Holden Matthews was arrested in April 2019 in connection with suspicious fires at three historic black churches in southern Louisiana. Matthews has pleaded guilty in the case

The aspiring `black metal´ musician who was arrested in a series of fires set at African American churches in Louisiana last spring pleaded guilty Monday to four federal criminal counts.

The U.S. Attorney's Office said that Holden Matthews pleaded guilty to three counts of intentional damage to religious property, a federal hate crime.

He also pleaded to one count of using fire to commit a felony. He entered the pleas in federal court in Lafayette. Sentencing is set for May 22.

Investigators said Matthews had shown interest in 'black metal,' an extreme sub-genre of heavy metal music.

'Matthews admitted to setting the fires because of the religious character of these buildings, in an effort to raise his profile as a Black Metal' musician by copying similar crimes committed in Norway in the 1990s,' the U.S. Attorney's statement said.

His self-promotion included taking pictures and videos of two of the burning churches and posting them to Facebook, the release said.

Firefighters and fire investigators respond to a fire at Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church last April in Opelousas. It was one of three historically-black churches set on fire over a 10-day period

Authorities said Matthews had ties to 'black metal' - an extreme subgenre of heavy metal that has an association with church burnings in other parts of the world

Matthews, who lives in the area, described himself on his Facebook page as the lead singer for a heavy metal band called Vodka Vultures

WHAT IS 'BLACK METAL' MUSIC? Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. The music has been linked, in some instances, to fires at Christian churches in Norway in the 1990s. Black metal lyrics often espouse satanism and paganism. Several black metal bands also feature neo-Nazi beliefs. Advertisement

Matthews faces a minimum 10-year prison sentence, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. The charges carry a maximum total sentence of 70 years - 20 for each of the hate crimes and 10 for the use of fire in a felony.

Matthews, 21 at the time of his arrest last year, is white and the destruction of the three historic black churches in St. Landry Parish evoked memories of civil rights-era terrorism. But race is not mentioned as a factor in the charges.

The indictment said the fires were set 'because of the religious character' of the properties.

Three churches were burned in a span of 10 days, beginning in late March 2019, in an area roughly 140 miles \ west of New Orleans in St. Landry Parish. Matthews' father is a parish sheriff's deputy.

Mount Pleasant Baptist Church in Opelousas (above) was the last of the three churches to be burned down on April 4, 2019

Firefighters and fire investigators respond to a fire at Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church last April

Virtually nothing left remains apart from some brickwork and the charred pews of the church

The burnt ruins of the Greater Union Baptist Church, one of three that were burned down i

The roofs of the churches were completely destroyed in the fire

The first fire was at the St. Mary Baptist Church in Port Barre. Days later, the Greater Union Baptist Church and Mount Pleasant Baptist Church in Opelousas were burned. Each was more than 100 years old, with mostly black congregations.

The churches were empty at the time of the fires, and no one was injured.

Matthews also faces state charges in connection with the fires.

Don Richard, an assistant district attorney in St. Landry, told The Associated Press he hoped to begin resolving the state case after the federal plea but declined to discuss details.

The state charges include two counts of simple arson of a religious building and a count of aggravated arson of a religious building.

The burnt ruins of the St. Mary Baptist Church are pictured above. It was one of three that was burned down last year in the St. Landry Parish

The burnt ruins of the Greater Union Baptist Church are pictured above. The fires were set over a 10-day period

Emergency crews are seen outside the Greater Union Baptist Church in Opelousas