Bård Guldvik "Faust" Eithun (born 21 April 1974) is a Norwegian musician, best known as the drummer of black metal band Emperor. A prominent member of the early Norwegian black metal scene, Eithun was sentenced to 14 years in prison for murder and church arson in 1994. He was released in 2003 and has since continued performing as a drummer for Emperor, Djevel, Blood Tsunami, Aborym and Scum. Eithun won the Norwegian Spellemann Award in the Metal category with Djevel in 2022.
Biography
Early years
Eithun was born on 21 April 1974 in Hedmark. At age sixteen, he moved to Lillehammer and became the drummer of Thorns, then-known as Stigma Diabolicum. Eithun published the underground fanzine Orcustus in the early 1990s. In 1992, he moved to Oslo and started working in Øystein "Euronymous" Aarseth's shop Helvete, having been pen-pals with the Mayhem guitarist since 1987. Eithun joined Emperor as a drummer that same year and became a part of the inner circle of the early Norwegian black metal scene. According to Eithun, while walking home from a pub through the Olympic park, Andreassen drunkenly approached him and solicited him for sex. while also repeatedly stomping on the victim's head. Upon returning to Oslo the following day, he told Aarseth, Varg Vikernes, and a few other members of the black metal scene what he had done. Eithun, Aarseth and Vikernes later burned down Holmenkollen Chapel together. Singer Gaahl, an openly gay member of the Norwegian black metal scene, stated that Eithun was the first person to send him a message of support when he came out.
While incarcerated, Eithun completed two bachelor degrees at the University of Oslo in the history of religions and the history of ideas, in addition to studying a year of E-business at a private school in Oslo.
In 2003, Eithun was released from prison due to good behavior after serving nine years and four months. In later interviews, Eithun has expressed remorse for his actions in the 1990s and called them senseless. Scum released their first album, Gospels for the Sick, in 2005. Eithun joined thrash metal band Blood Tsunami and industrial black metal band Aborym that same year. He released his first album with Aborym as a member the following year, having previously contributed lyrics to the band. Blood Tsunami released their debut album, Thrash Metal, in 2007. Eithun joined punk/metal band Mongo Ninja in 2009 and released three albums with the band before their disbandment in 2012.
In 2013, Eithun returned to Emperor as drummer for the 20th anniversary tour of In the Nightside Eclipse in the summer of 2014, which included a performance at Wacken Open Air. He departed Aborym in 2014 after releasing three studio albums with the band. In 2017, Eithun was announced as the new drummer for black metal band Djevel. On 23 May 2021, Eithun appeared as a guest at Emperor's show at Notodden Theatre marking the 30th anniversary of their formation. In 2022, Djevel won the Norwegian Spellemann Award in the Metal category for the album Tanker som rir natten, released the previous year.
Bibliography
- Orcustus, underground zine published by Eithun in the early 1990s.