Burzum

While Kristian “Varg” Vikernes certainly is the most notorious musician associated with Norwegian black metal, he is also one of the scene’s most groundbreaking. Born in 1973, Vikernes was a teen when he plunged into the extreme-metal scene in his hometown of Bergen. In addition to recording as Burzum, he played bass for Mayhem and collaborated with Darkthrone. Recorded in 1993 (but not released until 1996), Burzum’s fourth album, Filosofem, represents the peak of his early, minimalist vision: Viking-inspired themes and esoterica smothered in menacing haze. In 1994, Vikernes was sentenced to 21 years in prison for the murder of former bandmate Øystein Aarseth (a.k.a. Euronymous of Mayhem) as well as for a string of church burnings motivated by his pagan, anti-Christian worldview. With prison banning traditional metal instruments, he used synthesizers on albums like 1997’s Daudi Baldrs, a pioneering example of what would later be tagged “dungeon synth.” It was also during this time that Vikernes’ alleged links to fascist movements started surfacing. Since the musician’s release in 2009, Burzum has continued to release deeply idiosyncratic black metal and dark ambient records while also consistently courting controversy stemming from his far-right politics.