Fenriz

Fenriz — Gylve Fenris Nagell, born in Norway on 29 November 1971 — is the drummer, composer and chief ideologue of Darkthrone, and one of black metal's most influential and most atypical figures. His importance comes from a deliberate decision. Darkthrone began as a technical death metal band with Soulside Journey (1991), and then took the opposite road from what is expected of any group: it abandoned technical competence and clean production in favour of raw recordings, repetitive tremolo riffs and a purposely primitive sound. The trilogy A Blaze in the Northern Sky (1992), Under a Funeral Moon (1993) and Transilvanian Hunger (1994) set the sonic standard of Norwegian black metal — and the poverty was an aesthetic choice, not a limitation. His stance away from the records is equally striking. Darkthrone has barely played live for decades, refuses tours and operates by an ethic of complete rejection of the industry. For years Fenriz has curated obscure bands, functioning as a kind of archivist of the underground. In 2016 he was elected to the town council of Kolbotn, where he lives, despite campaigning by asking people not to vote for him — his electoral material was a photograph of his cat. It is the summary of his relationship with any form of visibility. In 1994 the sleeve of Transilvanian Hunger carried an inscription and a statement of racist content that drew strong reaction; the band retracted publicly at the time and Fenriz has repudiated the episode repeatedly since.