Do a Google image search for “black metal.”  It’s amazing.  You’ll find longhaired Norwegians and Swedes dipped in corpse paint and exploding with spikes.  You’ll find band logos that look more like a Rorschach test made from Satan’s blood where she nicked her fifth leg shaving in the shower.  This is the most extreme/ridiculous/hilarious form of all metal, and a personal favorite subject of mine to follow.  When you dig a little deeper, however, you find that beyond murders, Satan fawning, and church burnings, some black metal bands also have direct ties to white supremacist groups.  So, when Gaahl, leader of black metal’s most popular band at the moment, Gorgoroth, came out of the closet as a gay man, it turned some inverted crosses right side up.

Being an out gay person in metal is a risky business, maybe just as risky as wearing an outfit consisting of spiked shin guards.  Where do you even find those?  But if you part the brackish waters of metal, you can find some out and proud folks.  Take Rob Halford, for example.  Rob is the front man and falsetto god for one of the most influential power metal acts, Judas Priest.  He came out in 1998 and was still saluted with devil horns around the world.   And look at all this leather. 

 American nu metal act Otep frontwoman, Otep Shamaya, is another example of a LGBT metal figure.  Proclaiming in her lyrics that men are “infectious human waste” is intimate and pretty badass, but, come on…It’s still mallcore nu metal, not black metal.

Why is it so dangerous to be a gay man or woman in black metal over nu metal like Otep or power metal like Judas Priest?  I’m not slagging off the difficulty in being open and out in other genres of metal. Come on, Sebastian Bach of Skid Row wore a shirt that read “AIDS Kills Fags Dead” back in the day of garbage gutter metal and CC Deville. But if Satanism, which much black metal is rooted in, is really all about indulging in any personal desire you wish, what’s the problem?

The answer is complex.  The black metal scene is often too busy brooding over who is more evil than who, and, apparently being gay won’t impress the lads down at the basement metal record store (Helvete Records in Oslo, Norway, that means you).  Also, black metal’s ties to Nazi imagery and white supremacy groups, especially coming from deified black metaller and skinhead flirt, Varg Vikernes, is another inhibitor.  Note: Vikernes is in jail for mudering a black metal peer.  He was also involved in several church burnings across Norway.

Defying these norms and threats of black metal exile, Gaahl of Gorgoroth came out.  I have nothing but respect for Gaahl being open about his sexuality and flirting shamelessly in corpse paint and Norse weaponry. When asked about going public with his homosexuality, Gaahl had this to say:

“Mankind is known to be narrow-minded, so... maybe some [will have a negative reaction]. But I guess it will even out the score in a way. I think it will be positive for some and negative for some. It's always good to have some negative as well. Otherwise you would end up with equality and equality is the worst thing in the world. Equality is stagnation. It doesn't let anything grow. It holds back.”

Indeed, Gaahl is captivating.  Check out this little documentary about him here.  It’s in 5 parts and they are so worth it.  Especially the end of part 5, which has become a prominent cultural meme in the metal community…and he’s just staring.  That’s so metal.

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