Misanthropy Records

Misanthropy Records was a British record label associated with Burzum’s releases and public presentation. It issued the band’s 1994 album Hvis lyset tar oss, later re-released Burzum’s earlier records on CD, and sold a politically provocative T-shirt produced to Varg Vikernes’s specifications. The surviving references also identify the label as the issuer of an official Burzum biography sheet.

Releases and Distribution

In 1994, Misanthropy Records released Burzum’s CD Hvis lyset tar oss. The label subsequently re-released all of the project’s previous records on CD, extending the circulation of material that had first appeared through other releases and labels. This made Misanthropy more than a one-album outlet: it also handled the later CD availability of Burzum’s earlier catalogue.

Merchandise and Publicity

In early 1997, a new Burzum T-shirt was produced according to Vikernes’s specifications and sold by Misanthropy Records. Its design combined the Burzum logo with an SS death’s-head on the front and the slogan Support Your Local Einsatz-Kommando on the back. An unidentified skinhead modeled the shirt in its advertisement. The imagery brought negative publicity and criticism, although sales were brisk; the account notes that many observers treated it as an attempt to offend and did not realize Vikernes’s commitment to the cause was serious.

Documentary Role

Misanthropy Records also issued an official Burzum biography sheet, cited as the source for material about Vikernes’s recollections of Øystein Aarseth. Together, the releases, merchandise, and biography sheet show the label operating as a channel for Burzum’s recordings and related publicity, including material that carried political associations beyond music.