‘Kvlt-er than Thou’: Power, Suspicion and Nostalgia within Black Metal Fandom

Abstract

In spring 1991, the Norwegian black metal band Mayhem's guitarist Oystein 'Euronymous' Aarseth and singer Per 'Dead' Ohlin participated in an interview in the fanzine Slayer in which they positioned their band as spearheading a new direction in extreme metal. For many fans of black metal and extreme metal, these online venues form an extensive part of the globalized black metal scene, as actual concerts and gatherings may be few and far between for many fans. Black metal is often purposely esoteric, both in its musical style, lyrical themes and visual imagery. The music itself is marked by incredibly fast 'blast beat' drumming, distorted guitars, screamed vocals and faux symphonic keyboards. Black metal fundamentalists generally look to the early 1990s Norwegian scene as an essential ideal for black metal, an esoteric musical style and worldview that explicitly rejects modern culture and commerce.

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