Slagmaur has created an aftermovie for the social and artistic experiment surrounding the new album Hulders Ritualet. Here is The Great Deception:
Slagmaur bandleader General Gribbsphiiser has announced that the reports about the disappearance of himself and Thorns mastermind Snorre Ruch are not real, but part of an social and artistic experiment. The experiment relates to the forthcoming new album by the band: Hulders Ritualet. Zware Metalen was aware of the stunt from the outset and has been in close contact with General Gribbsphiiser over the past few days. All the ‘articles’ have now appeared on the fake website Fosen Folket.
Statement by General Gribbsphiiser:
Slagmaur’s Hulders Ritual draws heavily from old Norwegian folklore about being bergtatt — abducted by the hidden folk.
You have just witnessed an artistic experiment wrapped inside a true-crime mystery, born from an operation that has been in planning for six years.
This has also been a social experiment.
In an age where fake news is more relevant than ever, the time was right to let one of the central elements of Hulders Ritual come to life as an illusion — a piece of stage magic designed to test both perception and storytelling.
It is not just a promotional trick; it is a part of the product itself, and an essential piece of the experience of the entire release.
It has also been a study in literature and psychology — how a master stage magician constructs an illusion, and how the human mind interprets a perfectly engineered trick.
We also wanted to show that in a world dominated by artificial intelligence, human creativity still reigns supreme.
This stunt stands as proof of that, and we hope it will inspire future generations to keep alive a genre that too often becomes streamlined and domesticated.
We’re not getting any younger, and many of you — just like us — have dedicated large parts of your lives to one thing: black metal.
When Operation Master of Deceptions went live at 17:04 on Thursday, it exploded virally across the world. With millions of views and tens of thousands engaged users on our site within hours.
A massive thank-you to Fosen Fire & Rescue, the Norwegian Civil Defence, and the Red Cross, who provided resources and volunteered during parts of this production — much of it during Hurricane Amy and the extreme weather that followed.
We also extend a big thanks to everyone in the know who managed to keep the lid on this story for so long.
A special thank-you goes to our fans — and an even bigger one to the haters who couldn’t keep their mouths shut.
Every meltdown, every angry rant, every “I figured it out” post did exactly what we wanted — it fed the machine.
Your outrage carried our story further than any paid promotion ever could.
You tried to ruin the ritual, but instead you became the ritual.
Thank you for being part of the greatest black metal social experiment ever —and the most successful musical promotion campaign of the 21st century.
– General Gribbsphiiser
[15-11-2025, 17:23h]:
The reporter and photographer from Fosen Folket travel through the area where the black metal musicians and the elderly woman have gone missing and arrive at the farm of the cousins Svein Arve Fjellheim and Sindre: “It smells like burnt meat.”
The bachelors stood ready with both a pitchfork and a chainsaw when we arrived; we asked for an atmospheric photo and were granted one
The reporter and photographer from Fosen Folket arrive just as dusk is settling over the last farm before the road connection to Tussbotna ends. After a pleasant conversation with Ronny and Sverre, we were told that we would likely encounter a couple of unusual fellows at the end of the road. And so it happened.
We drive up the unforgiving farm road. Here, the cousins Svein Arve Fjellheim and Sindre share the farm work, and when we arrive, they are busy burning brushwood and cleaning up after Thursday’s storm. “It smells very strongly of bacon here,” photographer Gudrun Nesum observes. “Yes, no wonder,” says Svein Arve with a laugh. “There was a full moon recently, and we slaughtered two pigs at that time. Together with the fallen trees after the hurricane, we’re also burning the remains of the pigs. There’s an old farmer’s rule that scalding goes better when the air pressure is stable and dry, something that statistically occurs more often around clear nights, which in turn typically happen during a full moon. This practice has been upheld on most Norwegian farms since ancient times.”
“Is there any news about the missing people?” Sindre asks. We say there isn’t, and we continue asking whether they’ve seen or heard anything. “No, here on the farm we’ve only heard P1 on the radio and animals in the forest. People rarely come out here. Sometimes Fosen Kraft comes along the farm road and walks up the cattle trail to Torsenget when they need to inspect the dam at Teksdalen. Otherwise, there are few people—just the way we like it,” the bachelors emphasize.
When they ask about our purpose, we explain that we are working on an investigative article about the missing persons and are on our way to Tussbotna to search for clues, since we won’t be given access to Torsenget after someone from the Red Cross fell through the basement stairs and the house reportedly has moving walls and is rigged with traps. The men also do not want to say anything about the woman in Torsenget, but they stress that she is old and that the area being searched is large.
The escape story from Austrått
It was in these areas that the Serbian prisoners who built the Austrått fort and were held in concentration camps on Ørlandet hid when they fled. Some were housed in Tussbotna and others in Rødsjøen. This was in 1943, when the Serbian Cabin (Serberhytta) was built at Rødsjøen. Here, the Serbian prisoners were to wait until the snow melted so they could continue on to Sweden.
The escape from the Austrått camp
In the winter of 1942–43, a group of Yugoslav prisoners of war decided to escape from the Austrått camp on Ørlandet. Among them was the Serb Miladin Jovanovic, sentenced to death both in his home country and in Norway, who had gained knowledge and allies in the camp. Late in the Easter holidays of 1943 they broke out under the cover of working hours, crossed barbed-wire fences, and left the camp into the forest before the Germans could react.
Route, terrain and direction
The group fled via forest paths and small farm roads, avoiding the major roads used by German patrols. They entered the dense forest and marshlands on the west side of the Stjørnfjord, heading toward Rødsjøen. In one area they remained in the marsh (Rusasetellet); in other areas they followed grazing land. Several times they hid in hay on farmyards or behind truck tarps when a vehicle passed.
Eventually, they reached Gjølgavatnet and Krinsvatnet. The terrain was hilly forest and mountain landscape. From there, they continued toward Rødsjøen, following trails into the highlands (Rødsjøheia). They followed a north–northeast direction, parallel to the county roads, but always in blind zones—about 40–50 kilometers through challenging terrain.
Hideouts and helpers
Along the route, the prisoners were received by resistance members and local farmers.
At the Austrått farm, tenant Kåre Nesset provided them with food and information. Near Rødsjøen they were hidden by crofters and smallholders, including around Gjølgavatnet and Krinsvatnet. Local families such as the Rødsjø family were among the most important helpers. In Nyjord and Høybakken, farmers were also ready with shelter.
The main base was the Serbian Cabin, built in 1943 as a hideout for the refugees—a simple 3×4 meter log cabin, hidden in steep terrain.
The killing at the Serbian Cabin
At the end of April 1943, the prisoners had gathered in the cabin. Then arrived Dragutin Lazić, seemingly a fellow fugitive but in reality a German informant. His suggestion to contact the Germans aroused their suspicion. A security council was held, and Lazić was lured out of the cabin and shot in the forest—an internal reckoning before the escape continued. In mid-May, the group left the area, accompanied by twelve Norwegian guides who led them a good stretch toward Sweden.
The unknown fates
Of the 72 who escaped, 16 reached Sweden. 56 were captured and executed.
A few may have perished in the terrain without their names being known—fates that remain unclear in local history.
We are invited in for coffee, but the sharp smell of burnt meat makes us prefer to move on.
We politely ask whether we may park our retro car—an old Beetle—on the farmyard before continuing on foot. The men confirm that this is no problem, and they wish us a pleasant journey further into the forest to the last farm, which is run by Isabel, who travels to the mountain farm by crosskart.
[15-11-2025, 15:39h]:
While the search for Snorre Ruch and Rune Krieghr Røstad continues, the newspaper Fosen Folket is now publishing an interview with local farmer Ronny Sørstø, who lives near the Varghiets forests.
