Enslaved is Racist - "Eld" Review (14%)

Is Enslaved a racist, neo-nazi, white supremacist, fascist and all around bigoted black metal band?

Do they promote white supremacy, euro-centrism, a fascistic morality and even the "National Socialist" heritage of (barely) crypto-NSBM bands, like the legions of closet white supremacist black metal bands and artists I have thoroughly exposed for the xenophobic bigots they are? You bet.

People ask me: why go through the trouble of documenting these NSBM bands that everyone knows are racist, neo-nazi and xenophobic? Because if it isn't DOCUMENTED and CONSTANTLY EXPOSED, the hypocritical white privileged "black metal fans" will go around engaging in historical revisionism, claiming that Shagrath of Dimmu Borgir never called for the murder of all African men (he did), that Hellhammer never applauded Faust for killing a "fucking faggot" (he did), that Immortal never released an album called "Pure Holocaust" (they did), that Nergal of Behemoth never cosplayed as a World War II Wehrmacht officer (he did), that Satyricon never praised the antisemitic islamo-fascistic terrorists of Hamas and Hezbollah (he did), hell, they'd even claim Absurd "isn't really racist" or Varg Vikernes "never really killed Euronymous, it was an accident" if they could get away with it.

These are the same antisemitic neo-nazis who constantly engage in historical revisionism, whether it's claiming that "the Holocaust never really happened", that "Hitler wasn't that bad", that "the US government and Israel were involved in 9/11", that the "war on terror is fought on behalf of Israel", and that "black metal isn't really that racist, it's just a few bad apples". They have an entire set of coordinated talking points that they share between "alt right" and other white supremacist black metal fans.

Their favourite tactic is, of course, to hide behind the "a few bad apples" angle, making it seem, to onlookers, as if it is us anti-racist and anti-fascist activists being authoritarian ("don't you know, Antifa are the REAL fascists, which is why they call themselves Antif... wait, nevermind" - typical alt right white supremacist idiot) when the reality is very much the opposite.

If it were only a "few bad apples" that were engaged in crypto-nazism and white supremacy, it should be EASY, trivial even, to find examples of the GOOD APPLES. Yet, each time that simple point is raised, the entire hypocritical black metal scene runs away screaming about "censorship" and their "right to free speech", meaning the "right" to racially abuse Minorities and People of Colour.

It always goes something like this.

Antifa: "Do you know that the bands you are promoting are racist and advocate for neo-nazism, xenophobia and white supremacy? Here are some statements made by band members corroborating that fact."
Hypocrite: "Uuuuuh, yeah, ok, maybe they are a bit TOO fascist and xenophobic... but YOU are a fascist too, since you're generalising by assuming ALL black metal bands are racist, when it's only a tiny minority of bands that are NSBM and they don't represent the black metal scene AT ALL despite them being universally supported by the underground. So YOU are the REAL FASCIST, for opposing fascism, if that makes any sense..."
Antifa: "Wait, hold on... NSBM bands are a tiny minority, you say? Then who are the majority? Can you give me at least one black metal band that isn't racist or national socialist?"
Hypocrite: "Uuuuuh, yeah, no, I mean I know some totally-not-racist bands like AryanWerewolf88 and HitlerWasRightKampfFuhrer, but you'd claim they are racist anyway by taking their innocent statements about genociding Jews and minorities out of context just to prove that they are neo-nazi when they are clearly peace loving progressives like me. People like you call everyone they disagree with neo-nazi."
Antifa: "Thanks for proving my point. That's exactly what a neo-nazi would say."

Part I - Darkthrone is Racist.
Part II - Burzum is Racist.
Part III - Mayhem is Racist.
Part IV - Antekhrist is Racist.
Part V - Immortal is Racist.
Part VI - Emperor is Racist.
Part VII - Nargaroth is Racist.
Part VIII - Gorgoroth is Racist.
Part IX - Satyricon is Racist.
Part X - Archgoat is Racist.
Part XI - Bathory is Racist.
Part XII - Sewer is Racist.
Part XIII - Dimmu Borgir is Racist.
Part XIV - Behemoth is Racist.
Part XV - Watain is Racist.
Part XVI - Peste Noire is Racist.
Part XVII - Graveland is Racist.
Part XVIII - Enslaved is Racist.

