In a rare and revealing interview with Gorgoroth guitarist Roger Tiegs (a.k.a. Infernus) conducted by our blood brothers at Revolver, the black metal veteran discussed the ugly legal battle with his former band mates that earned him the rights to the Gorgoroth name and trademark. Tiegs also gave his opinion about vocalist Gaahl and bassist King Ov Hell's decision to carry on under the name God Seed and promised fans a new Gorgoroth album by October. Read more...

Gorgoroth guitarist Infernus is in stable but serious condition in a Bergen, Noway hospital this evening after having been brutally assaulted by the band's former vocalist Gaahl who is currently being held by police. Reports are still sketchy, but according to one source, Gaahl tracked down Infernus at an abandoned laundromat and, following a heated verbal confrontation, the vocalist removed a spiked club from a laundry basket and threatened to strike Infernus. At this point, Infernus allegedly began mocking the name of Gaahl's new band, God Seed, and called Gaahl a pansy. Enraged, Gaahl swung the weapon at his former bandmate so hard that the nails lodged in Infernus' abdomen.

"I think Gaahl only wanted to threaten Infernus," said the source. "I don't think he planned to hit him, but when Infernus insulted him, Gaahl couldn't help himself."

After being struck, Infernus collapsed on the ground, and in order to remove the club, Gaahl had to plant his boot on the black metallist's chest and yank the handle. Read more...

Since we gave extensive coverage last week to the court battle that granted Gorgorth guitarist Infernus ownership of the band's name, we must provide equal time to his ex-bandmembers, vocalist Gaahl and bassist King ov Hell's decision to change their name to God Seed.

"I am fully aware that this name will be made fun out of because of Gaahls sexual preferences," King ov Hell said in an interview with Norwegian Web site IMHOTEP. "I couldn’t care less about that part. People with a mind set of 13 year old kids would do that to him, anyway. God Seed represent a more spiritual side to us than what Gorgoroth would. God Seed is also the title of a track from our last album released under the 'Gorgoroth' banner, and in that respect it symbolizes what is brought from the past. God Seed represents the will to grow; the will to be the super man so to speak. I think it’s a suitable name for what we will represent in the future."

Click "more" to read to complete IMHOTEP interview with King ov Hell. Read more...

The black metal battle of the year so far has been waged, not at the altar but in the court room. Gorgoroth Last year, vocalist Gaahl and bassist King ov Hell tried to boot guitarist and band founder, Infernus, out of the group. While the two misanthropes carried on as Gorgoroth, Infernus filed a lawsuit against his former bandmates for the rights to the name. On March 10, the final verdict was handed down and Infernus emerged victorious. Now, Infernus speaks to Norway's IMHOTEP about the court case, his feelings about his ex-band mates and the future of Gorgoroth. Click "more" for the complete interview. Read more...

Gaahl waves goodbye Gorgoroth name

If Gorgoroth member King of Hell was worrying that the worst PR nightmare was frontman Gaahl coming out of the closet, he was sorely mistaken. Today, word came down from the Norwegian courts that he and Gaahl would no longer be able to use the name Gorgoroth, since guitarist Infernus owns legal rights to the moniker even though Gaahl and King ov Hell trademarked the name right before they tried to kick out Infernus. Read more...

Black metal celebrity Gaahl, frontman for Norway's nefarious Gorgoroth, has always been good for a laugh. Stories about him beating a man and drinking his blood from a chalice, and leading his band through shows in which severed animal heads were strewn across the stage and naked people bathed in fake blood were hung from crucifixes were the stuff of maxi-metal mythology. And that was all before the most intimidating living frontman in black metal admitted to the press he was gay.

Since then, outlets that used to be concerned with speed and brutality have been asking questions about fashion lines and being a generational spokesman for the entire gay underground black metal community -- if such a thing actually exists. On December 30, Dutch web site Faceculture posted nine three to five minute interview segments with Gaahl, and as of 7 p.m. today, the most views any of the clips about non-gay issues had received was 60. The one titled [ex-boyfriend] "Dan Deviro's clothing, attraction to men, the media," however, has received over 28,000 sets of eyeballs so far, which is way more revealing than a Jennifer Aniston sex tape.

During the interview snippet, Gaahl reveals that 2008 was the year he kissed a boy and he liked it. "Last year was the first time that someone's insanity grabbed hold of me," he said, then admitted he's not really a touchy, feely kinda guy. "I'm not too much into the physical thing, I've been more into the aesthetics."

Click "more" to watch the full gay segment and the other eight interview clips with Gaahl. Read more...

photo courtesy of festivals2go.com

Between July 31 and August 2 more than 75,000 people descended in the German town of Wacken to witness one of the largest and most illustrious summer gatherings, the Wacken Open Air Festival. The festival, which was launched in 1990 has grown exponentially since its first year, which featured the obscure local acts 5th Avenue, Axe 'n Sex, Motoslug, Sacret Season, Skyline and Wizzard.

