Mayhem (band) encyclopedia topics

Biography

Early years (1984–1987)

Inspired by groups such as Venom, Slayer and Celtic Frost, Mayhem was founded in 1984 by guitarist/vocalist Øystein Aarseth (aka Euronymous), bass guitarist Jørn Stubberud (aka Necrobutcher) and drummer Kjetil Manheim (aka Manheim). This lineup recorded and released the demo Pure Fucking Armageddon. Euronymous concentrated solely on guitar following the hiring of vocalist in 1986. During 1986 and 1987, Sven Erik Kristiansen (aka Maniac) and Eirik Nordheim (aka Messiah) were recruited as vocalists. This lineup recorded the band's first album, Deathcrush, and released it through Euronymous's newly formed label Posercorpse Music.

An initial release of 1,000 copies of Deathcrush quickly sold out, and was later repressed in 1993, by the Posercorpse Music label, since having been renamed Deathlike Silence Productions as a joint venture with Euronymous's Oslo specialist record shop Helvete. Euronymous's plans for this new outlet included that it was to be "...like a black church in the future. We've thought about having total darkness inside, so that people would have to carry torches to be able to see the records."

By mid-1988 both Manheim and Maniac had left the band: Manheim left to find a mainstream job, and Maniac left due to depression.

With Dead (1988–1991)

After two brief replacements, their positions were filled by Swedish vocalist Per Yngve Ohlin (aka Dead) and local drummer Jan Axel Blomberg (aka Hellhammer). According to Bård Eithun of the band Emperor:

He (Dead) wasn't a guy you could know very well. I think even the other guys in Mayhem didn't know him very well. He was hard to get close to. I met him two weeks before he died. I'd met him maybe six to eight times, all in all. He had lots of weird ideas. I remember Aarseth was talking about him and said he did not have any humour. He did, but it was very obscure. Honestly, I don't think he was enjoying living in this world.

With Dead as vocalist, the band's concerts became notorious. Whilst performing, Dead would often cut himself with hunting knives and broken glass. He carried around a dead crow in a jar, which he would smell in order to sing "with the stench of death in his nostrils. Additionally, the band often had pig or sheep heads impaled on stakes and planted at the front of their stage.

At some point in 1990, the members of Mayhem moved to "an old house in the forest" near Oslo. They began writing songs for their next album, De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas. On 8 April 1991, Dead committed suicide in the house owned by the band. He was found by Euronymous with slit wrists and a shotgun round to the head. Dead's suicide note read "Excuse all the blood" and included an apology for firing the weapon indoors. Instead of calling the police, Euronymous went to a nearby store and bought a disposable camera to photograph the corpse, after re-arranging some items. One of these photographs was later stolen and used as the cover of a bootleg live album entitled Dawn of the Black Hearts.

Eventually, rumours surfaced that Euronymous made a stew with pieces of Dead's brain, and made necklaces with fragments of Dead's skull. The band later stated that the former rumour was false, but that the latter was true. Additionally, Euronymous claimed to have given these necklaces to musicians he deemed worthy.

According to Stian Johannsen (aka Occultus), who briefly took position as vocalist after Dead's suicide:

He (Dead) didn't see himself as human; he saw himself as a creature from another world. He said he had many visions that his blood has frozen in his veins, that he was dead. That is the reason he took that name. He knew he would die.

De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas (1991–1994)

In 1993, Live in Leipzig was released as the band's tribute to Dead. Dead's suicide affected Necrobutcher so much that he left Mayhem, thinning the band's ranks down to two.

Later that year, the recording of Mayhem's upcoming album, De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas resumed. In Dead's and Necrobutcher's absences, Attila Csihar of Tormentor handled vocals, and Varg Vikernes of Burzum handled bass guitar. Due to adverse media and police attention, Euronymous was forced around this time to close his scene focal point record shop Helvete.

On August 10 1993, Varg Vikernes murdered guitarist Euronymous. On that night, Vikernes and Snorre Ruch travelled from Bergen to Euronymous’s apartment in Oslo. Upon their arrival a confrontation began, which ended when Vikernes fatally stabbed Euronymous. His body was found outside the apartment with twenty-three cut wounds – two to the head, five to the neck, and sixteen to the back.

