society recognizes that a child is the son or daughter of his parents through their genes.
    3) Deny the differences between men is to deny their diversity and richness. Push your logic to the extreme, one may well say that we all descended from monkeys. Now you see that there are differences.
    4) Globalization and the absence of borders is precisely what capitalists sell, who are in a logic of human exploitation, and not in a logic of identity, linked to an inheritance.
    5) When you suggest that children of a people can come from elsewhere, you give legitimacy to the colonization and population replacement.

    • radam82

      I’m far too apathetic for such genetic musings…The Human race will enter extinction eventually, and all of the culture and history your care so much about will be wiped from existence. So, it begs the question, who cares about race or anything that happens on Earth? It’ll all be worthless in due time, so get fucked up and have fun.

      • Little Earth

        The legacy is very important in the identity of a people. That’s what makes that humanity is so varied and so rich. Defending diversity of humanity returns to defend the fact that Norwegians are white, and Africans black. Uniformity is the enemy of diversity. And to advocate diversity, we must ensure that men maintains their difference, their specificity, so that they can have a physical and a heritage particular.

        • radam82

          Yeah, I get that…But what I am saying is all the culture, diversity and differences your purport to want to “save” will become extinct and non-existent one day and nothing you can do will stop that simple fact…So, why care about something that will eventually be blown /frozen into oblivion?