This year Wacken featured Iron Maiden, Avenged Sevenfold, Carcass, At the Gates, Children of Bodom, Exodus, Gorgoroth, Watain, Kreator, Killswitch Engage, Opeth, Obituary, Warbringer, Mortal Sin and many more performing on multiple stages. Click more for a professional slide show of the event. Read more...

Nicholas Cage's ex with future husband, Dimmu Borgir frontman Shagrath. photo by Kristian Helgesen, courtesy of VG.no.

The Norwegian black metal community may be more mainstream than you think. Over the past week, a couple of announcements have been made concerning major players in the genre that seriously shake out faith in the ultimate power of the black.

First, word gets out that Dimmu Borgir frontman Shagrath (a.k.a. Stian Tomt Thoresen) is going to marry Nicholas Cage's 41-year-old ex-girlfriend Christina Fulton in September, according to Norwegian newspaper VG. Shagrath met Fulton on June 6, 2006 at a Pagan bloodletting ritual... just kidding. The couple actually met four months ago through one of the singer's "associates," and were reportedly hooked from the start. Will the wedding will be held in a damp cave in Bergen? Nope. The happy couple will marry in Prekestolen, a site popular amongst tourists because of its sweeping panoramic views.

So, what does Fulton and Cage's 17-year-old son Weston Coppola-Cage think of all this? Well, since he has his own black metal band, Eyes of Noctum, in LA, he's probably giving thanks and praises to Beelzebub on a daily basis. Thanks to his stepdad to be, his band is currently recording is debut album with producer Fredrik Nordström (Dimmu Borgir, In Flames) at Studio Fredman in Gothenburg, Sweden. The album will feature an appearance by Mayhem drummer Hellhammer (who has also played with Dimmu).

Equally, if not more appalling, Gorgoroth singer Gaahl (a.k.a. Kristian Espedal) is apparently launching a women's clothing line with modeling agent Dan DeVero, who says the two developed "a close relationship" after they met 18 months ago. "He often told me he had strong feelings for me," DeVero allegedly told iBergen.no.

The pair's company will be called Wynjo, which is an ancient Norse word for -- not Valhalla, not Almighty Satan -- but "the search for happiness." The outfits will be designed by Sonja Wu and will be presented at a preview in Bergen in September. Maybe Shagrath's babe, Fulton, should get Gaahl's peeps to design her a blood-spattered wedding outfit.

So, what does Shaggy's coven think of his dalliances in ladies clothing? "Those who know me in private didn't think it was particularly strange," he told iBergen.No. "I do not care about what people in general think. It's not as if I'm going to change as a person just because suddenly there are some dresses out in the world. Besides, I like confusing people."

Consider us confused... and nauseated.

A decade ago, the black metal scene experienced a period of renaissance and reinvigoration. Emperor had just released the legendary Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk, Immortal was riding the wave of Blizzard Beasts, Dimmu Borgir were getting close to completing the blasphemous Spiritual Black Dimensions and the English lads of Cradle of Filth were about to experience a career breakthrough with Cruelty and the Beast. The speedy, ravaging concept record told the nefarious tale of Elizabeth Bathory, a Hungarian countess in the 16th Century who bathed in the blood of virgin girls to retain her youthful beauty.

Since then, Cradle of Filth have aged, and with the years they've matured, experimenting with tonality and tempo, traveling through various avenues of lyrical darkness, straying further and further from their roots, while keeping a taloned toe or two planted in the murky black metal mist from which they surfaced. And now, 10 years from the release of Cruelty, Cradle are about to play a Cruel trick... Actually, it's more like a treat. The band's yet-untitled, just completed disc is their fastest, heaviest offering since that milestone offering a decade ago. Like Cruelty, it's a genuinely vampiric black metal concept record about a legendary serial killer from the 15th Century. This time, Cradle are chronicling the exploits of Gilles De Rais, a French nobleman who fought alongside Joan of Arc and accumulated great wealth before becoming a satanist, sexual deviant and a murderer.

Headbangersblog.com recently talked with Cradle of Filth frontman Dani "Filth" Davey about the sound of the album, why he decided to to tell the story of De Rais, the band's new drummer Martin Skaroupka, recording in the country with producer Andy Sneap and upcoming tours with Gorgoroth and Satyricon. Davey also filled us in on the song her wrote for Dario Argento's new horror film "Mother of Tears," the horror-themed video he wants to do for the new record and the long-awaited history book he wrote with Gavin Baddeley "Gospel of Filth: A Bible of Decadence and Darkness," which he hopes will be out by Halloween -- around the time the new record drops.

Click more to stream or download the podcast: Read more...