It has been speculated that the murder was the result of a power struggle, a financial dispute over Burzum records, or an attempt at "out doing" the stabbing in Lillehammer. Vikernes claims that Euronymous had plotted to torture him to death and videotape the event – using a meeting about an unsigned contract as a pretext. On the night of the murder, Vikernes claims he intended to hand Euronymous the signed contract and "tell him to fuck off", but that Euronymous attacked him first. Additionally, Vikernes defends that most of Euronymous’s cut wounds were caused by broken glass he had fallen on during the struggle.

Regardless of the circumstances, Vikernes was arrested within days, and a few months later was sentenced to 21 years in prison for both the murder and church arsons. In a controversial display, Vikernes actually smiled at the moment his verdict was read, an image that was widely reprinted in the news media. With only Hellhammer remaining, Mayhem effectively ceased to exist.

In 1994, De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas was released and formally dedicated to Euronymous. Its release had been delayed due to complaints filed by Euronymous' parents, who had objected to the presence of bass guitar parts played by Vikernes. Contrary to contemporary reports these were not re-recorded by Hellhammer and appear unblemished.

With Maniac and Blasphemer (1995–2004)

By late 1995 Hellhammer had decided to reform the band with the help of new guitarist Rune Eriksen (aka Blasphemer) and two previous Mayhem members - Maniac and Necrobutcher. The first release of this new lineup was a 1997 EP titled Wolf's Lair Abyss, and was followed by some live European shows. One of these took place in Milan, Italy, guest starring Attila Csihar, and was recorded for the Mediolanum Capta Est live album of that year. It has been noted by nearly all listeners that this lineup has been much more technical as well as adventurous and musically innovative.

In 2000 the band's second full-length CD, Grand Declaration of War, was released. Strongly influenced by progressive and avant-garde metal, the album was concept-based, dealing with themes of war and post-apocalyptic destruction. Maniac largely abandoned the traditional black metal rasp for dramatic spoken-word monologue, with most of the songs sequencing seamlessly into one another. Reaction to the album was polarized. Some criticised the album for its avant-garde and electronic elements, which they perceived as pretentious, and for Maniac's vocals, which they perceived as inferior to Dead's and Attila's. Others saw it as a laudable attempt to recreate and redefine black metal, with critic Brian Russ of BNR Metal going so far as to call it "really the first cohesive work the band has ever done" and "a fitting culmination to their career thus far." In retrospect, the electronic elements of the album were often heavily overstated by its detractors, appearing notably in only a single track, "A Bloodsword and a Colder Sun." It should also be noted that from Wolf's Lair Abyss up to the present, Blasphemer has written all of the music for Mayhem's releases. Maniac wrote the lyrics from the reformation of the band until his departure in 2004.

In May 2003, Mayhem made headlines again when a Mayhem fan, Per Kristian Hagen, landed in the hospital with a fractured skull after being hit by a severed sheep's head that had flown into the audience from the stage. Assault charges were filed, but the band considered it to have been entirely accidental.

In 2004, Mayhem released Chimera. It showed a return to their earlier raw and brutal style, but with considerably better production values than earlier releases. Chimera still maintained a progressive edge. In 2004, Maniac was forced out of the band, according to Necrobutcher, because of stage fright-induced alcoholism. Necrobutcher also noted a violent encounter between the singer and Blasphemer, because of this, during which the guitarist kicked Maniac down a flight of stairs and smashed his head facefirst twice into a wall. Attila Csihar was reinstated as his replacement.

Ordo Ad Chao (2004–present)

The band's fourth album, titled Ordo ad Chao (Latin for "Order to Chaos"), was released in April 2007. Ordo ad Chao contains a much rawer sound than the rest of the band's recent work; the drums are not equalized and the mix is notably bass-heavy (black metal is usually criticized for its lack of bass). Despite this, the album continues the band's experiments with unorthodox song structures, with "Illuminate Eliminate," at 9:40, being the band's second longest track to date (behind Grand Declaration of War’s "Completion in Science of Agony (Part I)" at 9:44). The album received strong reviews and, peaking at #12 on the Norwegian charts, was the band's highest-charting album to date. In early 2008 Ordo Ad Chao won the Spellemann award (the largest and oldest of Norway's music awards shows) for Best Metal Album of 2007.

In April 2008, Blasphemer decided to leave the band. He issued the following statement regarding the matter:

The main reason behind this conclusion lies in the fact that I simply don't see any future for me in the band anymore, at least not a future I'd like to participate in over the coming years. I've been playing my part in the band now for more than 13 years already, having composed, produced and released several albums with great vision, dedication and craftsmanship, to arrive at this crossroad of opposites. Sooner or later, all things comes to an end, and in my case, this circle is complete.

