Ex-GORGOROTH Singer's Involvement With Musical In Jeopardy Amid Church-Burning Controversy

The artistic director of Den Nationale Scene (DNS),the renowned Norwegian theater where Kristian "Gaahl" Espedal (GORGOROTH, GOD SEED, TRELLDOM) is set to make his musical debut this May, is reconsidering his decision to cast the former black metal vocalist for the upcoming "Svartediket" production.

Bjarte Hjelmeland is under pressure from both the clergy and the director of at Festspillene i Bergen (Bergen International Festival),the annual international music and cultural festival where the "first-ever black metal musical" is set to receive its premiere, because Gaahl has once again made it clear that he supports and condones the church burnings associated with the early Norwegian black metal scene.

When asked in the 2005 documentary "Metal: A Headbanger's Journey" for his thoughts on the church burnings, Gaahl replied, "Church burnings are, of course, a thing that I support one hundred percent. It should have been done much more, and will be done much more in the future. We have to remove every trace from what Christianity, and the semitic roots, have to offer this world."

After Gaahl's involvement with the "Svartediket" musical was made official this week, the former GORGOROTH frontman once again reiterated that he views church burning as OK.

"I have left my past behind, but I still have an anti-Christian attitude," Gaahl told the Bergens Tidende newspaper. "Christianity has no place in this country. As long as the church has the power it has and supports oppression, we shouldn't give the church any sympathy. Therefore I don't think it's wrong if it (church burning) happens again. The symbolic value of burning down churches is important."

Hjelmeland says he will travel to Oslo to have "a long talk" with Gaahl about his statements to the media before making a decision on whether to allow the singer to stay involved with the musical.

"It is important, both for me personally and on behalf of DNS, to completely distance ourselves from the attitudes Gaahl has expressed in the Bergens Tidende interview," Hjelmeland says. "My beliefs are diametrically opposed to his. I pretty much grew up in church and consider myself a Christian. But I do not automatically dismiss people whose views I do not agree with.

"I was not familiar with Kristian's past when I hired him to do 'Svartediket'. And I could not possibly have known that he would come out and publicly support these serious crimes. But the matter is not simple. We find ourselves in an ethical gray zone. It is difficult to invoke freedom of speech to defend Gaahl if his statements to Bergens Tidende can be interpreted as an incitement to criminal acts."

"Svartediket" is based on the concept album of the same name which was inspired by myths and legends of the lake Svartediket, located outside of Bergen, Norway.

Norwegian media coverage of the latest Gaahl controversy: