Clandestine Blaze

Clandestine Blaze is a one-man Finnish black metal band from Lahti, formed in 1998 by Mikko Aspa. Aspa cites Darkthrone, Burzum, Beherit and Bathory as key influences.[1] Aspa is also currently involved in many other projects, such as Stabat Mater, Creamface, Fleshpress, AM, Grunt, Clinic of Torture, Alchemy of the 20th Century, and Nicole 12.[2]

Clandestine Blaze
Aspa performing as Clandestine Blaze in 2000
Aspa performing as Clandestine Blaze in 2000
Background information
OriginLahti, Finland
GenresBlack metal
Years active1998–present
LabelsEnd All Life
Northern Heritage
MembersMikko Aspa

Aspa is also the owner of Northern Heritage, a record label that has released albums by Baptism, Mgła, Behexen, Deathspell Omega, Drudkh, Hate Forest, Ildjarn, Peste Noire, and Satanic Warmaster, among others.[3] In addition, Aspa is the owner of CF Productions (which produces the pornographic Erotic Perversion magazines and Public Obscenities videos) and Freak Animal Records (a power electronics / noise label).

Clandestine Blaze has performed a few live shows in 2015 and 2016 using a session lineup. With regards to future touring plans, Aspa said: "I won’t even consider any offers beyond the level of Steelfest, which is the best festival I’m currently aware of. I’d prefer small, closed networks completely cut off from the music industry."[4]

Ties to National Socialist black metal

Mikko Aspa is part of the Finnish National Socialist black metal scene, and has expressed racism, antisemitism, white supremacy, and social Darwinism in his lyrics on Clandestine Blaze. His record shop Sarvilevyt, located in Lahti, which is also the base of operations of his labels Northern Heritage and Freak Animal Records, sells records and merchandise from NSBM and RAC artists, as well as neo-Nazi literature. He has also played a benefit concert for Jesse Eppu Torniainen, a leading member of the Finnish branch of the Nordic Resistance Movement who was jailed for killing a passer-by during a far-right rally.[5]

Aspa's band Vapaudenristi also contains racist and antisemitic lyrics, with song titles such as "Veri ja maa" ("Blood and Soil"), "Apinajahti" ("Monkeyhunt") and "Valkoinen kapinahenki" ("White Spirit of Rebellion"). In a 2015 interview with Swedish neo-nazi magazine Midgård, Aspa said: "Most of my lyrics are about my world view. Some of them are straight forward, others more symbolic. I am not dogmatic when it comes to politics. I am against globalization, rootless alienation, uncontrolled invasion of populations, Marxist disorder and Zionist influence."[5]

Aspa's power electronics project Nicole 12 has also been controversial for its themes of sexual predation. The cover of the Nicole 12 album Substitute appears to depict a nude photograph of an underage girl; while Aspa acknowledged that it is the project's "most controversial" cover, he claims that the image is actually of a 27-year-old woman but heavily distorted so that listeners "feel as if they are doing something wrong."[4]

Various bands that have been signed to Northern Heritage or have collaborated with Aspa in some form have been heavily scrutinized for being associated with him, most notably Mgła, Deathspell Omega and Dominick Fernow.[6][7]

Members
  • Mikko Aspa – all instruments, vocals (1998–present)

Live musicians
  • Michał Stępień – bass (2015–2016)
  • Maciej Kowalski – drums (2015–2016)
  • Mikołaj Żentara – guitar (2015–2016)
  • Piotr Dziemski – guitar (2015–2016)

Discography

Demos
  • Promo '98 (1998)
  • There Comes the Day... (Northern Heritage, 2001)
  • Below the Surface of Cold Earth (Northern Heritage, 2002)
  • Blood and Cum (Northern Heritage, 2002)
  • Goat - Creative Alienation (Northern Heritage, 2002)

Albums
  • Fire Burns in Our Hearts (Blackmetal.com / Northern Heritage, 1999)
  • Night of the Unholy Flames (Northern Heritage / End All Life, 2000)
  • Fist of the Northern Destroyer (Northern Heritage / End All Life, 2002)
  • Deliverers of Faith (Northern Heritage, 2004)
  • Church of Atrocity (Northern Heritage, 2006)
  • Falling Monuments (Northern Heritage, 2010)
  • Harmony of Struggle (Northern Heritage, 2013)
  • New Golgotha Rising (Northern Heritage, 2015)
  • City of Slaughter (Northern Heritage, 2017)
  • Tranquility of Death (Northern Heritage, 2018)
  • Secrets of Laceration (Northern Heritage, 2021)
  • Resacralize the Unknown (Northern Heritage, 2023)

Split albums and EPs

Compilations
  • Archive Volume 1 (Northern Heritage, 2008)
  • Archive Volume 2 (Northern Heritage, 2008)
  • Archive Volume 3 (Northern Heritage, 2008)

References
  1. Interview with Chronicles of Chaos
  2. Clandestine Blaze biography @ MusicMight Archived March 3, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
  3. "Northern Heritage". Discogs. Retrieved 2006-12-19.
  4. "Clandestine Blaze|Nicole 12 interview". Bardo Methodology. 2022-09-21. Retrieved 2023-07-24.
  5. "The influencers of the Finnish NS music scene part 3: Mikko Aspa of Northern Heritage, Clandestine Blaze, Vapaudenristi & Sarvilevyt". Varisverkosto. Retrieved 2019-03-19.
  6. "Two Mgła Shows Have Been Canceled Amidst Ties to NSBM". MetalSucks. 30 April 2019. Retrieved 2019-04-30.
  7. "The Quietus | News | Questions Raised Over Dominick Fernow's Collaborations". The Quietus. Retrieved 2023-07-24.
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