Where Dead Guitarists Lie

Metalhead as I am, I suppose I do have to comment on the suicide of Dissection's Jon Nötveidt. Scarcely the first -- or most important -- black metal persona to end himself, Nötveidt does have the distinction of being the only major character in black metal history so far to have a murder AND a suicide under his belt. But while the man did seem like an asshole even by black metal standards, I do give him credit for never corpsepainting himself or taking on a goofy pseudonym; Jon Nötveidt is a pretty great name, though not quite as good as Øystein Aarseth.

Now, notably I'm not really that much of a Dissection fan. They're good and everything, I just never got particularly into them. But, I do have opinions on the death itself. Many -- possibly including himself -- have purported that he ended his life in the fashion of a "true Satanist," at the time when his "power" was at its height and he had achieved everything he sought to achieve. Now, I don't know if this is really how a true Satanist should act, or indeed if this is actually how he was acting/thinking as he slew himself. I do know, however, that Satanism is, in general, tacky and pretentious, and that is exactly the way this whole thing seems. A true Satanist kills himself/herself and then makes a big deal about being a true Satanist.