http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbe ... mID=123193

Varg Vikernes (a.k.a. Count Grishnackh), the BURZUM mastermind who was convicted of murdering MAYHEM guitarist Oystein Aarseth (a.k.a. Euronymous) in August 1993 and setting fire to three churches, has finished writing nine songs for BURZUM's new album, which he hopes to release next year. He tells Norway's Dagbladet that several record labels are interested in issuing the band's first LP in eleven years. "I want to take my time [with the album], so that I can get it the way I like it," Vikernes says. "It will be metal, and the fans can expect to hear some real BURZUM."

Dagbladet has posted several exclusive excerpts from Varg Vikernes' as-yet-unpublished book which he wrote during his nearly-16-year prison stay. The book contains Varg's personal account of of what transpired in the years from the Norwegian black metal community's inception in 1991 until he was convicted for murder and church fires three years later.

"I am not the 'Count' that has been portrayed in the media," Vikernes tells Dagbladet. "That is just sad. Those who have known me a long time know that what was written about me was not the complete truth. But I am partly to blame for how things were presented in the press. That's why I wrote this book, which I hope to release via a publisher. I will lay this issue to rest and put what happened behind me. I will begin a new phase in life."

Dagbladet: Do you regret the fact that you killed another human being?

Vikernes: "I cannot regret the fact that I took the life of someone who wanted to kill me. I felt threatened by his plans, but it was never my intention to kill."

Dagbladet: Do you think that you can kill again?

Vikernes: "Everyone is capable of killing. But there is less chance that I will kill again, because I've been in that situation before, and so I know better how to deal with it. It is not possible to know how to behave in threatening situations before you even end up in such a situation. Had I been in the same situation today, I would have contacted the police first."

Dagbladet: Are you a racist?

Vikernes: "Yes. But I don't hate anybody. Hate is irrational. I am a rational person."

Dagbladet: Are you proud of who you've become?

Vikernes: "Yes!"

Dagbladet: Do you feel that people are afraid of you?

Vikernes: "From how [things] have been portrayed in the media, I understand that [is the case]."

Although his parole application was denied four times — most recently in September 2008 — Vikernes received word in February that he would be released after serving almost 16 years in prison. He was finally allowed to leave this past spring, according to Dagbladet.

Vikernes currently resides in Bø, a municipality in the county of Telemark, Norway. Varg purchased the farm sometime last year and lives on the property with his French wife (whom he met while he was incarcerated) and son.

"It was completely random that we ended up buying a home here," Vikernes tells Dagbladet. "We wanted a quiet and peaceful place with beautiful scenery outside the city. It is so beautiful up here. Here we can be by ourselves. But there is a lot of work that is required to maintain the house, lawn and garden."

kind of bizarre to me. it doesn't seem that long ago.

i read lords of chaos in 99, and that was the first i'd heard of it

yeah, me too. time flys i guess.

i remember sending Varg a request for an interview for my fanzine Ear Torture around the time he released his first album (1990? i think).

he sent my letter back with a simple "no" at the bottom of it.

haha.

thats pure evil

know what's bizarre? that this is an actual thread.

shoo shoo away from here little one.

hard to believe someone typed words on their keyboard into a new post

bizarro-land, here

So the new record will be metal and not symphony music or whatever he was doing for awhile?

As for being released already, I think Sweden's "death sentence" somehow relates to the age at which you commit the crime. Because he was in his teens or twenties at the time it's shorter. I could easily be wrong on this.

thankfully, it will be metal. i'm not a fan of his ambient/folk excursions.

shiv likes to douche out once in a while.

That is fantastic!

I do hope that all the time he spent in prison really focus' his black metal attempts. I can't imagine being locked up for 16 days much less 16 years.

One thing i find very ironic, is how all of these Black Metal icons value living in nature. They want a beautiful view, to spend time with their families, or loved ones, yet write about the gates of hell....

gotta love the blackness. )

I hope one of the former church members finds him and burns down his house

I mean it seems like only yesterday that Dead killed himself and Euronymous went and took pictures of his corpse with a disposable camera.

...and then made a necklace of Dead's bones.

eeeeek!

ah, to be so young and brutal

where does the time go

it will be interesting to hear what his new material sounds like. i mean, he's not so angry and hateful these days...how brewtal can it be?

i imagine he will pioneer a new form of subtle brutality, sort of a passive aggressive version of his former brain spattering self

tracks like Rundtgåing av den transcendentale egenhetens støtte? (I suppose...if that's what you really want to do...)

They were historic churches, not active.

Burning down historic buildings is so awesome.

lol, um, even worse.

you do realize how old the churches were, don't you?

Yeah, I've been to some stave churches. They're pretty amazing.

I think the point he's trying to make is that there aren't any members around TO burn down Varg's house in revenge...NOT that it is any less significant to burn down an historic church than an active one.

At least that was my initial take upon reading his post.

You are correct, FT.

That said, I'm a-changing the subject:

How do you feel about the ethics of releasing his new record? Based on his personal beliefs, I don’t think I could bring myself to do it—but you know it’s going to make money.