However, Åkerlund (himself a co-founder of black metal band Bathory) isn't especially interested in valorising the movement, with the majority of the film designed to chip away at the image of black metallers as evil incarnate. One of the film's most salient aspects is that black metal wasn't simply a genre of music it was a way of life. Often wearing "corpse paint" and flaunting Satanic iconography, musical integrity was paramount, and to remain a true black metaller, one couldn't court mainstream success. It was also seen as both anti-semitic and anti-Christian, and a number of practitioners have been accused of neo-Nazism and hate speech. An extreme offshoot of thrash metal and death metal, black metal was generally derided by the mainstream and criticised for its misogyny, racism, homophobia, and glamorisation of suicide. However, as time goes on, and Varg becomes more and more extreme, a dangerous power struggle between himself and Euronymous slowly develops. Meanwhile, Euronymous meets awkward fan Kristian "Varg" Vikernes (a very creepy Emory Cohen), on whom he initially looks down, but who he soon welcomes into the fold. Showing self-destructive tendencies from the start, as time passes, his behaviour becomes more erratic (cutting himself at gigs and spraying blood into the crowd, sniffing from a bag containing a dead bird before performances), ultimately resulting in his suicide. The band has met with little success thus far, but that changes when they hire Pelle "Dead" Ohlin (a superb Jack Kilmer) as lead singer. Oslo, 1987 it is three years since Øystein "Euronymous" Aarseth (an excellent Rory Culkin) established his band, Mayhem, determined to create a new subgenre of "true Norwegian black metal". Equal parts darkly funny and unflinchingly disturbing, Åkerlund's film never takes the scene as seriously as it takes itself, and, depending on your perspective, that's either its greatest strength or its most egregious failing. Lords of Chaos is about what happened when some black metallers took them very literally, leading to suicide, arson, and murder. Behind the scenes, however, most of its adherents knew such declarations were simply marketing, not to be taken literally.
Adapted from nm9657667 and Didrik Søderlind's 1998 book, written for the screen by Dennis Magnusson and Jonas Åkerlund, and directed by Åkerlund, the film depicts black metallers as fostering an image of a cult-like group of militant anti-establishment Satanists who practised human sacrifices, championed suicide, and advocated anti-Christian violence. With this in mind, Lords of Chaos looks at late 80s/early 90s Norwegian black metal, and asks, "was its extreme image authentic or manufactured". Think of how pampered Nirvana made Guns N' Roses look only a few years later. Think of how fake Guns N' Roses made the glam metal bands of the 80s look. Bands who can legitimately say "it's all about the music" and actually back that claim up are automatically head and shoulders above their less authentic rivals, who may sing a good game, but who live a very different life. Kristian 'Varg' Vikernes: Chicken bone? Fake as everything else with you.Īuthenticity is perhaps the most important currency in music. Otherwise, what the fuck are we doing here?Įuronymous: You can keep that. I believed in it, and I still do.Įuronymous: So do I, but it has to make sense. I attracted people by saying, "You can't have this. "Never sell out." That's what you said.Įuronymous: Saying things like "never sell out" fucking sells. We should be making true Black Metal music for a select few. Kristian 'Varg' Vikernes: And now you betray it! You're a hypocrite. Kristian 'Varg' Vikernes: Tour? I thought you were true Norwegian black metal. It's gonna be big world tour, everything. You only put me in the band to get attention.Įuronymous: The album's almost finished. You're the bass player of Mayhem now, remember? Kristian 'Varg' Vikernes: You're recording Mayhem's album with money made from Burzum's sales, money that belongs to me!Įuronymous: That money went straight back to you. Kristian 'Varg' Vikernes: You'll have to find another idiot to steal everything from.Įuronymous: I haven't stolen anything from you. Kristian 'Varg' Vikernes: I don't need you anymore.Įuronymous: Okay. Kristian 'Varg' Vikernes: I'm going to release my music on my own label.
0 kommentar(er)