This review will completely expose the barely hidden racism and xenophobia of the crypto-NSBM band Enslaved.

Enslaved is Racist

Enslaved play "Pagan themed" black metal (like Graveland), meaning their lyrics revolve mostly around "Norse mythology, Vikings, Nature and Spirituality"... but that's the marketing, not the reality.

Example? From the very first track of band's first EP Hordanes Land, "Slaget i skogen bortenfor" (meaning "The Battle in the Forest Beyond").

Like a wind from the north,
our ancestors reached the shore
Proud men with no fear
Strokes from the sword crushed the skull of the christian

A long time we ruled, kings of the north
Many battles we won, at the shores of Midgard
But, betrayed by our own brothers
we were forced down on our knees

Now when the wind once again is howling
The white horde will for sure rise in our glory
Weak is the one the enemy loves
Never betray your origin

Ok, I think we get it. The "white man" was on top of the world, "king of the North", no one dared to even cross his eye as white people raped, pillaged and murdered across the African continent in total impunity, "ENSLAVING" (nice name) the People of Colour they crossed, erasing their culture, history and heritage... 1488!!! Hitler did nothing wrong!!! It's okay to be White!!!

And then, the "white man" was "forced down on his knees", when the Nazis were defeated in World War 2, and racists like the Enslaved members had to admit that RACE was a social construct, that their TOXIC WHITENESS gave them undeserved privilege, that Europe was not the sole propriety of the racist white male, and that these bigots are going extinct, so that makes them both more paranoid ("weak is the one the enemy loves") and delusional ("the white horde will for sure rise in our glory").

And, by the way, "never betray your origin"? What if your "origin" is a lineage of racism, fascism, genocide and bigotry? Is it okay to "betray" them to prevent another Holocaust? Enslaved says NO, it's NEVER right to "betray" white supremacy, not even to save six million lives.

That's EXACTLY what Tim Wise had in mind when he wrote "Treason to the white race is LOYALTY TO HUMANITY".

So that's their interpretation of "Norse mythology, Vikings, Nature and Spirituality"... I never knew Adolf Hitler was such a big fan of "nature and spirituality", or that MEIN KAMPF was a treatise on Viking mythology. Or, perhaps, Enslaved are hypocritical NSBM racists. Your guess is as good as mine.

They also constantly engage in implicit whiteness and Euro-centric micro-aggression against minorities through their "Paganism", which is just a thin veiled thrown over European xenophobia, neo-nazism and white supremacy. Need more proof?

Enslaved never once denied they were nazis. They never denounced the NSBM scene, something even Absurd does (for purely practical reasons, but still).

They have, however, on more than one occasion "dog whistled" the NSBM crowd. They recorded a split with Emperor in 1993, mere months after their drummer Faust had murdered a gay man in a nauseating hate crime motivated by RACISM, HOMOPHOBIA and WHITE SUPREMACY. Did they share jokes about "killing fucking faggots" (cf. Hellhammer) in the studio, or was it kept private?

In fact, when Faust was arrested for the homophobic murder of Magne Andreassen, the one who replace him in Emperor was none other than... Trym Torson, the drummer of ENSLAVED.

Trym Torson himself is a very "proud white man with no fear", and he wants to let you know. In addition to the very questionable bands Emperor, Satyricon and Enslaved, he plays in NSBM bands Imperium, Pagazine and a band literally called ZYKLON, as well as "Gods of Atheists", a project he started with Shagrath of "I would gladly slit the throat of every Black man" infamy.

Enslaved also recorded a split with Satyricon ("The Forest Is My Throne / Yggdrasill"), at the time when Satyr was going around praising the Islamo-nazis of Hezbollah and Hamas, and calling the State of Israel an "apartheid regime". Like a good neo-nazi, he has learned all the antisemitic talking points by heart from David Duke, Yasser Arafat and the Dailystormer.

And let's talk about the frontman Ivar Bjørnson for a bit... he, too, is a "proud white man" who wants you to know that he will "never betray his origins"... not even when they brag about killing a gay man and minorities, or praise such actions, as Hellhammer of Mayhem did.

