Interview
from Greek Metal Hammer (Autumn 1997)
BURZUM
INTERVIEW
(METAL HAMMER, HELLAS, AUTUMN 1997)
Your new album is already out. Would you like to tell us a bit about it and
inform us about the connections between the concept story you picked up and the
musical outfit you chose to dress it with?
"The
album is part of a BURZUM-planned trilogy. It was recorded in 1995 in Bergen
prison, on a synthesizer with disk-station. The concept is the death of Baldrr,
or better, my interpretation of the myth. Every song of the album is a musical
interpretation of each part of the myth.
The
connection between the concept story and the "musical outfit" - as
you put it - is, in one word: "origin". The Balder myth is Germanic,
or European if you like, so I chose to dress it with a Germano-European musical
outfit."
Talking
about the artwork of your records, what led you to select Theodor Kittelsen's
works for your previous albums? I mean which certain aspects of Burzum's music
and lyrics can be represented best by works such as the "Tirilil
Tove" (see 'Filosofem' cover)?
"I
used art from Kittelsen's BLACK DEATH collection on the "Hvis lyset tar
oss" album, as that album is about the SPIRITUAL BLACK DEATH, commonly
known as Judeo-Christianity (note that the "Black Death" is the name
the Norwegians gave to the plague which swept away almost half the Norse
population back in the 1350s).
The
"Filosofem" album is in many ways a continuation of the "Hvis
lyset tar oss" album, with some Norwegian folk tales added. These
narrow-minded and Christianized folk tales from the late middle-ages up 'till
the 18th Century are re-interpreted and put in connection with the concept of
the album. Theodor Kittelsen's art was created to visualize these folk tales,
so they suited perfectly."
Your plans
were to release synth-based music under the "HLIDSKJALF" moniker.
"Daudi Baldrs" is synth music all right, but it's still BURZUM. Does
this mean that the course of HLIDSKJALF shall be totally different?
"Hlidskjalf
is the second album in the above mentioned Burzum trilogy."
Now to
your new album and back to 'artwork selection'. What does the front cover
symbolise, who did the paintings accompanying the libretto and what's the
'story' of them?
"I
will take it systematically. Picture 1 (Daudi Baldrs) shows the Death of
Baldrr, i.e. the meaning of life. In other words it shows how and when my
people were Christianized.
Picture 2
(Hermodr a Helferd) shows women of our race who search for the meaning of life
(Baldrr) in their unconsciousness (Helheimen i.e. "Hel's home"). The
title translates as "Hermodr on a journey to Hel" (Helheimen).
Picture 3
(Balferd Baldrs) shows the meaning of our life being buried, as the best of our
people are killed in their refusal to accept the Jewish Christianity as their
religion. Trust (Litr) and nearness (Nanna) are burned with Baldrr on the fire.
The title translates as "Balder's Burning (burial)".
Picture 4
(I Heim Heljar) shows what the above mentioned women found in their
unconscious.
Picture 5
(Illa Tidandi) shows the above mentioned women being burnt alive, since they
found the meaning of life and thus represent a big threat to the
Judeo-Christian tyrants who rule OUR Europa. This generally refers to the
inquisition, who burned the best of Europa's men and women as
"Satanists" or "witches" and the like. The title translates
as "Bad News".
Picture 6
(Moti Ragnarokum) shows our future, i.e. the light (Baldrr); the Sun (Baldrr)
descending or ascending in the horizon. It is up to us to decide, if Balder
shall descend or ascend. The title translates as "Towards Ragnarok".
A woman T.S. (ED: Tanya Stene known to you from various ULVER and DARKTHRONE
illustrations) did the paintings. "
Do you
still enjoy metal music, and guitar-based music in general nowadays or not? If
you are given the opportunity to record another metal album (guitars, bass,
drums, etc.) what will your choice be?
"If I
could listen to music, I would listen to old marches, folk music, classical and
some electronic music only. I will most likely never record any
"metal" records."
