Gaahl was born in Sunnfjord, a district in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. He spent his youth living in a sparsely populated valley called Espedal, in the municipality of Fjaler.Gaahl became involved with black metal in 1993, when he co-formed the band Trelldom with guitarist "Tyrant" and bassist "Taakeheim". They released a demo in March 1994, with "Goat Pervertor" on drums. Gaahl and Tyrant recorded and released Trelldom's first album Til Evighet in early 1995, with help from drummer "Ole Nic". In 1998 they released the album Til et Annet with drummer "Mutt". That year, Gaahl become involved with the bands Sigfader and Gaahlskagg.Gaahl joined Gorgoroth in 1998, and was first heard on their fourth album Destroyer; although he only sang on the title track. He made his live debut in May that year, when Gorgoroth played five dates in Germany alongside Cradle of Filth.From February til December in 2002, Gaahl was imprisoned for assaulting a man, and was forced to pay the victim 158,000 NOK. Gorgoroth began recording their album Twilight of the Idols in May that year. Gaahl's imprisonment meant that he was unable to record his vocals until January 2003. The album was released in July that year. In January 2005, Gorgoroth began work on their next album. The instrumental parts were recorded between January and May 2005, and Gaahl arranged and recorded the vocals in March 2006. Ad Majorem Sathanas Gloriam was released shortly thereafter.From April til December in 2006 Gaahl spent another nine months (of a fourteen month sentence) in prison. He was accused of assaulting and torturing a man for six hours while collecting his blood into a cup and threatening to make him drink it. The victim received a total of 190,000 NOK. Gaahl maintains that he was acting in self-defence.In January 2007, Gaahl was the focus of a documentary called True Norwegian Black Metal. It was shown in five parts on vbs.tv, the broadcast network of Vice Magazine, in April. In it, Gaahl offered the film-makers a tour of his residence in Espedal and the surrounding countryside.In October 2007, Gaahl and King ov Hell tried to remove founding member Infernus from Gorgoroth. This began the Gorgoroth name dispute.In July 2008, Gaahl revealed in an online interview that he was involved in the creation of Wynjo, an upcoming fashion collection for women, together with Norwegian modeling agent Dan De Vero and designer Sonja Wu. At the same time, it was also revealed that he and De Vero had a "close relationship" since 2006. It was stated that they were no longer a couple but remained as good friends. In an interview for the November 2008 issue of Rock Hard, Gaahl confirmed his homosexuality.In March 2009 the name dispute ended when Oslo City District Court ruled that Infernus was the rightful owner of the Gorgoroth name. It also found that by trying to oust Infernus, Gaahl and King had instead excluded themselves from the band. That month, Gaahl and King assumed the name God Seed.In summer 2009, God Seed performed at Hellfest Summer Open Air in June and With Full Force in July. In August, Gaahl revealed that he had quit the band. His bandmate King later clarified that Gaahl had in fact chosen to retire from metal music for the time being. King put the band 'on hold' as a result. Shortly after, vocalist Shagrath took Gaahl's place and the band was renamed Ov Hell.In January 2010, Gaahl was hired by Den Nationale Scene in Bergen to play a role in Svartediket, a performance for the 2010 Bergen International Festival. This caused controversy due to Gaahl's anti-Christian standpoint and support for church burnings. The Bishop of Bjørgvin spoke against Gaahl's involvement.Gaahl and his family still retain residences in Fjaler, although he now spends much of his time in Bergen. Show less «