“It was my great fortune that I managed to capture the old woman and the children before I took over the farm,” says Ronny. This man is clearly deeply intertwined with the history and legends that live in this forest. He remains somewhat vague when it comes to the missing woman, but he mainly hopes that the missing persons are found safe and sound and that it doesn’t turn into yet another tragedy. The forest has historically given rise to all sorts of stories and legends about witches, ghosts, and werewolves, including the old lady with the axe in Haugsdalen.
You can read the full interview with Sørstø here.
[15-11-2025. 15:13 uur]:
It has now been 28 hours since the disappearance of Snorre Ruch (Thorns) and Rune Krieghr Røstad (Slagmaur) in a remote area of Fosen, Norway. The volunteer search teams, who had retreated, terrified and anxious due to their experiences on the road (see previous post), are now being replaced by new reinforcements from Ytre Fosen. Despite the difficult conditions (it’s now snowing in the region), the search continues without delay.
[15-11-2025. 10:05 uur]:
The search for missing black metal musicians Snorre Ruch and Rune Krieghr Røstad, who disappeared on Thursday in the Fosen area (Trøndelag region) in Norway, still continues, but rescuers are faced with increasingly disturbing discoveries.
Yesterday, we reported about an accident involving a rescue worker who fell down a basement staircase (in the home of the third missing person, a 94-year-old woman) and sustained serious injuries. At the time, it was suspected that a deliberately set trap was involved. Meanwhile, the possibility that the house is completely filled with booby traps is seriously being considered. The fact that the elderly woman has been identified as suspicious (or even a suspect) in the reports is now also evident from a new report about “small, narrow footprints of a barefoot woman” in the snow in front of the house’s porch. This strange sighting took a gruesome turn when it turned out that “when the crew began following the tracks of the house, the pattern changed: the footprints lost their direction, turned around, and apparently began following the search party’s own tracks.”
A local hunter compared this to a predator of the woods: “If you hunt lynx, you might eventually find yourself being hunted.” The consequence of these strange and frightening discoveries is that several volunteers from Trondheim withdrew from the search on Friday evening. Darkness, cold, and snow in the region, as well as the house’s remote location, are making the work very difficult.
You can read the original article here.
[15-11-2025, 01:08h]:
More details are emerging about the Red Cross rescue worker who was injured during the search for Sonne Ruch and Rune Krieghr Røstad. The volunteer fell down a cellar staircase that was suspected to have been set up as a trap. The incident is causing delays in the search operation.
On Thursday evening, police received a report that a third person was missing on a remote site in the mountain areas outside Fosen. According to the police, after someone was injured at the location, a report was made about unusual circumstances at the house. Witnesses spoke of a strong smell of sulphur and it was suggested that the house might have been booby-trapped. This information led the search operation to be put on high alert.
Around four o’clock on Thursday, Red Cross rescuers were the first team to respond after the report of the first two missing persons. The team members followed the specified route from Teksdalen via Tyssbotn and further up towards Torsvika. Around 23:00, the first team arrived at the house where the missing persons were presumed to be. At the same time, the police received notification that another person was missing. During the search of the house, a Red Cross volunteer fell through a cellar staircase, which was suspected to have been set up as a trap, and was injured.
The injured volunteer received immediate first aid on the spot and was evacuated from the area. Following the incident, incident commander Rasmus Lein from the Fosen fire and rescue service stated that the police immediately cordoned off the house as a suspected crime scene: “The area has been sealed off so that unauthorised persons cannot enter and so that we can work safely. The cordon serves a dual purpose: it protects potential evidence and ensures the safety of everyone involved.”
The incident commander also reported that team members noticed a strong smell of sulphur in the area and withdrew for a safety assessment. According to the guidelines of the Directorate of Health, the danger must be identified and the incident secured before the operation is continued, Lein emphasises.
Accident with a trap during the search operation
On Friday evening at 22:30, the Red Cross team reported that a volunteer had been injured during the search. According to incident commander Lein, the search worker fell through an apparently rigged staircase and sustained serious injuries. The team members immediately provided first aid: “Our main objective now is to evacuate the injured person to a safe location and ensure prompt medical treatment,” Lein said. “We follow the standard procedure: no further search is carried out until the patient has been helped,” he added.
