"Twilight" Star Jackson Rathbone Signs On For Black Metal Flick

Twilight actor Jackson Rathbone is set to appear in the upcoming film Lords of Chaos, portraying Varg Vikernes, former frontman for Norwegian black metal outfit Burzum.

In Twilight, Rathbone plays Jasper Hale, a vampire with little to no self-control, so his next role should be something of a breeze. Vikernes remains behind bars in a Norwegian prison for the 1993 murder of Mayhem guitarist Oystein Aarseth (a.k.a. Euronymous) as well as the torching of three churches. According to Blabbermouth.net, the film, based on the Michael Moynihan and Didrik Soderlind's book of the same name, will be directed by Sion Sono and center around the black metal subculture of the early 1990s, which sparked a wave of grisly murders and church fires across Norway.

The flick starts production in Norway this September following three years of delays prompted by a lack of funding. Chances are the film will not be getting two thumbs up from Vikernes who, in 2004, took to the Burzum Web site to chide the book's authors.

Calling the book "a pool of mud," Vikernes claimed, "the vast majority of all the statements made in this book are either misinterpretations; taken out of context; misunderstandings; malicious lies made by enemies; a result of ignorance; extreme exaggerations; and/or third-hand information at best. This includes the statements attributed to me.

"This book serves only one single purpose and that is to create a myth around my name and to mystify me," he said. "If that was their objective, they have indeed succeeded with their work. The authors have managed to fill the heads of a generation of metal fans with lies. What could have been a righteous revolt has been made into some pathetic, embarrassing, brain-dead, impotent and traditional poser-culture."

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Song Stories

“Smells Like Teen Spirit”

Nirvana | 1991

"Smells Like Teen Spirit," named after a brand of deodorant marketed to girls, was Kurt Cobain's attempt to "write the ultimate pop song," he said, using the soft-loud dynamic of his favorite band, the Pixies. Cobain "had that dichotomy of punk rage and alienation," the song’s producer, Butch Vig, told Rolling Stone, "but also this vulnerable pop sensibility. In 'Teen Spirit,' a lot of that vulnerability is in the tone of his voice." Sadly, by the time of Nirvana's last U.S. tour, in late '93, Cobain was tortured by the obligation to play "Teen Spirit" every night. "There are many other songs that I have written that are as good, if not better," he claimed.

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