Norwegian black metal artists behind elaborate missing persons hoax

Two prominent figures in Norway’s black metal scene appear to have orchestrated an elaborate hoax involving fake missing persons reports, seemingly designed to generate buzz for an upcoming musical collaboration.

Snorre W. Ruch, the creative force behind influential black metal project Thorns, and Rune “General Gribbsphiiser” Røstad of Slagmaur, were the subjects of fabricated reports claiming the musicians had gone missing. The reports circulated through a website designed to mimic fosna-folket.no, a legitimate local news outlet serving the region.

Careful observers noted discrepancies in the fake site’s URL and content that revealed the reports to be manufactured. The elaborate ruse appears to have been created by Ruch and Røstad themselves probably as an unconventional promotional campaign for a Thorns/Slagmaur collaboration project. Or perphas some new music!

Neither artist has officially commented on the hoax at the time of publication. The legitimate fosna-folket.no website has not covered any actual missing persons cases involving the musicians.

The stunt fits within black metal’s long tradition of controversial publicity tactics and boundary-pushing behavior. Ruch himself has a complex history in the Norwegian black metal scene, having been a key figure in the genre’s second wave during the early 1990s.

While the hoax may generate attention for the artists’ upcoming collaboration, it raises questions about the ethics of fabricating missing persons reports—even as obvious fiction. 
Hopefully no one wandered through Norwegian forests in search for these gentlemen…