The trauma helicopter SAR Queen was called in immediately, but could not take off due to bad weather conditions and low-lying clouds. The team members therefore evacuated the patient with a new Red Cross team. The incident commander describes the situation as critical and says that the search teams are now being redeployed following the news of the third missing person.
Difficult terrain delays the operation
The operation is much tougher than a normal search mission. The house is situated on a mountain plateau, about a two-hour walk from the nearest road. District chief of the Red Cross, Arnulf Berdal, describes the path as rough and exposed: “Such distances mean that it takes us much more time than usual to reach the location.”
Principles of police action
Norwegian police and rescue services have clear rules for such situations. Since the introduction of the Police Emergency Plan System (PBS) and national guidelines for search operations, there is a strong focus on tactical planning and cooperation between the police, fire brigade, and emergency services. “The principle of ‘safety first’ absolutely applies,” says incident commander Lein. “The area must be safe before volunteers can go back in. We are waiting for the explosives experts before resuming the search.” He emphasises that the police are following the national guidelines, whereby the police, fire brigade, and medical staff work closely together in such operations.
[14-11-2025, 23:01h]:
A rescue worker has been injured after a fall in the home of the woman who, like Snorre Ruch and Rune Krieghr Røstad, is missing. The accident occurred during the night-time search for the missing persons in the mountain massif at Fosen, when the Red Cross team entered an old farmstead owned by the elderly woman.
A rescue worker who was injured during the search operation was removed from the area
The injured person received first aid at the scene, and volunteers from Red Cross Ørland evacuated the casualty from Elveng, attempting to reach Torsenget with a quad bike. “We are heading into the night with great concern,” said incident commander Rasmus Lein, “because we now have three missing persons and one injured, and bad weather is forecast.” Winds of up to 30 metres per second are expected at Fosen, with snow forecast from 300 metres altitude, which will persist heavily throughout the night.
The rescue worker who was injured was evacuated during the night-time search operation
When the rescue teams returned to the assembly point, they were clearly marked by the hours spent in the challenging terrain. The tired SAR group coming down from Torsenget appeared both exhausted and deeply affected by the events that had unfolded in the area during the evening.
The search was called off last night, but resumed early this morning. The fire brigade has secured the farmstead, which is described as challenging and is now being treated as a crime scene.
[14-11-2025, 21:04h]:
The Curse of Varghiet – Dark Tales from One of Norway’s Most Mysterious Forests
According to Tore Melhus – owner of the largest farm in the area where black metal musicians Snorre Ruch and Rune Krieghr Røstad, as well as a 94-year-old woman, have gone missing – an ancient curse lies upon the land. Melhus himself grew up with centuries-old stories and believes that the forest bears the traces of tragedies, legends and inexplicable events dating back to the 19th century. An overview.
Ifølge Tore Melhus
The Angel Makers – A Dark Chapter in Local History
An Angel Maker was a term for women who, for payment, took in children to care for them, but in reality neglected or even killed the children – often to be able to take in new children and thus maintain their income. Many of these cases only came to light after multiple deaths had occurred.
In Varghiet, the concept is linked to the infamous Stinus farm, which for a long time was known locally as one of the places where child murder by such Angel Makers took place. Stories of screaming at night, inexplicable noises and childlike figures in the mist have marked the area for generations.
The American Commandos – A Night in the Terryfying Forest
In the late 1960s, a group of American commandos – Vietnam veterans – were said to have parachuted over Varghiet as part of survival training. Unaware of the stories surrounding the Stinus farm, they set up camp nearby, ready for a night in the wilderness.
However, they were not prepared for the sounds. The soldiers later recounted that during the night they heard children’s voices in the forest. Children rattling chains and touching the tents, yet in the snow around the camp they found no trace at all.
Fear took over and the entire team fled in panic through the forest, seeking shelter at a nearby farm. The farmer – who had not been informed about the exercise and did not understand the language of the strange men – sat that night in his living room with his shotgun at the ready, which did little to improve the soldiers’ experience as they begged for help and shelter.
