Varg Vikernes
Norwegian black metal musician
Louis Cachet (born Kristian Vikernes; 11 February 1973), better known as Varg Vikernes (Norwegian: [ˈvɑrɡ ˈvìːkəɳeːs]), is a Norwegian musician, neo-Nazi, and convicted murderer. He released five albums under the name Burzum between 1992 and 1996, making him an influential figure in the early Norwegian black metal scene and its offshoot National Socialist black metal (NSBM). In May 1994, Vikernes was convicted of first-degree murder for the fatal stabbing of guitarist Øystein "Euronymous" Aarseth. He was also convicted of arson for the burning of four Christian churches in Norway. Vikernes was sentenced to 21 years in prison, and was released after having served 15 years.
A native of Fana in Bergen Municipality, Vikernes went on to join the band Old Funeral, in which he played guitar from 1989 until his departure in 1991. He recorded multiple tracks with the band, which were featured on the Devoured Carcass EP, as well as various compilation albums released years later. In 1992–1993, he also recorded bass for Mayhem's debut studio album De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas (1994).
In 1992, Vikernes, along with other members of the scene, was suspected of burning down four Christian churches in Norway. In August 1993, he fatally stabbed Mayhem guitarist Aarseth during an altercation at the latter's apartment, and was arrested shortly after.
“Varg Vikernes” enters the record as norwegian black metal musician. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Varg, Vikernes and Norwegian can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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Biographical claims are most persuasive when dates, appointments and relationships can be traced to records created close to the events described. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 20, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q207824. VIAF identifies the subject as 19442050. The Library of Congress control number is no2006114598. 3 of 4 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1973, 1992, 1996 and 1994.
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This entry incorporates text from “Varg Vikernes” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.