Almost one year ago, Burzum mastermind and convicted murderer Varg Vikernes, along with his wife, Marie Cachet, were arrested on suspicion of planning a "massacre." An investigation found no evidence of a violent plot, but charges were still pressed upon Vikernes for inciting racial hatred and glorifying war crimes. For these charges, the trial of Vikernes began yesterday (June 3) in France.

Vikernes is a celebrated musician for his work with Burzum and Mayhem, but is also vilified for the 1993 stabbing of Mayhem bandmate Øystein 'Euronymous' Aarseth. Euronymous was fatally wounded in the attack after suffering a total of 23 knife wounds. Vikernes has also been found guilty of church arson in his home country of Norway.

For many years, Vikernes has kept a blog on Burzum's official website, penning many extremely dense pieces of writing. Within his writings, however, racist and anti-Semitic values have been shared, along with Vikernes' allegiance with the French National Front. Despite these facts, Vikernes told the French court that he did not pen the racist passages that appeared in the musician's summons.

According to SBS, the Burzum mastermind claimed the misunderstanding could have been brought on by miscommunication between himself and a Danish interpreter when Vikernes was briefly held in custody last year following the initial arrest of himself and his wife. Vikernes added there were "at any given moment, 350 people pretending to be Varg Vikernes on Facebook. Anybody can very easily put up a blog."

According to Lambgoat, if Vikernes is convicted of inciting racial hatred and glorifying war crimes, the musician could face five years in prison along with a fine of roughly $61,000. A verdict in Vikernes' case is expected to be handed down on July 8.

More From Noisecreep