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Artist News Legal
Varg Vikernes granted parole
By CMU Editorial | Published on Thursday 12 March 2009
Varg Vikernes, aka Count Grishnackh, he of early nineties Norwegian black metal outfit Burzum, will soon be released after serving 15 years in prison for the murder of Oystein Aarseth, aka Euronymous, guitarist with another Norwegian black metal band called Mayhem. Vikernes was also convicted for burning down a number of churches.
The musician was sentenced to 21 years in 1993 and has been denied parole four times, most recently in September last year.
In 2003, he was granted a week long release but failed to return to prison and was found several days later driving a stolen car with various weapons and a fake passport, which is never a great idea if you’re trying to prove to a parole board that you’re a reformed character.
This incident saw him receive an extra 13 months on his sentence. However, more recently he has been allowed out to walk around the local area and visit his family, and two weeks ago his latest application for parole was accepted.
Vikernes told Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet: “I will have to report [to a parole officer] for one year – initially every two weeks, and then once a month”.
The early nineties Norwegian death metal scene and the power struggle that lead to Vikernes murdering Aarseth was the subject of Michael Moynihan and Didrik Soderlind’s excellent book, ‘Lords Of Chaos’. You should read it.
