Mayhem (band)

Mayhem
Mayhem in concert in Glasgow, 2004
Mayhem in concert in Glasgow, 2004
Background information
Origin Oslo, Norway
Genre(s) Black metal
Years active 1984–1993[1]
1995–present
Label(s) Posercorpse Music (1987)
Deathlike Silence (1993–1994)
Misanthropy (1997)
Century Media (1994–1996)
Season of Mist/Necropolis (2000–present)
Website www.thetruemayhem.com
Members
Necrobutcher
Hellhammer
Attila Csihar
Morfeus
Former members
(see below)

Mayhem is a black metal band formed in 1984[2] in Oslo, Norway. They are regarded as one of the pioneers of the influential Norwegian black metal scene. Mayhem's career has been highly controversial, primarily due to the suicide of vocalist Dead, murder of guitarist Euronymous, and their violent stage performances. Such controversies have often overshadowed their music.

Over time Mayhem has evolved through a variety of black metal styles, delving at times into areas of dark avant-garde industrial and electronica.

Contents

Biography

Early years (1984–1987)

Inspired by groups such as Venom, Slayer, and Celtic Frost,[3] Mayhem was founded in 1984 by guitarist/vocalist Øystein Aarseth (aka Euronymous), bass guitarist Jørn Stubberud (aka Necrobutcher), and drummer Kjetil Manheim (aka Manheim). The band name is taken from the Venom song, "Mayhem with Mercy."[4] This lineup recorded and released the demo Pure Fucking Armageddon. Euronymous concentrated solely on guitar following the hire of a 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 humor. He did, but it was very obscure. Honestly, I don't think he was enjoying living in this world.[2]

With Dead as vocalist, the band's concerts became notorious. Whilst performing, Dead would often cut himself with hunting knives and broken glass. [5] Additionally, the band often had pig or sheep heads impaled on stakes and planted at the front of their stage.[5]

At some point in 1990, the members of Mayhem moved to "an old house in the forest" near Oslo.[6] 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.[7] One of these photographs was later stolen and used as the cover of a bootleg live album entitled Dawn of the Black Hearts.[8]

Eventually, rumors 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 rumor was false, but that the latter was true.[6] 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.[3]

De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas (1991–1994)

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

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 10 August 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.[9]

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.[10] 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.[11] 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.[11] Additionally, Vikernes defends that most of Euronymous’s cut wounds were caused by broken glass he had fallen on during the struggle.[11] 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.[11] 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)

Blasphemer (left) and Maniac (right) performing live

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.[12][13][14]

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 stated that because of this, a violent encounter ensued between the singer and Blasphemer, during which the guitarist kicked Maniac down a flight of stairs and smashed his head facefirst twice into a wall. [4] Attila Csihar was reinstated as his replacement.

Ordo Ad Chao (2004–2008)

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 often 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 (Grammy) 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.[15]

Blasphemer played European festival dates with the band through the summer months of 2008, playing his last gig with the group in August. This marked the departure of the musician credited with the bulk of the musical composition of the band's three most recent studio albums.

After Blasphemer's departure (2008–present)

Statements of touring plans for late 2008/early 2009 were announced on the band's web page a few weeks after their final dates with Blasphemer, prior to any word on new members. In October 2008, it was announced that a musician named Morfeus (Dimension F3H/Limbonic Art) had "joined forces" with Mayhem as guitarist for their upcoming South America Fucking Armageddon tour, replacing Blasphemer. Morfeus stated, "I’m very happy to head over to South America with Mayhem. Their music is awesome, and I’m looking forward to kick some ass, expect a set heavy as fuck!"[16]. It is unclear what Morfeus' future with the band holds, but he is presently regarded strictly as a touring member.

Members

Main article: List of Mayhem band members
Role Year
1986–1988 1988–1991 1992–1993 1995–2004 2004–2008
Vocals Maniac Dead Attila Csihar Maniac Attila Csihar
Guitar Euronymous Blasphemer
Bass Necrobutcher Grishnackh Necrobutcher
Drums Manheim Hellhammer

Current

Former

Discography

Studio albums

Live albums

Compilation albums

Demos and singles

Videography

References

  1. ↑ TheTrueMayhem.com interview (here Euronymous states band was formed in 1983)
  2. ↑ Euronymous' final words, a screenshot
  3. ↑ "Pure Fucking Mayhem Documentary Part 1". Youtube.com. Retrieved on 2008-04-09.
  4. ↑ The Dark Past
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "In The Face of Death" (20 February 2005)
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Hellhammer interviewed by Dmitry Basik (June 1998)
  7. ↑ Lords of Chaos (1998): Hellhammer interview
  8. ↑ Sounds of Death magazine (1998): Hellhammer interview
  9. ↑ Steinke, Darcey. "Satan's Cheerleaders" SPIN Magazine, February 1996.
  10. ↑ Mayhem Biography on Yahoo! Music
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 Varg Vikernes - A Burzum Story: Part II - Euronymous
  12. ↑ Mayhem fan hit by sheep-head
  13. ↑ Sheep head fractures fan's skull
  14. ↑ Flying sheep head fractures fan's skull at rock concert
  15. ↑ [1]
  16. ↑ http://www.thetruemayhem.com
  1. ^  Moynihan & Soderlind (1998). Lords of Chaos (2nd ed.) Chapter 4, P59. Feral House. ISBN 0-922915-94-6
  2. ^  Moynihan & Soderlind (1998). Lords of Chaos (2nd ed.) Chapter 4, P54. Feral House. ISBN 0-922915-94-6
  3. ^  Moynihan & Soderlind (1998). Lords of Chaos (2nd ed.) Chapter 7, P238 Feral House. ISBN 0-922915-94-6
  4. ^  In the face of death, Chris Campion, February 20, 2005

External links

General:

Articles and interviews:

Mayhem
Necrobutcher · Hellhammer · Attila Csihar
Messiah · Manheim · Dead · Maniac · Occultus · Euronymous · Count Grishnackh · Blackthorn · Nordgaren · Blasphemer
Studio albums
Deathcrush · De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas · Wolf's Lair Abyss  · Grand Declaration of War · Chimera · Ordo Ad Chao
Live albums
Live in Leipzig · Dawn of the Black Hearts (bootleg) · Out from the Dark · Mediolanum Capta Est
Compilation albums
European Legions/U.S. Legions · Legions of War · The Studio Experience
Demos and singles
Pure Fucking Armageddon · Deathrehearsal · Freezing Moon/Carnage · Ancient Skin/Necrolust
Related articles
Members