Being in
prison is for sure a negative thing. But to my eyes you seem to have developed
very much in spirit as well as in body these last three years. Am I wrong? Do
you think your evolution would be the same if you were still free?
"You
are both right and wrong. Bodily I was on a peak in my teens when I trained
athletics and martial arts actively for five years. However, I moved from home
when I was eighteen, got my own "apartment" and could not train
anymore because of "pretty" bad economy. I quickly degenerated
physically, and at some point I was so thin that old women approached me several
times, handing me around 10 kroners and told me to "get yourself something
good to eat" when I met them on the street, ha ha! I could just move
back home, but "of course" my pride prevented me from doing that. It
was at this stage, by the way, that Harald (Demonaz) of IMMORTAL and myself
started to experiment with war/corpse paint. The resemblance to the
"undeads" was already there....
This
situation improved with the years and the last month I was "free" the
economic problems were gone more or less. I don't know how things would have
developed from there.
When it
comes to spirit and mind, I think the worse the situation you're in, the better
it is for the spiritual evolution. Artists are at their most creative when they
suffer the most. Torment is the origin of artistic creativity. Humans have the
ability, but we never really think unless we're forced to (in one way or the
other). It is an unpleasant fact for some, but still a fact. On the other hand,
if you first start to think and if you have the courage to continue thinking, I
believe you shall never stop thinking "actively". I have been
privileged in this way by being given plenty of time to think as well. I doubt
the development at this point would have been anything close to this, if I had
still been "free". In a way, prison is like a monastery: primitive
conditions with a lot of time for contemplation. "
When you
get out of prison will you continue to defend your morals as an activist or
will you concentrate more on the theoretical side of things such as releasing
books and the like?
"I
will continue to educate, agitate and propagate. With what means depends on how
the traitor-government of Norway chooses to treat me in the near and distant
future.. "Ut Sementem feceris ita metes" (something like "you
harvest what you sow") as Cicero puts it."
In early
BURZUM days you too used war/corpse paint. I don't suppose your answer here
shall be the typical black metaller's answer "That's how I felt".
Let's chat a bit about the Asgardsrei. Apart from imagery was there any musical
connection between the Oskorei and BURZUM?
"The
musical connection must be the Rage and the Melancholy. Rage because the
Asgardsrei/Oskorei is Wotan's army of "living dead", or undead.
Besides being God of eloquence, magic and wisdom, Wotan is also the God of war
and death - the more melancholic aspects of life.
The
Asgardsrei/Oskorei is a name for all the warriors who have given their lives to
Wotan ritually, but also the spirits of those who died in combat for Wotan over
the years (ED: commonly known as Einherjer). The warriors were called undead,
because of the initiation ritual where the warrior is hanged in a tree, and
then brought back to life. Thus the warrior learns the runes (translated as
"secrets") of "the other side". He is dead, but still
alive. Thus the title "undead" or "living dead".
The
warriors of Odinn, the Asgardrei/Oskorei, consist of Kings and Earls (Counts),
warriors and other noble men, but also of thieves and murderers, criminals and
bandits. Odinn is namely the God of all these noblemen and rogues as he knows
they're all the same kind of men...
I'll use
Hitler and Stalin to exemplify my assertion: First Hitler was a decorated hero
of World War One. Then he was a criminal after the failed coup in Munich. Then
he was Fuhrer of Germany and finally confounded and damned as a "war
criminal". Stalin was a bank robber in Georgia, then he became dictator of
the C.C.C.P (SSSR) and today he is, more or less, confounded and damned as a
mass-murderer and criminal. The point is that Kings and murderers, criminals
and upholders of the law, tend to change positions with each other more than
anyone else. Rulers and criminals have much in common... they are all
"psychopaths" and thus welcome in Odinn's berserkr army, who wage war
for the sake of war.