Members

'''Mayhem band members
(1984–1985)	Euronymous - guitar, vocals Necrobutcher - bass guitar Manheim - drums
(1986)	Messiah - vocals Euronymous - guitar, vocals Necrobutcher - bass Manheim - drums
(1986–1987)	Maniac - vocals Euronymous - guitar Necrobutcher - bass Manheim - drums
(1987)	Kittil Kittilsen - vocals Euronymous - guitar Necrobutcher - bass Torben Grue - drums
(1988–1991) "Classic" lineup	Dead - vocals Euronymous - guitar Necrobutcher - bass Hellhammer - drums
(1992)	Occultus - vocals, bass Euronymous - guitar Hellhammer - drums
(1992)	Euronymous - guitar Count Grishnackh - bass Hellhammer - drums
(1992 - 1993)	Attila Csihar - vocals Euronymous - guitar Blackthorn - guitar Count Grishnackh - bass Hellhammer - drums
(1994)	SPLIT
(1995–1997)	Maniac - vocals Blasphemer - guitar Necrobutcher - bass Hellhammer - drums
(1997–1998)	Maniac - vocals Blasphemer - guitar Nordgaren - guitar Necrobutcher - bass Hellhammer - drums
(1998–2004)	Maniac - vocals Blasphemer - guitar Necrobutcher - bass Hellhammer - drums
(2004-2008)	Attila Csihar - vocals Blasphemer - guitar Necrobutcher - bass Hellhammer - drums
(2008-present)	Attila Csihar - vocals Necrobutcher - bass Hellhammer - drums Blasphemer - guitar

Current

Necrobutcher – bass guitar (1984–1991, 1995–present)
Hellhammer - drums (1988–1993, 1995–present)
Attila Csihar - vocals (1993, 2004–present)
Blasphemer - guitars (2008-present)

Former

Messiah - vocals (1986)
Manheim - drums (1984–1987)
Torben Grue - drums (1987)
Kittil Kittilsen - vocals (1987)
Dead - vocals (1988–1991) (deceased)
Occultus - vocals, bass guitar (1992)
Count Grishnackh - bass guitar (1993) (incarcerated)
Blackthorn - guitars (1993)
Euronymous - guitars (1984–1993) (deceased)
Nordgaren - guitars (1997–1998)
Maniac - vocals (1986–1987, 1995–2004)
Blasphemer - guitars (1995–2008)

Discography

Studio albums

1987: Deathcrush
1994: De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas
1995: Out From The Dark (recorded in 1991)
1997: Wolf's Lair Abyss
2000: Grand Declaration of War
2004: Chimera
2007: Ordo Ad Chao

Live albums

1993: Live in Leipzig (recorded in 1990)
1995: Dawn of the Black Hearts (recorded in 1990)
1999: Mediolanum Capta Est
2001: Live In Marseille 2000

Compilation albums

1995: A Tribute To The Black Emperors (contains songs by Morbid also)
2001: European Legions (live songs and outtakes from Grand Declaration of War)
2001: U.S. Legions (live songs and outtakes from Grand Declaration of War)
2002: The Studio Experience (contains all previous albums)
2003: Legions of War (contains Grand Declaration of War and European Legions)

Demos and singles

1986: Pure Fucking Armageddon
1987: Deathrehearsal
1996: Freezing Moon/Carnage (recorded in 1990)
1997: Ancient Skin/Necrolust

Videography

1998: Live In Bischofswerda
2001: European Legions: Live In Marseille 2000
2002: Mayhem - Cult of Aggression (Norweigan/Swedish documentary by Stefan Rydehed)
2005: Appearance in Metal: A Headbanger's Journey
2005: Appearance in BBC One World episode Death Metal Murders
2007: Pure Fucking Mayhem (English documentary by Stefan Rydehed)

References

Moynihan & Soderlind (1998). Lords of Chaos (2nd ed.) Chapter 4, P59. Feral House. ISBN 0-922915-94-6
Moynihan & Soderlind (1998). Lords of Chaos (2nd ed.) Chapter 4, P54. Feral House. ISBN 0-922915-94-6
Moynihan & Soderlind (1998). Lords of Chaos (2nd ed.) Chapter 7, P238 Feral House. ISBN 0-922915-94-6
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/omm/story/0,,1415240,00.html

In this interview, Euronymous states that the band formed in 1983