National Socialist black metal

National Socialist black metal (also known as NSBM) is black metal that promotes National Socialist
(Nazi) beliefs through their lyrics and imagery. These beliefs often include: white supremacy, racial
separatism, antisemitism, sexism, homophobia, and Nazi interpretations of paganism or Satanism.
According to Mattias Gardell, NSBM musicians see "national socialism as a logical extension of the
political and spiritual dissidence inherent in black metal".[1]

Bands whose members hold Nazi beliefs but do not express these through their lyrics are generally not
considered NSBM by black metal musicians, but are labelled as such in media reports. [2] Some black
metal bands have made references to Nazi Germany purely for shock value, much like some punk
rock and heavy metal bands.

According to Christian Dornbusch[who?] and Hans-Peter Killguss[who?], völkisch pagan metal and neo-

Nazism are the current trends in the black metal scene, and are affecting the broader metal scene.
[3]
 Mattias Gardell, however, sees NSBM artists as a minority within black metal. [1]

Origin
Varg Vikernes of Burzum is generally seen as the main person to have brought Nazism into the black
metal scene.[4][5] According to an interview in Blood & Honour magazine, he got in touch with neo-Nazi
organisation Zorn 88’s (later called Norges Nasjonalsocialistiske Bevegelse [NNSB])
[4]
magazine Gjallarhorn in 1992  and joined White Aryan Resistance before he murdered Øystein
Aarseth.[6] Although his lyrics do not express Nazi ideology and his music is therefore not seen as
NSBM by the scene (but by external sources, like Mattias Gardell[7]) his writings are part of its
ideological fundament.[citation needed] Furthermore, he has applauded NSBM bands for having "the guts to
be different and politically incorrect, unlike the spineless poser-bands in the 'Black Metal' scene". [8] He
has posted some arguably racist essays on the Burzum website. [9] However, Vikernes has since tried to
distance himself from Nazism and the NSBM scene, preferring to refer to himself as an  odalist instead
of a "socialistic", "materialistic" Nazi.[10] He still maintains his support of what he labels "race hygiene"
for the European peoples.[11]

Ideology
NSBM ideology usually consists of Nazi beliefs as well as traits found in conventional black metal,
such as hostility to Christianity and other religions labelled as Right-Hand Path, and preoccupations
with Satanism and paganism, often with Nazi interpretations. The ideology may hearken to the
preoccupations with paganism and esotericism practised by various officials and organisations in the
Nazi era, such as Alfred Rosenberg and Thule Society. Hendrik Möbus of Absurd described Nazism as
the "most perfect (and only realistic!) synthesis of satanic/luciferian will to power, elitist Social
Darwinism, connected to Aryan Germanic paganism".[12] Members of the band Der Stürmer (named after
the anti-Semitic newspaper edited by Julius Streicher) subscribe to esoteric Hitlerism, leaning on the
works of Savitri Devi andJulius Evola.[13]

Anti-Christianity and Anti-Semitism

Typically NSBM musicians regard Christianity as a product of an alleged Jewish conspiracy to
undermine the Aryan race by eliminating theirArtglauben and their "original" culture.[14] These
musicians usually reject the legitimacy of Christian antisemitism as well as the German
Christians movement, which celebrated and promoted Nazi ideology in the context of an
unorthodox Christian theological framework. Hjarulv Henker of the band Der Stürmer said:

I don't think that a dogma like Christianity has a place in Aryandom. There is no way to make
Christianity fit into the Weltanschauung of the Aryan Overman. Christianity teaches humbleness, the
loss of National and Racial identity, and equality, things alien to our cosmotheory. You cannot combine
Jesus with characters who represent Aryan ethics. ... Christianity is Christianity and it is Jewish by its
very birth and conception, a vehicle in the Jewish world domination and designed as such. [13]

White supremacy
NSBM bands want to bring back the alleged ancient values and highlights of Germanic "Hochkultur"
(the cultures of the ancient Greeks and Romans). They argue that the reason for the decline of these
ancient cultures was "race mixing" and "degeneration". [15] These views are comparable to those in the
chapter "Volk und Rasse" in Hitler’s Mein Kampf.