The
warriors of the Oskorei were either berserkr (clad in bear-hides), ulfheidins
(clad in wolf-hides) or just dressed in old rags. They painted themselves with
war-paint to look even more scary, painted their shields all black or with
Totenkopfs (skulls) and they sometimes attacked their enemies during night -
storming out of the darkness, looking like corpses, half-dead and half-beast. This
is the actual origin of the werewolf myths here in Norway. The Oskorei is also
a mystery-cult, with occult rituals under the full-moon. Since also a war-cult,
these rituals often ended with a frenzy. This often can, or better could,
result in "innocent villagers" being ... affected, and thus create
the werewolf myths. As you might know my birthname is Kristian (ironically) and
I changed my name (officially) to Varg some five years ago. I did this for
obvious reasons, but also because Varg is a Wotanic name. The name Varg means
"hanged criminal, killer wolf" and the like. Werewolf in Norwegian is "Varulv" (old
"Vargulf") put together by the two words "Varg" and
"ulv/ulf"(wolf). Werewolf/Varulv thus translates as "Killer
wolf", simply meaning "a wolf that has killed". So they
called these warriors Werewolves.
They could of course just call them
Werebears, but as one had to kill the animal (while naked) in order to be
allowed to wear it's hide it is quite obvious why the warriors clad in
wolf-hides were far more numerous than the ones clad in bear hides. Also it is
obvious that the warriors clad in bear-hides have a far better reputation
(berserkr) than the Werewolves.. Okay, killing a wolf can be tough, but killing
a bear, all by yourself isn't exactly ... easy. Especially considering the fact
they had to be naked and unaided while doing it.
I guess all this explains the use of
war/corpse paint of mine sufficiently."
A band in which you have participated in the
past, MAYHEM, is reunited and on the same label as you are. How do you look
upon this reunion even though their founder is dead?
"Well, 'Euronymous' formed the band
together with "Necrobutcher", so only one of their founders is
dead. Also, until 'Hellhammer' and 'Dead' joined the band in 1989, MAYHEM was a
shitty, "fun", Hobby-band. If you read the lyrics on their
'Deathcrush' album you'll know what I mean. Today MAYHEM is different, but I
must say it doesn't interest me all that much. I wish them good luck and a
successful future though. They are finally rid of 'Euronymous'
(Hellhammer's own words) so maybe their future will be more bright than
their past?".
BURZUM's music is mostly appreciated by
metallers. What other 'groups' of people would you like your music to appeal
to?
"Whites all over the world".
You are involved in the Norsk Hedensk Front.
Tell us a bit about it. What happens when a non-norseman (but still European
and a white man) is interested in your interpretations of Teutonic Religion and
tradition and your "message" in general?
"The N.H.F. is dedicated to throw the
Zionist Occupation Government (Z.O.G.) out of Norway, just like the S.H.F.
(Svensk Hedensk Front - Swedish Heathen Front) is dedicated to throw the Z.O.G.
out of Sweden. However, since Z.O.G. is a problem for all of Europa, and the
rest of the white world for that sake, we have decided to cooperate more
closely with ALL serious whites, paying little - if any - attention to
nationality and ethnic background. Our RACE is our NATION, and although
different peoples, all whites belong to the same RACE. If the elite of all the
Pagans of Europa stand together we might even have a chance to win this war. A
handful of guys from Norway can do little, a handful from Hellas can do little,
but if a handful from ten or twenty European countries join forces it will be a
punch in the face of the Jewish "god". With the hammer of Thorr we
can break it's skull. Smash it into bits. So if any non-norsemen out there are
willing to sacrifice everything for our white race, willing to fight, kill and
be killed in the fight for our and our children's future and willing to go to
war for Odinn - the father of our race - then I wish them welcome."
Okay, we've reached the end. Close it as you
like best.
"Thanks for the interview. Hail you!
Hail Hellas! Hail Zeus!"
Interview
by Tolis Yiovanitis. Appeared in Greek Metal Hammer magazine, Autumn 1997.
Typed up by Rainer. Thanks go to Misanthropy for sending me an English copy..