Munch + 1349: Death Struggle

Four bands. Four paintings. Four different outcomes. Listen to the black metal group 1349 screaming out loud, inspired by Edvard Munch’s artwork Death Struggle.

A black metal band with a neutral name? Think again. 1349 reflects the year when the plague the Black Death killed off more than 60 percent of the Norwegian population.

In 1997, the band 1349 raised from the ashes of the group Alvheim, and ever since its concept has been described by its members as “aural hellfire”.

“Munch’s art literally screams inside your head.” – 1349

1349.
Photo: Jørn Veberg

Dynamic Variation:

The early 1990s Norwegian black metal scene gets credit for the creation of the modern black metal genre. A hot tip for experiencing the metal culture is the annual Inferno Metal Festival that takes place in Oslo during Easter.

1349’s “Death Struggle” on Spotify

Death Struggle (1915)

Edvard Munch var sterkt påvirket av de mange dødsfallene i sin nære familie, og portretterte død og lidelse gjennom hele sitt voksne liv. Hans eksperimentelle fargebruk viser døden som et rom der kropp og sjel møtes.

“Death Struggle”, Edvard Munch (1915)

Foto: Munchmuseet

Edvard Munch

The Norwegian painter and printmaker Edvard Munch (1863–1944) was one of Modernism’s most significant artists.

His intensely evocative treatment of psychological themes built upon some of the main principles of late 19th-century Symbolism and greatly influenced German Expressionism in the early 20th century.

His best-known work The Scream, painted in 1893, is one of the world’s most iconic paintings.

Meet the other artists in the project

Learn more about Edvard Munch

Read about the artist and his art, and find out where to see it.

A self-portrait of Edvard Munch who's standing whilst holding a cigarette

"Self-Portrait with Cigarette", Edvard Munch (1895).
Photo: Nasjonalmuseet / Børre Høstland

The world-famous painter Edvard Munch

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Learn more about Edvard Munch

The Norwegian painter and printmaker Edvard Munch (1863–1944) was one of Modernism’s most significant artists. His intensely evocative treatment of psychological themes built upon some of the main principles of late 19th-century Symbolism and greatly influenced German Expressionism in the early 20th century. The Scream from 1893 is one of the world’s most iconic paintings.