Whereas Nazi leaders were influenced by German nationalism (Hitler deemed certain groups such
as Slavs to be inferior), the NSBM scene has had its German and Polish activists work together from
the very beginning, though Germany and Poland historically had conflicts. This contradiction is either
masked, relativised or excused as a historical mistake. A conspiracy theory says the Jews would have
prevented an alliance between Nazi Germany and other Eastern European countries. [16] Knjaz Varggoth,
singer and guitarist of the Ukrainian bandNokturnal Mortum, gives the following explanation for the
contradiction: "Goruth of the Russian band Temnozor sees the Slavs and Germans as a part of a
Hyperborean Aryan race and nowadays differing due to its degeneration." [17] Para Bellum of Blackdeath
(and formerly of Draugwath) sees Nazi Germany’s war against Russia as "Hitler’s only mistake". [18]

Fascist Satanism
Besides heathen beliefs, part of the NSBM scene embraces an interpretation of Satanism,
depicting Satan as an ancient Aryan counterpart to Yahweh, the god of the Jews and Christians. This
view is often called "völkisch Satanism"[19] or "Aryan Satanism". Chraesvelgoron of The True Frost
sees Nazism as the political appearance of Satanism and the collective deification of man as a social
animal, as godliness instead of humaneness. [20][21] His bandmate Sadorass calls the same ideology a
consequent development of blood and soil (völkisch way), diverse occult teachings and the ideas
of Friedrich Nietzsche in connection to Darwin's evolution theories.[22]

However, many pagan and far right bands see Satanism as a part of Christianity or Judaism. [23] Also, a
few black metal musicians hold pagan bands in contempt, and do not recognise them as black metal
bands, as their lyrics and ideology do not include Satanism.

Fascist Paganism
Most NSBM bands refer to Nazi notions such as blood and soil, the worship of their alleged ancestors,
or a mixture of Pagan and Nazi elements. For example, the booklet of
the Absurd album Asgardsrei depicts the Knights Templar, the Teutonic Knights and the Waffen-SS as
warriors of the "Asgardsrei", which the bands define as a term for an alleged godly and Germanic
group of warriors. Varg Vikernes of Burzumcalled Adolf Hitler a warrior of the Asgardsrei. [24] Hendrik
Möbus interprets church burnings in Norway as

a cultural atavism, a sudden and inexplicable plunge back into pre-Christian, medieval conditions in all
but outward reality. Like the Swiss psychologist, Carl Gustav Jung, would have said: Ancient
archetypes resurfaced from our collective unconscious and repossessed receptive minds - which were,
as a rule, still developing and thus especially impressible. The thus affected teenagers found
themselves with an archaic state of mind and like in a mass-hysteria, they induced their condition unto
others. It goes without saying that a, say, 18 year old adolescent who suddenly felt out of tune with his
environment lacked the insight for a self-analysis. [25]

He argues that later on, they would have realised the meaning of these emotions, begun to identify with
Paganism and taken "an active interest in Nationalist politics designed to preserve and to cultivate this
very heritage".[25]
NSBM and the broader white nationalist movement

While many white nationalists have warmly received NSBM for its lyrical content and ideals, others
have not, due to the music style as well as what they perceive as its association with sex, drugs and
rock & roll. Some also reject black metal musicians and fans for having long hair, which they associate
with hippies and left-wingers.[26]

William Luther Pierce, founder of the white nationalist National Alliance, sought to promote NSBM as
well as other forms of white nationalist music through Resistance Records, believing that music would
'make the National Alliance rich and spread its message most effectively'. [27]To this end, he
accommodated Absurd frontman Hendrik Möbus while the latter had fled to the United States in order
to evade German authorities. Although Pierce appreciated the ideological mindset of NSBM and
Resistance Records, as well as the financial gains, the music did not personally appeal to him, and he
attacked the "sex, drugs & rock'n'roll" and "negroid" influences.[28]

NSBM and the broader black metal scene

NSBM artists are a minority within black metal, according to Mattias Gardell. [1] They have been rejected
or strongly criticised by many prominent black metal musicians – including Jon Nödtveidt,
[29]
 Tormentor,[30] King ov Hell,[31] Infernus,[32] Lord Ahriman,[33] Emperor Magus Caligula,[33][34] and the
members of Arkhon Infaustus[33] and Watain [35].

