I'm a huge metalhead, and though I enjoy all kinds of metal-traditional, death, doom, industrial, progressive, stoner, thrash, even a few glam and nu metal bands here and there, I've always struggled with black metal. The music often eschews melody for dissonance, structured around repeated chords that, depending on the speed, create an atmosphere of plodding doom or frenetic chaos. Production tends toward lo-fi, either intentionally or as the product of financial limitations. And then there's the earnestness in the lyrics and imagery, taken so seriously by musicians and fans alike, with an elitist mentality that at times veers into the murky waters of nationalism, fascism, white supremacy, and eugenics. Still, I've always been fascinated by the history of black metal.
While Lords of Chaos the film, unlike the book it is ostensibly based on, is not about the birth of black metal as a musical subgenre and aesthetic/philosophical movement (if you really want to call it that), it does provide a close look at the personalities behind that pained emergence. I can see this making the stories of the figures in Norway's "Black Circle" more accessible to a non-metal audience unfamiliar with black metal or the crimes committed by its founders. And while metalheads, especially black metal elitists--purveyors of the trve and kvelt--have complained that the film is inaccurate, doesn't focus enough on the music, or sensationalizes the events depicted, these criticisms do not hold. As for accuracy, this film is a dramatization, not a documentary, though as far as I know, in general it doesn't depict anything that contradicts what is known from news reports and interviews. Some of the details may be invented or exaggerated for effect, but that's to be expected. And as far as the conflict between Euronymous and Varg goes-the central crux of the film-there have been contradictory statements made by Varg and others involved in the early Norwegian black metal scene, so that it's impossible to know what "really" happened between them.
As for not focusing enough on the music, I will admit this was a bit of a disappointment for me, as the aesthetics of black metal are very important to understanding the actions of those early black metallers. There's enough to give those unfamiliar with black metal a taste of its sound-with inclusion of Mayhem's iconic "Freezing Moon," perhaps one of the greatest and well-known black metal songs of all-time. But they rarely talk about music. There's a hilarious conversation about the progenitors of black metal, British speed metal band Venom (in paraphrase): Varg scornfully sneers: "Despite all their Satanic lyrics, with Venom, they said it was all just part of their image. They didn't really believe in it." Euronymous answers: "Saying it's all part of their image is...just part of their image." Since the movie is more about the people behind the music than the music itself, I suppose going into further depth was unnecessary, so I don't think the film deserves to be taken to task for not doing something it never set out to do. Still, would I have appreciated a little more music? Sure.
As for sensationalizing events, the actions of the Black Circle included suicide, church burnings, and brutal murders. So they're already inherently pretty dramatic. Now, if these things were done by people not directly responsible for two of the most foundational black metal bands of the early 90s-Mayhem and Burzum (Varg's solo one-man project), or if it made these actions seem the product of truly evil, otherworldly villains who actually were trying to unleash Satan on Earth, then that would be sensationalizing the events. But the film takes a more humanizing and subtly satirical approach, showing Varg eating toast, Euronymous getting flowers from their parents, and-gasp-even showing shreds of feeling for people. Perhaps this is what bothers black metallers: rather than shown as incarnations of evil, Dead, Varg, Euronymous, Faust, and others are shown as rebellious, vain, insecure, spoiled, and sometimes naïve teenagers trying to provoke the most extreme reactions possible by claiming all the things seen as taboo as their own. In Norway, one of the most prosperous countries on the planet, with socialized health care and cushy prisons (just watch videos of Varg in prison; it looks much nicer than what a lot of people outside of prison have in the U.S.), they got bored and needed something to make them feel alive.
The actors all do fine jobs of conveying all that and what I would imagine the various figures to be like. Dead, Mayhem's original singer, as a quiet, morbid, tortured soul; Euronymous, Mayhem's guitarist, a pompous but savvy propagator of the black metal aesthetic, who maybe was in it more for the thrill than actual belief; and Varg, who transforms from a meek and shy admirer of Mayhem to band bassist and competitive sociopath desperate to prove his commitment to a mysteriously sinister "cause." The real Varg isn't happy with how he is portrayed as "power mad" in the film. You killed someone, dude, and I don't buy the whole self-defense shtick. For anyone who is curious, watch a few of his videos on YouTube or read a few pages of any of his weird pagan-neo-fascist screeds. Actually, just take my word for it: portraying him as a power-hungry sociopath is pretty much accurate.
I don't know if I've done a good job of describing the actual film. Let me try to sum up by saying it's partly tongue-in-cheek, partly raw and unflinching portrayal of a small group of Norwegians creating a new subgenre and anti-establishment aesthetic. Despite the touches of humor that show the Black Circle as pretty much similar to glam rockers (thriving on beer, sex, juvenile delinquency, and loud music), it takes the church burnings and deaths seriously. We see Varg and Euronymous setting a few churches ablaze in the northern sky, and you get a sense of both the communal loss their destruction engendered, as well as the perverse thrill of taking down such hefty religious and national symbols of pride.
Dead's suicide comes with a sense of sad banality-he was in one of the most influential metal bands of all-time, his parents seemed to love him, yet depression had such a grip on him that death appealed to him more than life.
Faust's murder of an older gay man is depicted as an impulsive, senseless, brutal act.
