Mayhem

Emerging during the mid-1980s, Mayhem established themselves as originators of Norway’s black metal movement, shaping innumerable subsequent acts through their raw sonic assault and notorious backstory. From the outset the ensemble provoked outrage via gore-drenched stage rituals, occult symbolism, and cadaverous corpse paint. Their notoriety intensified throughout the following decade amid links to a wave of Norwegian church arsons, the suicide of vocalist Per Yngve Ohlin (“Dead”), and the killing of guitarist Øystein Aarseth (“Euronymous”) at the hands of former associate Varg Vikernes (“Count Grishnackh”). Although the group sustained live appearances and recordings well into the twenty-first century—issuing their sixth full-length, Daemon, in 2019—their infamy continues to rest chiefly on non-musical events, while their 1994 debut De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas endures as a benchmark of the style.

Drawing from Bathory, Motörhead, Black Sabbath, Slayer, Celtic Frost, and Venom—the last of which supplied the song “Mayhem and Mercy” that furnished their name—Mayhem coalesced in 1984 with bassist Necrobutcher (Jørn Stubberud), guitarist Euronymous (Oystein Aarseth), and drummer Kjetil Manheim. Following the demo Pure Fucking Armageddon, the three enlisted vocalist Maniac (Sven Erik Kristiansen), whose first recorded contribution arrived on the 1987 EP Deathcrush. Manheim and Maniac exited the next year, succeeded by drummer Hellhammer (Jan Axel Blomberg) and vocalist Dead (Per Yngve Ohlin). The latter quickly became infamous for living up to his adopted name: withdrawn and despondent, Dead collected animal carcasses, interred his garments the night before performances, and carved himself onstage. Reflecting their frontman’s fixation on mortality, Mayhem’s concerts devolved into visceral spectacles drenched in human blood and animal remains. In 1990 the band relocated to an Oslo residence to prepare their first album; simultaneously Euronymous launched the record shop Helvete, which functioned as a focal point for the nascent Norwegian black metal community. On 8 April 1991 Dead severed his wrists before ending his life with a shotgun. Euronymous, discovering the body, encountered a note that opened “Excuse the blood” and contained lyrics to the song “Life Eternal,” later included on the debut album. He departed to purchase a disposable camera, then rearranged objects and photographed the corpse; one image later graced the cover of the 1995 bootleg live release The Dawn of the Black Hearts. Traumatized, founding bassist Necrobutcher departed, leaving Hellhammer and Euronymous—the latter now wearing a necklace fashioned from fragments of Dead’s skull.

In 1992 the pair enlisted session players Burzum’s Varg Vikernes on bass, Thorn’s Snorre Ruch on guitar, and Tormentor’s Attila Csihar on vocals to track their first full-length. The following year Euronymous shuttered Helvete amid mounting media and police scrutiny tied to Dead’s suicide, a series of prominent church burnings, and further violence; Euronymous and Vikernes had plotted to destroy Nidaros Cathedral before the album’s release. That scheme collapsed when Vikernes stabbed Euronymous 23 times outside the guitarist’s Oslo apartment on 10 August 1993. Vikernes received convictions for murder and arson, resulting in a fifteen-year prison term. Ruch (aka Blackthorn), who accompanied Vikernes on the 518-kilometer drive from Bergen yet remained downstairs, drew an eight-year sentence for complicity, leaving Csihar and Hellhammer as the only active members.

Seven years in preparation, the ferocious De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas—showcasing Euronymous’s guitar work and Dead’s lyrics—appeared in 1994 and became one of black metal’s most pivotal albums; the live set Live in Leipzig, captured in 1990, had surfaced the previous year. Its initial pressing was postponed after Euronymous’s parents objected to Vikernes’s bass tracks and demanded replacements; Hellhammer retained the original parts. Later in 1994 Necrobutcher and Maniac rejoined alongside new guitarist Blasphemer (Rune Eriksen); the reconstituted quartet issued the Wolf’s Lair Abyss EP in 1997. Their sophomore album, the conceptual Grand Declaration of War, arrived in 2000 and adopted a progressive, avant-garde metal stance, with Maniac shifting from his customary rasp toward spoken delivery. 2004’s Chimera returned to the glacial black metal of their debut while retaining a modestly polished, progressive edge; it also marked Maniac’s final recording before his departure amid internal conflict.

Attila Csihar resumed vocal duties for the widely praised 2007 album Ordo Ad Chao, which earned the Spellemannprisen for Best Heavy Metal Album in 2008. Blasphemer subsequently exited, prompting a succession of touring guitarists until Teloch (Morten Iversen) of Nidingr and Ghul (Charles Hedger) joined permanently and debuted on 2014’s Esoteric Warfare, Mayhem’s first release for Season of Mist. In 2018 the Jonas Åkerlund (Bathory)-directed film Lords of Chaos, adapted from the 1998 book, depicted the Norwegian black metal scene’s origins with emphasis on Mayhem’s violent history. Daemon, the band’s sixth studio album, emerged in 2019 via Century Media. The EP Atavistic Black Disorder/Kommando followed in 2021, containing further material from the Daemon sessions. In 2023 Mayhem released Daemonic Rites, a live album documenting their most recent touring cycle.