Clandestine Blaze is a one-man

black metal Black metal is an extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include Tempo#Beats per minute, fast tempos, a Screaming (music)#Black metal, shrieking vocal style, heavily distorted Electric guitar, guitars played with t ...

band formed by Mikko Aspa in Lahti, Finland in 1998. Aspa cites

Darkthrone Darkthrone is a Norwegian extreme metal band from Kolbotn, Akershus. Formed in 1986 as a death metal band named Black Death, in 1991 Darkthrone embraced a black metal style influenced by Bathory and Celtic Frost and became one of the leadin ...

Burzum Burzum (; ) was a Norwegian music project founded by Varg Vikernes in 1991. Although Burzum never played live performances, it became a part of the early Norwegian black metal scene and is considered one of the most influential acts in black m ...

, Beherit, and Bathory as key influences.Interview with Chronicles of Chaos
/ref> Aspa is also currently involved in many other projects, such as

Stabat Mater The Stabat Mater is a 13th-century Christian hymn to Mary, which portrays her suffering as Jesus Christ's mother during his crucifixion. Its author may be either the Franciscan friar Jacopone da Todi or Pope Innocent III.Sabatier, Paul ''Life o ...

, Creamface, Fleshpress, AM, Grunt, Clinic of Torture, Alchemy of the 20th Century, and Nicole 12.Clandestine Blaze biography @ MusicMight
Aspa is also the owner of Northern Heritage, a record label that has released albums by Baptism,

Mgła Mgła (; en, "Fog") is a Polish black metal band from Kraków, formed in 2000. The duo consists of vocalist, guitarist and bassist M. (Mikołaj Żentara) and drummer Darkside (Maciej Kowalski). The band has released four albums and began per ...

Behexen Behexen is a Finnish black metal band founded in 1994. They adopted a more traditional approach to black metal by incorporating raw characteristics. Their first full-length release was ''Rituale Satanum'', released in 2000 and followed by ''By ...

, Deathspell Omega,

Drudkh Drudkh is a Ukrainian black metal band. It currently consists of (former member of Hate Forest and Dark Ages), Thurios (former member of Astrofaes), Krechet, and Vlad. All four also belonged to Blood of Kingu until it was disbanded. Their ly ...

Hate Forest Hate Forest is a Ukrainian black metal band formed by Roman Saenko, the leading member of Drudkh, Dark Ages, and Blood of Kingu. Thurios joined the band in 1998 after the recording of ''Scythia''. The music is mostly very fast, but occasionally ...

Ildjarn Ildjarn was a Norwegian cult black metal project that formed in 1991. Ildjarn recorded music until 1997 but did not officially end until 2005. The man behind Ildjarn was Vidar Vaaer, although some releases were collaborations with a musician kno ...

Peste Noire Peste Noire are a French black metal band from La Chaise-Dieu, France. The band was formed by "La sale Famine de Valfunde" (Ludovic Faure), also known simply as "Famine", in 2000. Their music uses standard black metal elements mixed with traditi ...

, and

Satanic Warmaster Satanic Warmaster is a Finnish black metal project from Lappeenranta, Finland, consisting of the sole musician "Werwolf" (real name Lauri Penttilä). Penttilä began recording under this name in 1998. Satanic Warmaster has sold tens of thousands ...

, among others. 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).

Ties to National Socialist black metal

Mikko Aspa has long been accused of being one of the major influencers of the Finnish

National Socialist black metal National Socialist black metal, also known as NSBM, Aryan black metal, and Neo-Nazi black metal, is a political movement and subgenre within the black metal music scene that promotes neo-Nazism, Fascism, and white supremacist ideologies. NSBM a ...

scene, expressing racism,

anti-Semitism Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism. Antis ...

, white supremacy, and social Darwinism in his lyrics on Clandestine Blaze. His record shop Sarvilevyt, which is also the base of operations of his labels Northern Heritage and Freak Animal Records, sells both NSBM bands' records and merchandise, as well as

neo-Nazi Neo-Nazism comprises the post–World War II militant, social, and political movements that seek to revive and reinstate Nazism, Nazi ideology. Neo-Nazis employ their ideology to promote hatred and Supremacism#Racial, racial supremacy (ofte ...

literature. He has also expressed support for Jesse Eppu Torniainen, a leading member of the Finnish branch from the Nordic Resistance Movement; an extremist

far-right Far-right politics, also referred to as the extreme right or right-wing extremism, are political beliefs and actions further to the right of the left–right political spectrum than the standard political right, particularly in terms of being ...

organization and has supported NSBM artists outside of Finland and collaborated directly with various known Finnish NSBM and

RAC RAC or Rac may refer to: Organizations * Radio Amateurs of Canada * RATCH-Australia Corporation, electricity generator * Refugee Action Collective (Victoria), Melbourne, Australia * Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, US * Rent-A-Center, ...

acts like Goatmoon, Pagan Skull, and Vapaudenristi. 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

and Deathspell Omega

Members

* Mikko Aspa - all instruments, vocals (1998-)

Live musicians

* Darkside - drums (2015-2016) * M. - guitar (2015-2016) * E.V.T. - guitar (2015-2016) * The Fall - bass (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 Clandestine Blaze is a one-man black metal band formed by Mikko Aspa in Lahti, Finland in 1998. Aspa cites Darkthrone, Burzum, Beherit, and Bathory as key influences. Aspa is also currently involved in many other projects, such as Stabat Mate ...

'' (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 ''Church Of Atrocity'' is an album released by black metal band Clandestine Blaze in 2006. Track listing #"Church of Atrocity" - 05:01 #"Ashes of the Eternal Wanderer" - 11:40 #"Storm of Purification" - 04:50 #"Last Morning of Old North" - 07:42 ...

'' (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)

Split albums and EPs

* ''On the Mission'' EP (Northern Neritage, 1999) * Split with Deathspell Omega (Northern Heritage, 2001) * Split with

(Northern Heritage, 2004) * ''Crushing the Holy Trinity (Son)'' split with Musta Surma (Northern Heritage, 2005)

Compilations

* ''Archive Volume 1'' (Northern Heritage, 2008) * ''Archive Volume 2'' (Northern Heritage, 2008) * ''Archive Volume 3'' (Northern Heritage, 2008)

References

External links

Interview
at Diabolical Conquest Webzine

at Worm Gear

at The Vexation Sleep
Interview
at Chronicles of Chaos Finnish black metal musical groups Finnish heavy metal musical groups Musical groups established in 1998 Black metal controversies Neo-Nazism in Finland Satanism and Nazism {{Metal-music-stub