Poltergeist Phenomena and a Forest That Is Never Silent
Melhus says this is just one of many similar stories. Varghiet is also the place where one of Norway’s earliest documented poltergeist incidents was recorded. Over the years, farmers and hunters have reported sightings of figures among the trees, the sounds of children’s laughter, knocking in empty houses and strange lights moving along the edge of the forest.
The Missing Persons and Melhus’ Role in the Current Search
Melhus knows the missing people now being searched for in the area. Only a week ago, they had stopped by his farm to ask for directions and the way forward. He is closely following developments and, together with his wife, has offered warmth and accommodation to the search team – entirely in line with the well-known hospitality and community spirit of the couple.
Arnfinn Nesset – Childhood in the Forests of Varghiet
The award-winning documentary ‘Poison Killer from Orkdal’ by Fredrik Horn Akselsen is partly about Arnfinn Nesset: one of Norway’s most discussed murder cases. Nesset, who was convicted of murdering multiple patients at the Orkdal Health Centre, is said to have grown up in the forests of Varghiet, in a place locally known as Helvete.
According to court records, Nesset wrote in several letters that he heard voices from Varghiet. Voices that he claimed had called to him during his youth.
Varghiet has a rich history of superstition
A Place That Won’t Let You Go
For Tore Melhus, Varghiet is home, work and history. He does not deny the forest’s dark past, but lives alongside it – just as generations before him have done. The curse may not be something you can prove, he says, but it is certainly something that many people feel.
[14-11-2025, 17:56h]:
The mother of the missing Rune Krieghr Røstad has expressed her deep concern after a third person was reported missing in connection with the search operation that began on Thursday. The third missing person is a 94-year-old woman with whom her son, according to the mother, previously had a troubled relationship.
In an interview with the local newspaper Fosen Folket, Rita Isabel Røstad said that her son told her he and a friend were heading into the mountains to photograph the woman’s house, either for an album cover or an art project. “I didn’t like the idea, but he’s an adventurer and not used to listening to advice.”
She describes her relationship with her son as close and strong, and says her anxiety stems from earlier experiences with the elderly woman. “When Rune was seven years old, we visited friends with a cabin near Teksdalsvannet. That’s when this woman frightened him and he ran off into the woods. This made a deep impression on him at the time and later greatly influenced his artistic expressions. He is now a professional photographer and musician and much of his work bears traces of his childhood memories.”
According to Røstad, both she and her son’s father reported the incident to the police at the time, but the case was dismissed. Later, her son himself was sued by the now missing woman when he caricatured her on an album cover. The artist was charged with defamation by the woman, although neither her name nor likeness appeared in the image. The photo was taken in a reconstructed studio and models were used. Still, after reading a review of the album in the local newspaper, the woman felt it was about her. This led to a lawsuit against Slagmaur, but that case was also dismissed.
The cover of the Slagmaur album Thill Smitts Terror
The incident from Rune Krieghr’s childhood left such an impression that he continued to carry it with him and use it in his artistic work and lyrics, which did not directly reference the incident, but were loosely based on the woman and village gossip. The woman who is now missing is known as a mysterious figure, living on one of the most inaccessible farms in Fosen. That’s where the two musicians wanted to go to take photos.
Now that the woman is also missing, mother Røstad is worried about all three. “Perhaps the woman was startled and fled into the woods when the boys arrived? She is old, and I am concerned for the health of everyone involved and hope the rescue workers do their utmost to find them. In hindsight, maybe I should have protested more against this ‘stunt’ they wanted to pull. At the same time, my son is an adult and I could not have foreseen that things would get so out of hand.”
For now, it remains unclear what has happened to the three missing people. The police in Innlandet confirm that the search operation has the highest priority, but do not wish to say whether the mother’s information is steering the investigation in a different direction. The search team still has not found any clear traces of Rune, Snorre, or the elderly woman.
