Apart from blackpacking: Norway has a lot to offer. Breathtingly beautiful fjords, for example. For example the Geirangerfjord, located northwest of Ålesund, known for its steep rock walls and waterfalls. Or the Nærøyfjord, one of the most spectacular fjords ever.
In addition, the Nordic country offers impressive mountain landscapes, endless forests and lots of culture. The Norwegian folklore does not stop in popular customs – Black Metal has long been an important part of it. After all, it was Norway where the second wave of the Black Metal originated at the end of the 1980s-and unfortunately also a bloody story full of dramas, crimes and murders.
Of course, this does not detract from the fascination – on the contrary. Many metal fans go to Norway every year. They are called “Blackpacker”, black backpackers. But regardless of whether you have a real affinity for bands like Mayhem, intellectual throne or bartum or the dark story just finds fascinating (and oppressive) – a little journey to the locations of the Black Metal is always an exciting experience. Even the city of Oslo offers its own subpage on blackpacking on its website!
So if you want to make blackpacking: Here are some important places that you can reach for the Norway trip without much effort.
1. Helvete or Neseblod Records (Oslo)
Located in the Schweigaards Gate in Oslo, Øystein “Euronymous” Aarseth opened his famous record shop Helvete in the early 1990s-a meeting point for the elitist-thinking black metal scene, in which bands such as Mayhem, Emperor and Darkthrone came in and out. From here from here Aarseth ran his label Deathlike Silence Productions, where you met, smithed plans. Not only musical – but more on that later.
In 1993 Helvete Castle – since 2003 Neseblod has been the official successor plate shop. Here you will find tons of albums, signed collector’s pieces, T-shirts and more-and you can also visit the legendary basement, where the Black Metal lettering is still emblazoned on the wall.
2. The Holmenkollen Kapelle (Oslo)
The Holmenkollen Kapelle, located on the slope of Oslo, is now a popular place for weddings and baptisms. Built in 1903 and 1913, however, it has also had a dark chapter: on August 23, 1992 the chapel burned down completely.
Anyone who burned it down has not yet been finally clarified. However, it is assumed that it was one of the first places of worship, which were presumably targeted by members of the so-called “Black Circle”-the loose circle around Euronymous and the early black metal scene.
You can easily reach the Holmenkollen chapel by public transport: the Metro line 1 (Holmenkollenbanen) drives from the Oslo city center to the Holmenkollen station. From there it is only a short walk.
Even as a hard-boiled Black Metal fan, you should of course not romantize the arson, after all, you are dealing with a crime. A visit is worth a visit to the Holmenkollen cap.
3. The Fantoft Stabkirche (Bergen)
The Fantoft Stabkirche near Bergen is absolutely worth seeing – if you think of the church fires in Norway, you almost automatically think of them. Originally built in 1150, the church was an important testimony of Norwegian wooden architecture.
On June 6, 1992 it was almost completely burned down. Anyone who has laid the fire is not proven to this day, but again and again the name Varg Vikernes (Burzum) falls in the same breath. The church was later reconstructed true to the original and is now fenced and monitored to prevent further incidents.
You can easily reach the Fantoft Stabkirche with the Bybana (Stadtbahn) from Bergen: Simply get out at the Fantoft stop, from there it is only a short walk.
4. Grieghallen (mountains)
Let us devote ourselves to the musical myth again. Blackpackers should never leave the Grieghallen in Bergen. The Grieghallen are now an event center that houses the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra.
In the early 1990s, however, they were the place of recording for bands such as Mayhem (“De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas”), Emperor (“In The Nightside Eclipse”) and Burzum. Countless genre works were created here – rough, uncompromising and full of raw energy.
You cannot visit the studios themselves, but can (and should (and) still) to be: as a tribute to a place that has a significant impact on the sound aesthetics of Black Metal. You can easily reach the Grieghallen on foot from the city center of Bergens – they are only a few minutes from the train station and the city center.
5. Kråkstad (at Oslo)
Many blackpackers also take their way to Kråkstad, a small village about 30 kilometers south of Oslo. There is the inconspicuous house where Mayhem lived and where her singer Dead committed suicide in 1991. Not only since the film “Lords of Chaos” a kind of dark pilgrimage site for many.
But be careful: the house is privately owned. Entering the property are just as prohibited as photos. On the other hand, a quiet walk through the village, a respectful, short look at the house is possible – and many also make a quick cell phone photo from the street.
6. Folketshuset Jessheim
In Jessheim, Mayhem played one of her most legendary concerts on February 3, 1990 – recorded in Folkets Hus. The house still exists, but it is a simple parish hall without recognizable references to its importance for black metal history. Nevertheless, many black packers get lost there.
7. The former Elm Street Rock Cafe
For Blackpacker, there is also a detour near the former Elm Street Rock Café. The club, in the heart of Oslos, was one of the most important meeting points for the metal scene in the 1990s and 2000s. Black-Metal legends like Dark Throne or Mayhem not only like to drink one or the other beer there, but also play shows on the small stage.
The Elm Street finally closed its doors in 2011, but for many the myth continues. Many fans still make a pilgrimage to the area around Olaf Ryes Plass, where the club was – even if other bars have now moved in. If you take a walk through the center Oslos, you just come by.