Many black metallers reject Nazi ideology and oppose its influence on the black metal subculture. Like
organised religion in general, Nazism is regarded as authoritarian, collectivist, and a "herd mentality".
[29][30]
 This ideology conflicts with black metal's traditional focus onindividualism. It also conflicts with
the misanthropic views of many artists – this is because Nazism demands a great respect for the
"white race", rather than disdain for all humanity. While some black metallers boycott NSBM bands and
labels, others draw a line between themusic and the musicians, as they only care for the music. This
stance has been criticised as passive support for NSBM.

The band Darkened Nocturn Slaughtercult claimed that they share "certain views of so-called NSBM
bands" but stated that "there will never ever be any of this misuse within our ranks. We do not want to
have anything to do with this newest trend".[36] According to them, politics in black metal is "as
inappropriate as black metal concerts at daylight". [37] Darkthrone have also maintained
an apolitical stance throughout their career – although Fenriz claimed he was once arrested while
participating in an anti-apartheid demonstration.[33] Joakim of Craft says that "I don't think national
socialism mixes with the ideology of real Black Metal in a way, but that doesn't go further than labels. I
only think NS Black Metal is an inappropriate label for the music". [38]

The bigger print metal magazines tend to ignore records by NSBM bands. [14] The book Unheilige
Allianzen caused a short debate, leadingLegacy magazine to stop printing advertisings for NSBM
labels. Another debate happened in the "letters" section of Rock Hard magazine following the
article Der rechte Rand im Black Metal (Black Metal's Far-right Border).[39]

False allegations
The band Marduk was accused of supporting Nazism after the release of their album Panzer Division
Marduk (1999). This was because the songs on the album made numerous references to World War
II and because the album title referenced Nazi Germany's panzer divisions. However, the band stated
that they were simply using war as a lyrical theme and denied supporting Nazism, although its guitarist
Morgan Håkansson had stated "that we in Marduk want to prevent immigration to Sweden and that I
was proud over the fact that my grandfather was a serving German officer during the second World
War" when approached on the issue by Rock Hard Magazine from Germany - known for having pressed
many black metal bands such as Gorgoroth on the subject of NSBM. [40][41]

Similarly, the Singaporean band Impiety were accused of supporting Nazism and anti-Semitism due to
their depiction of Auschwitz and the practices of Josef Mengele in the lyrics of the song "Carbonised"
on their album Paramount Evil (2004).[42] It is worth noting that 75% of Singapore's population
is Chinese, some members of the band are Malays and that Singapore's strict censorship laws mean
that racist and anti-semitic material is illegal on the island.

There are also bands who say they use Nazi imagery simply for shock value. An example is the
band Taake, whose singer had painted aswastika on his chest before a concert on March 20, 2007,
in Essen, Germany[43] and attacked the audience. He later claimed to have done so only to be
provocative. On the same occasion, he called the club owner an "Untermensch".[44]

The pagan metal groups Moonsorrow, Týr, and Eluveitie have been occasionally labeled as Nazi

influenced or supportive by anti-fascist groups. The groups have stated publicly that they believe in
peace, are non-political, and strongly oppose the co-opting of pagan symbols by Nazi activists. [45]

Literature
English
 Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke: White Noise and black metal in: Black Sun: Aryan Cults, Esoteric
Nazism and the Politics of Identity (S. 193-213). New York University Press, 2002, ISBN 0-8147-
3124-4

 Mattias Gardell: Hail Loki! Hail Satan! Hail Hitler! Darkside Asatrú, Satanism and Occult
National Socialism in: Gods of the Blood: The Pagan Revival and White Separatism. (p. 284-324).
Duke University Press, 2003, ISBN 0-8223-3071-7

 Michael Moynihan, Didrik Søderlind: Lords of Chaos: The Bloody Rise of the Satanic Metal
Underground. Los Angeles, Feral House Books, 1998, ISBN 0-922915-48-2