And the final confrontation between Varg and Euryonomous is realistic and painfully drawn out-after all, Vikernes stabbed Aarseth 23 times. If there's one distortion, it's probably in making Euronymous look more sympathetic than he actually was. The film even uses a voiceover from him throughout, as if the audience needed a heroic anchor to keep from being disgusted by everything and everyone involved. If you're interested in the "truth," there's plenty of resources out there, including the book Lords of Chaos, though that's been criticized for inaccuracies as well. Black metal isn't pretty, but it is fascinating, and this film has helped along my growing appreciation of it. Excuse me while I go listen to my Darkthrone records.
While Lords of Chaos the film, unlike the book it is ostensibly based on, is not about the birth of black metal as a musical subgenre and aesthetic/philosophical movement (if you really want to call it that), it does provide a close look at the personalities behind that pained emergence. I can see this making the stories of the figures in Norway's "Black Circle" more accessible to a non-metal audience unfamiliar with black metal or the crimes committed by its founders. And while metalheads, especially black metal elitists--purveyors of the trve and kvelt--have complained that the film is inaccurate, doesn't focus enough on the music, or sensationalizes the events depicted, these criticisms do not hold. As for accuracy, this film is a dramatization, not a documentary, though as far as I know, in general it doesn't depict anything that contradicts what is known from news reports and interviews. Some of the details may be invented or exaggerated for effect, but that's to be expected. And as far as the conflict between Euronymous and Varg goes-the central crux of the film-there have been contradictory statements made by Varg and others involved in the early Norwegian black metal scene, so that it's impossible to know what "really" happened between them.
As for not focusing enough on the music, I will admit this was a bit of a disappointment for me, as the aesthetics of black metal are very important to understanding the actions of those early black metallers. There's enough to give those unfamiliar with black metal a taste of its sound-with inclusion of Mayhem's iconic "Freezing Moon," perhaps one of the greatest and well-known black metal songs of all-time. But they rarely talk about music. There's a hilarious conversation about the progenitors of black metal, British speed metal band Venom (in paraphrase): Varg scornfully sneers: "Despite all their Satanic lyrics, with Venom, they said it was all just part of their image. They didn't really believe in it." Euronymous answers: "Saying it's all part of their image is...just part of their image." Since the movie is more about the people behind the music than the music itself, I suppose going into further depth was unnecessary, so I don't think the film deserves to be taken to task for not doing something it never set out to do. Still, would I have appreciated a little more music? Sure.
As for sensationalizing events, the actions of the Black Circle included suicide, church burnings, and brutal murders. So they're already inherently pretty dramatic. Now, if these things were done by people not directly responsible for two of the most foundational black metal bands of the early 90s-Mayhem and Burzum (Varg's solo one-man project), or if it made these actions seem the product of truly evil, otherworldly villains who actually were trying to unleash Satan on Earth, then that would be sensationalizing the events. But the film takes a more humanizing and subtly satirical approach, showing Varg eating toast, Euronymous getting flowers from their parents, and-gasp-even showing shreds of feeling for people. Perhaps this is what bothers black metallers: rather than shown as incarnations of evil, Dead, Varg, Euronymous, Faust, and others are shown as rebellious, vain, insecure, spoiled, and sometimes naïve teenagers trying to provoke the most extreme reactions possible by claiming all the things seen as taboo as their own. In Norway, one of the most prosperous countries on the planet, with socialized health care and cushy prisons (just watch videos of Varg in prison; it looks much nicer than what a lot of people outside of prison have in the U.S.), they got bored and needed something to make them feel alive.
The actors all do fine jobs of conveying all that and what I would imagine the various figures to be like. Dead, Mayhem's original singer, as a quiet, morbid, tortured soul; Euronymous, Mayhem's guitarist, a pompous but savvy propagator of the black metal aesthetic, who maybe was in it more for the thrill than actual belief; and Varg, who transforms from a meek and shy admirer of Mayhem to band bassist and competitive sociopath desperate to prove his commitment to a mysteriously sinister "cause." The real Varg isn't happy with how he is portrayed as "power mad" in the film. You killed someone, dude, and I don't buy the whole self-defense shtick. For anyone who is curious, watch a few of his videos on YouTube or read a few pages of any of his weird pagan-neo-fascist screeds. Actually, just take my word for it: portraying him as a power-hungry sociopath is pretty much accurate.
I don't know if I've done a good job of describing the actual film. Let me try to sum up by saying it's partly tongue-in-cheek, partly raw and unflinching portrayal of a small group of Norwegians creating a new subgenre and anti-establishment aesthetic. Despite the touches of humor that show the Black Circle as pretty much similar to glam rockers (thriving on beer, sex, juvenile delinquency, and loud music), it takes the church burnings and deaths seriously. We see Varg and Euronymous setting a few churches ablaze in the northern sky, and you get a sense of both the communal loss their destruction engendered, as well as the perverse thrill of taking down such hefty religious and national symbols of pride.
Dead's suicide comes with a sense of sad banality-he was in one of the most influential metal bands of all-time, his parents seemed to love him, yet depression had such a grip on him that death appealed to him more than life.
Faust's murder of an older gay man is depicted as an impulsive, senseless, brutal act.
And the final confrontation between Varg and Euryonomous is realistic and painfully drawn out-after all, Vikernes stabbed Aarseth 23 times. If there's one distortion, it's probably in making Euronymous look more sympathetic than he actually was. The film even uses a voiceover from him throughout, as if the audience needed a heroic anchor to keep from being disgusted by everything and everyone involved. If you're interested in the "truth," there's plenty of resources out there, including the book Lords of Chaos, though that's been criticized for inaccuracies as well. Black metal isn't pretty, but it is fascinating, and this film has helped along my growing appreciation of it. Excuse me while I go listen to my Darkthrone records.