I went to the release-party for Anders Oddens book last week, it’s called “Piratliv” in Norwegian, “A Pirates Life” would be my translation.

Anders Odden

If you don’t know who Anders Odden is, well: Anders was a founding member of one of the earliest Norwegian death-metal bands: Cadaver. Cadaver was one of the first Norwegian extreme metal bands to sign a record deal , they signed with Earache in 1990. In later years Anders has been the guitarist with bands like Apoptygma Berserk, Celtic Frost and Satyricon.

“This is the Norwegian version of “Dirt”!” said the marketing guy. I haven’t read Dirt and wouldn’t know. I have to admit that the only biography I’ve ever bothered to read was about Jimi Hendrix and that was in my teens. Reading about how other bands drink, take drugs and go through prostitutes just isn’t my kind of entertainment. But Anders story is about my own playground and I had to find out what this was all about. The story about the Norwegian extreme metal scene including Euronymus, Mayhem, Varg Vikernes and Helvete has not been told like this by someone from the inside before.

Piratliv

The book starts with a brutal story where Odden is on a tour in USA as Celtic Frost guitarist. He is telling about a rather rough night out after a gig and then comes to this passage (I have translated this myself); “I …. started talking with some (fans) that wanted to discuss Norwegian Black Metal, “real or not real”, burning churches, Vikernes and what not. It was bad timing. The American fans know least of all about this. When I think about it, no one really knows shit all about this…. All the documentaries made about this seems to have turned every metal-nerd all over the world into experts on the issue.”

The book has some very interesting stories from the scene around Mayhem, starting from 1986. Anders Odden pretty much tears down all the glorifying of Euronymus and Varg Vikernes that has given them so much attention over the years. He explains Euronymus as a power-hungry and manipulative extremist with communist views who wanted all the attention. Euronymus had ideas about how only the “worthy” should listen to this music, and to be worthy you had to be more or less invited. Euronymus had ideas about a music scene that had several relations to religious sects. In the years after Euronymus’ death the entire Norwegian Black Metal scene was labeled after this strange ideology that he was creating, but Odden explains in this book how Euronymus had only very few “followers”, the rest of the scene saw him as a nutcase.

This book explains in it’s peculiar way why Euronymus was killed by Varg Vikernes as part of their personal conflict.

I’m not going to give more quotes or stories here, but I think most extreme metal fans over the world would appreciate hearing this story in the unmasked and honest way Anders Odden explains it. I meen, most of the documentaries that exist on this is more or less marketing videos by the participating bands, everyone playing their act as usual. You don’t get much real understanding about what went on and how it escalated like it did, you just get to see the guys playing their roles.

I should also add that the part about the  early Norwegian Black Metal scene is 1/3 of the book. Odden has made a sort of chronological tale about his life, he’s done very much since 1995. It’s also not translated yet, but from what Anders said at the release it’s coming.

“Piratliv” is an interesting read, and as I have been brewing for a long time about how to share my own stories this book is inspiring. I have a fair few overwhelming stories to tell, but haven’t been sure how to, when to and if. I also never been convinced that my stories have any public interest, but after reading Anders Oddens book I think they just might. Any readers here who would be interested in a few stories from my adventures with Borknagar or Mayhem?

————-Jens