NORWAY/Darkmoon Faire Realm – Norwegian black metal band Umskiptar have cemented their reputation as one of the world’s most notorious modern black metal bands through brutal, terror-inducing songs as well as scandalous rumors of church burnings and animal sacrifices. In addition to that, all members of the band have reportedly reached the highest level possible on the massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) World of Warcraft (WoW).
“Umskiptar stands for the destruction of the social constructs that you people call ‘society.’ I am a warrior who will raid anywhere, anytime,” said Pain Bafelgor, band/guild leader and self-identified level 90 National Socialist Pagan.
Umskiptar’s live performances are rare, but celebrated within the extreme metal scene for the band’s use of traditional corpse paint, fire breathing, self mutilation and legendary gear. Guitarist Aldor Fjelstad is renowned for his tough-but-fair moderation on a popular WoW message board, and also for his face-melting guitar solos.
“When Umskiptar performs I channel the spirits of the pagan gods that once watched over this land, before our culture was destroyed by the Christians. Umskiptar are one with the true gods of Norway,” Fjelstad told The Hard Times. “It’s the same spirits I felt when I became only the third player in the world to unlock all 2,057 of World of Warcraft’s achievements.”
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Experts agree that Umskiptar’s ability to excel within the world of black metal and World of Warcraft is no coincidence. In a peer-reviewed study published in the science journal FOREST, Dr. Scott D. Hopkins, an expert in the history of black metal as well as avid World of Warcraft player, wrote, “They are both fantasy-based communities overrun with foreign white dudes, so it’s pretty much the exact same thing.”
Photo by Marissa Anderson & Mirinda Moriarty @leeloodallas_multipass