True Norwegian Black Metal (documentary)
Encyclopedia
True Norwegian Black Metal is a 2007
5-part documentary
produced by VBS
/Vice Magazine
. The documentary mainly covers some aspects of the life of black metal
vocalist Gaahl
- renowned for his work with Gorgoroth
and Trelldom. Principal photography took place in January 2007 over a ten day period in various parts of Norway
including Bergen
, Oslo
, Espedal
, and Dale
. The documentary is hosted by Vice-Scandinavia correspondent Ivar Berglin who also served as translator.
when in actuality he mainly lives in a flat in Bergen, often socialising in bars.
For instance, it incorrectly claimed that Terrorizer Magazine referred to Gaahl as the 'most evil man alive', when the front cover in fact read 'is this the most evil man in metal?'
Gaahl himself described the story about his tenure at school and a schoolmate who allegedly committed suicide as being 'five different stories rolled into one fictional story', in that the memory of producer Rob Semmer was incorrectly mixing up several anecdotes. The documentary also refers to a small cabin on the peak of a nearby mountain claiming to be his grandparents' home, when in fact this was only a hunting cabin. This is attributed to a translation error.
2007 in film
This is a list of major films released in 2007.-Top grossing films:Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top grossing films that were first released in the USA in 2007...
5-part documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
produced by VBS
VBS.tv
VBS.tv is an online television network owned by the Vice media conglomerate. The network produces original, short-form, documentary-style video content. Subject matter includes humanitarian issues, music, insider travel guides, and news. The creative director of the network is Spike...
/Vice Magazine
Vice (magazine)
VICE is a free magazine and media conglomerate founded in Montreal, Quebec and currently based in New York City.Vice is available in 27 countries...
. The documentary mainly covers some aspects of the life of black metal
Black metal
Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, shrieked vocals, highly distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, blast beat drumming, raw recording, and unconventional song structure....
vocalist Gaahl
Gaahl
Kristian Eivind Espedal , better known by his stage name Gaahl, is a Norwegian vocalist, best known as the former frontman of Norwegian black metal band Gorgoroth. He is also the founder and frontman of Trelldom and Gaahlskagg...
- renowned for his work with Gorgoroth
Gorgoroth
Gorgoroth is a Norwegian black metal band based in Bergen. Formed in 1992 by Infernus , the band is named after the dead plateau of evil and darkness in the land of Mordor from J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings. The group is currently signed to Regain Records and have released...
and Trelldom. Principal photography took place in January 2007 over a ten day period in various parts of Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
including Bergen
Bergen
Bergen is the second largest city in Norway with a population of as of , . Bergen is the administrative centre of Hordaland county. Greater Bergen or Bergen Metropolitan Area as defined by Statistics Norway, has a population of as of , ....
, Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
, Espedal
Espedal
Espedal is a place in Fjaler, Norway.Espedal may also refer to:*Espedal Øvre, a village in Forsand, Norway-People with the surname:*Ronny Espedal, Norwegian footballer*Kristian Espedal or Gaahl, Norwegian black metal vocalist*Alf Espedal, SOE agent...
, and Dale
Dale, Sogn og Fjordane
Dale or Dale i Sunnfjord is the administrative centre of the municipality of Fjaler in Sogn og Fjordane County, Norway. The village is located on the southern shore of the Dalsfjorden in the northern part of Fjaler, about northeast of the village of Flekke.The population of Dale is 980, and the...
. The documentary is hosted by Vice-Scandinavia correspondent Ivar Berglin who also served as translator.
Criticisms
The documentary has been criticised for having misreported numerous pieces of information, as well as introducing the popular misconception that Gaahl - having spent much of his childhood in the Espedal valley (also misreported to be a village) - continues to spend most of his time in seclusionSeclusion
The act of secluding, i.e. shutting out or keeping apart from society, or the state of being secluded, or a place that facilitates it . A person, a couple, or a larger group may go to a secluded place for privacy, or because the place is quiet...
when in actuality he mainly lives in a flat in Bergen, often socialising in bars.
For instance, it incorrectly claimed that Terrorizer Magazine referred to Gaahl as the 'most evil man alive', when the front cover in fact read 'is this the most evil man in metal?'
Gaahl himself described the story about his tenure at school and a schoolmate who allegedly committed suicide as being 'five different stories rolled into one fictional story', in that the memory of producer Rob Semmer was incorrectly mixing up several anecdotes. The documentary also refers to a small cabin on the peak of a nearby mountain claiming to be his grandparents' home, when in fact this was only a hunting cabin. This is attributed to a translation error.