Svartediket (World's first black metal musical)

I have never liked black metal music, it's just not my cup of tea. Yet two nights ago I went to see the world's first black metal musical.
AMAZING!! I was so impressed! And the music wasn't bad. Of course it wasn't legit black metal but close.
What intrigued me the most was the story. It is sickening, dark, mysterious, and true. And it takes place here in Bergen, the city in which I am living in.
Svartediket literally means, black gulch. It is a lake that lies in between two out of the seven mountains surrounding Bergen, and is the city's main water supply.

This is a blurb I found about Svartediket: "Not since the Black plague(“Svartedauden”) in 1349 sailed into the harbor of Bergen, a new black plague shall be spread in Europe. The Norwegian black metal capitol Bergen has with great success been hiding for its tourists the fact that the towns drinking water Svartediket(”Blackgulch”) is the “golden gate” for suicides.

In 2006 a local plague broke out and over 1000 people got very sick. The local authorities told the citizens that it was bacteria called ‘Giardia’ that they had found in the drinking water of Svartediket. Desperately they tried to hide the fact that this bacteria is caused by decaying of corpses.

The citizens of Bergen have been ‘Drinking the dead’ for a long time and its the main inspiration behind SVARTEDIKET...a true norwegian black metal musical. Historical evidence indicate that until late 18th-century they used to drown unwanted children in the water. With this grim plot in their minds Arild Brakstad and Arne Longvastøl in 2005 set out to make a project that could challenge both the theater and Black metal scene.

Having the ambition to rise above local theater scene the artist found as they ‘drowned” themselves into the making of Svartediket that the story had profound parallel’s with japanese horror style and also could give an deeper explanation to where all this black metal kids from Bergen has risen from (....the dead)" (www.myspace.com/svartediketmusical).

Luckily, the water I drink at home does not come from Svartediket, but I am disgustedly sure that I have drunk dead body water while here in Bergen. No, just kidding, the outbreak was caused by fecal contamination of Svartediket due to elevated water consumption. The myth about drinking the dead just adds more darkness to the story.

Here are a few videos I found on youtube:




The soundtrack is also really good. Of course it is black metal inspired so if you do not like that type of music I wouldn't recommend it. But if you are open minded then check it out! There are actually some very beautiful songs if you listen to all 17 tracks. I recommend it to those looking for something a little different, especially vocally. If you can get by them you will find some very good folk music too.
What I thought was cool was that a very well known Norwegian vocalist was in the musical as well. He is known as Gaahl from the black metal band Gorgoroth, based here in Bergen. So when he sang, it was really creepy and impressive at the same time. His scream gives goosebumps. This is how he would perform with Gorgoroth and then how he looks like in the musical as Heimdall, an æsir god in Norse mythology.


The next video is a song by Gorgoroth, I warn all readers/viewers that it is explicit/uncensored. I only upload it to offer you something new and so you can hear his creepy voice!


I will probably have the chance to see Vibeke this week, the actress who plays Aslla in the musical! She is a good friend of Anna, my host mom.
This is her normally and also how she looks like in the musical. She did an amazing job at altering her voice for the songs.



I want to do more research on Svartediket and the true story behind the plot of the musical. The plot rises from some old diaries found in Pennsylvania which describe the true happenings that took place in those times. I will write more about it later, as I am deeply intrigued and disturbed about the actual history behind Svartediket.

I will also take a hike up to the lake within the next few weeks. My friends and I have even talked about maybe camping up there one night So we will see if that plan ever carries out...
Until next time! Hadet!