The Saga Of True Norwegian Black Metal

I met Metalion during a drunken night at Oslo’s Inferno Festival in 2003. I was impressed by his kind nature and unparalleled knowledge of extreme metal, so we stayed in touch over the next few years, occasionally geeking out over cameras and records. My friend Johan Kugelberg, the essential editorial force behind my new book of photos documenting the black-metal scene (

, published by Vice Books), was also in touch with Metalion and suggested bringing him in to help put together the book.

In 1985, Metalion started Slayer, which would become Norway’s most influential and essential metal fanzine. Metalion is kind of like the Virgil of black metal. He was there for all the notorious events, and his first-person understanding is reflected in his brilliant fanzine. There is no better authority on this often misunderstood and misreported genre.

What follows is Metalion’s primer on the unholy history of Norwegian black metal. —PETER BESTE

Kerrang!

VENOM

HELLHAMMER

Black Metal

Welcome to Hell

Death Fiend, Triumph of Death,

Satanic Rites

Satanic Rites

Demon Entrails

BATHORY

CELTIC FROST

Scandinavian Metal Attack

The Return

Morbid Tales

To Mega Therion

Monotheist

MAYHEM

MORBID

Pure Fucking Armageddon

De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas

December Moon

BURZUM

DARKTHRONE

Soulside Journey

A Blaze in the Northern Sky

EMPEROR

GORGOROTH

Wrath of the Tyrant

Pentagram

Antichrist

Under the Sign of Hell

Sorcery Written in Blood

BLACK METAL MEDIA

SLAYER MAGAZINE

Slayer

Slayer

Harmony Dies

Orcustus

DEMO TAPES

Ovations to Death

Damnation’s Pride

Megalomania

The Puzzle

NON-NORWEGIAN METAL BRETHREN

SARCOFAGO

SODOM

I.N.R.I.

Bloody Vengeance

In the Sign of Evil

Obsessed by Cruelty

Obsessed by Cruelty

MERCYFUL FATE

SLAYER

Melissa

Don’t Break the Oath

Reign in Blood

Hell Awaits

Haunting the Chapel

Seven Churches

A brand new issue of

magazine is in the works now.