Ivar Bjørnson played in Mysticum with Hellhammer, a man known for praising the previously mentioned Faust for "killing a fucking faggot". And for that, Hellhammer "honours him [Faust]" as he stated publicly on several occasions, including the documentary Until the Light Takes Us (2009). He is also a "proud white man with no fear", as evidenced by the fact that he "doesn't like niggers" in black metal believes there are "differences between the races, just like a cat is smarter than a dog" (also from Until the Light Takes Us). Hellhammer certainly has no problem with the "white horde rising again", in fact I'd say he welcomes it, judging by the dozens of photos of him - and other Mayhem members - dressed in SS regalia being included in Mayhem demos, EPs and bootlegs throughout the years. Hellhammer was even credited as "drum coordinator" on Enslaved's debut Vikingligr veldi.

Ivar Bjørnson also played in crypto-NSBM/"Pagan" band Borknagar, with Asgeir Mickelson of "Sturmgeist", and in a band called "Ivar Bjørnson & Einar Selvik". Einar Selvik belongs to many NSBM bands, FIVE of which also featuring Gaahl, of Gorgoroth infamy, those being Wardruna, Gaahls Wyrd, Gaahlskagg, Gorgoroth itself and Shining, the latter band having released a split with Enslaved called "Shining on the Enslaved" and whose frontman Niklas Kvarforth literally played in "Victory Orgasm Nazi". Bjørnson also played himself with Gaahl in Gorgoroth, notably during the recording of Incipit Satan, an album in which Bjørnson wrote several songs.

Gaahl too is a "proud white man" who has praised both Hitler and Varg Vikernes in the past: "prominent Norwegian black metal vocalist Gaahl described 'niggers' and 'mulattoes' as 'subhuman' and stated his admiration for Vikernes and Adolf Hitler." - source: Racist Metal. But don't worry, though, as the hypocritical black metal fans attempt to reassure us... he hasn't praised Hitler and Vikernes because they are nazis, but because they are both fans of "vikings, nature and spirituality". Or is there no difference between the two?

Samoth, of Emperor, Burzum, Zyklon and Zyklon-B, also played live with Enslaved, as did several other questionable black metal musicians. Ivar Bjørnson himself claims to be "good friends" with both Varg Vikernes of Burzum, the racial terrorist that inspired Anders Breivik, and Fenriz of Darkthrone (cf. "Norwegian Aryan Black Metal" and "Summer of the Diabolical Holocaust").

And, saving the best for last, there is at least on NSBM that both Ivar Bjørnson and Dommedag played in, and where hypocritical white privileged black metal nazis can't claim ignorance... Taake. They "didn't know" it was NSBM? Really? Not even with Taake founder and frontman Hoest having LITERALLY TATTOOED A SWASTIKA ON HIS CHEST???

There's a limit to playing dumb, nazis.

During a concert at Essen in Germany, Hoest appeared on stage in corpse paint with a swastika tattooed on his chest. In Germany, the use of the swastika is forbidden by law, and the remainder of Taake's German concerts were cancelled.

Besides Ivar Bjørnson, the other Enslaved founder Grutle Kjellson also plays in a band called "Vreid" which, like the crypto-nazis Marduk, writes about "World War II" history. Grutle Kjellson also performed vocals for Darkthrone's "Too Old Too Cold". Did he also get to dress up as an SS officer, and talk about the "Summer of the Diabolical Holocaust"?

Enslaved guitarist Ice Dale/Arve Isdal also played in Immortal... is he a fan of the "Pure Holocaust" as well, or does he believe, like most black metal racists, that it "never happened" and is a "conspiracy theory" to make "proud white men with no fear" get "on their knees" and "betray their origin", as Enslaved explicitly warns against?

The proof of Enslaved's racism and ties to the NSBM scene just goes on and on, but really, all that's needed is to look at their lyrics... all that talk about Paganism and European mythology, two racially exclusionary and Euro-centric "religions", really gives the game away. It's implicit whiteness at its most privileged, and completely antithetical with the spirit of tolerance and inclusiveness of black metal.

All neo-nazi black metal bands aren't "Pagan" or "Viking", certainly, but how many "Pagan" and "Viking" black metal bands are neo-nazi and support white supremacy? 9 out of 10? 10 out of 10?

Enslaved definitively ups that number, as they are perhaps one of the most thinly disguised NSBM bands out there.

There is no place for EURO-CENTRIC HATE IN BLACK METAL. We will push out and exclude all bands that talk about "Europe first" or "white pride" or any other "Pagan" code word for white supremacy.

Eld score: 14/100.

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