Last month we reported that Norwegian outlet Fosen Folket shared the news that Black Metal scene band members Snorre Ruch of Thorns and his friend Rune Krieghr Røstad a.k.a. General Gribbsphiiser of Slagmaur were been declared missing. Røstad posted a photo of the two on Facebook earlier this week before heading out for a “boys’ hike and night under open skies” in the Varghiet forests. At the time, many weeks had passed with no contact and apparently they feared injured or dead. Now according to a post from Metal Injection, the entire thing was a publicity stunt, revealed by Slagmaur’s label, the well-respected Prophecy Productions, to promote their upcoming new album in 2026. This is not the first time this has happened from bands, but it is still pretty surprising for non-mainstream black metal bands to pull a stunt like this. Local police had undertaken search efforts and released photos and descriptions of both men, so we don’t know yet if there will be repurcussions.

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