The early Norwegian black metal scene was a music scene and subculture in Norway during the early 1990s, based around black metal. Identified by some as a cult – "The Black Circle" or "Black Metal Inner Circle" – it consisted of youths ranging from late teens to mid-twenties, many of whom gathered at the record shop Helvete ("Hell") in Oslo.
The scene was the focus of controversy due to the strong anti-Christian beliefs of its members and the crimes they committed. There were two cases of murder, over two-dozen cases of arson, and other allegedly "Satanically-motivated" crimes. The scene drew the gaze of the Norwegian and international media, who often exaggerated the claims surrounding its members. For example, one Norwegian TV channel aired an interview with a woman who claimed that "Satanists" had sacrificed her child and killed her dog.