Although the details of the current case are still unclear, more old stories are now emerging about the 94-year-old woman. She has previously been linked to strange incidents involving children in the region. In 2003, she was accused by a family with a cabin at Torsenget, who claimed she had scared their children. According to the indictment, she hung upside down by her feet from the ridge of the cabin and knocked on the window where the children were sleeping. The family described the children as terrified and said they later decided to sell the cabin because of the incident. The case went to court, but the woman was acquitted. The judge noted that she was about 70 years old at the time, and that it seemed unlikely a woman of that age would be physically capable of such a feat.
The stories about the woman, known as the great cabin terror, have been the subject of local tales in the area for years. Many people who heard about the case at the time remember it as something of a nightmare. The woman herself has always denied any wrongdoing. Her defence argued that the children had probably already heard scary stories about her, and that they may in fact have dreamed parts of the incident. The defence also pointed out that the woman usually stayed indoors at night and rarely ventured into the forest.
[14-11-2025, 12:33h]:
Things are going from bad to worse during the search for missing black metal musicians Snorre Ruch and Rune Krieghr Røstad. Last night, a Red Cross rescue worker was injured in a fall at the home of the elderly woman who was also reported missing yesterday.
Meanwhile, weather conditions in the region have deteriorated significantly. Heavy snowfall is expected.
[14-11-2025, 00:08h]:
In the area where black metal musicians Snorre Ruch and Rune Krieghr have been reported missing, a third person is now also listed as missing: a woman. The police confirm that the search operation has been expanded and that the task force in the Storheia area has been significantly reinforced. With three missing persons, the situation has reached a critical phase, according to the leader of the task force responsible for the rescue operation. He indicates that new search teams have joined, searching in various areas. The conditions are demanding.
The search is taking place in and around Torsenget, one of the most remote areas in the Fosen district. The terrain is steep and difficult to traverse, and the weather is unstable. The search began on Thursday evening in dense fog, but as the evening progressed, the wind increased significantly. Temperatures have also dropped. According to rescue personnel, rapid weather changes at high altitudes are not uncommon at this time of year. It is technically challenging to navigate, and the unit is now working with shorter rotations and close coordination.
The original search team is now being expanded and several new resources have been deployed. The police are working together with the rescue service and volunteer organisations to cover a larger area than before. “Up until now, we had limited resources. With three missing persons, we must take decisive action, and that’s what we’re doing,” said the incident commander. The public is asked to stay away from the search areas and to contact the police if they see anything.
[13-11-2025]:
According to the website of the local Norwegian newspaper Fosen Folket, black metal pioneer Snorre Ruch (Thorns) and his good friend Rune Krieghr Røstad (a.k.a. General Gribbsphiiser, guitar and bass player in Slagmaur) have been reported as missing. On Tuesday, Røstad shared a picture of himself and Ruch on his Facebook page, not long before leaving on their “boys’ hike and a night under open skies in Varghiet forests”. Nothing more was heard of them since.
It is currently unclear which route the two black metal musicians took or what exactly went wrong. The Varghiet forests are located in Fosen, a district in the Trøndelag province of central Norway. According to local police, the accessibility of the area is very poor. A first search patrol is on its way to the location where Ruch and Røstad disappeared. At this moment, a storm is reportedly also heading towards the area, which may further complicate the search. Meanwhile, the police have already distributed photos and descriptions of the two men.
Snorre W. Ruch (left) and Rune Krieghr Røstad
Cult band Thorns released only one full-length album (Thorns, in 2001), but belonged to the ‘inner circle’ of the second wave of black metal in the early ’90s and should be considered particularly influential during the genre’s early days. Snorre Ruch (also known as Blackthorn) was also briefly active as a guitarist with Mayhem and as a guest guitarist with Satyricon. Slagmaur played a live gig last year at Unholy Congregation in Oudenaarde (Belgium), where they made a big impression with their shocking ‘Execution Show’.”
We are closely following the situation and the course of events in Norway. We hope (along with you, no doubt) for a positive outcome and will try to keep you informed as frequently as possible through our website.
The original message (in Norwegian – using Google Translate is therefore essential) about the disappearance can be found here.