Mayhem (band)
Mayhem is a black metal band formed in 1984[1] in Oslo, Norway. The band name is taken from the Venom song, "Mayhem with Mercy".[2].
Much controversy has followed the various murders, suicides and other forms of violence that surrounded the band in the early years. Mayhem is considered one of the most controversial bands in modern musical history, especially due to the vast number of urban legends and myths surrounding their early years, and the controversies have often overshadowed the music, especially in recent years due in part to the Internet and magazine articles.
Over time Mayhem has evolved through a variety of black metal styles, delving at times into areas of dark avant-garde industrial and electronica.
| Mayhem | |
|---|---|
 Mayhem in concert in Glasgow, 2004 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Oslo, Norway |
| Genre(s) | Black metal |
| Years active | 1984–1993 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 | |
| Former members | |
| Maniac Euronymous Manheim Dead Messiah Blackthorn Count Grishnackh Occultus Nordgaren Torben Grue Blasphemer | |
Early years (1984–1990)
Inspired by groups such as Venom, Slayer and Celtic Frost[3], Mayhem was founded in 1984 by guitarist/vocalist Euronymous (Øystein Aarseth - then 'Destructor'), bass guitarist Necrobutcher (Jørn Stubberud) and drummer Manheim (Kjetil Manheim). Euronymous concentrated solely on guitar following the hiring of vocalist Messiah (Eirik Nordheim). In 1985, with Maniac (Sven Erik Kristiansen) replacing Messiah, the band went on to record their third release, following a demo and a rehearsal (Pure Fucking Armageddon and Deathrehearsal, respectively), Deathcrush, with 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 Øystein's Oslo specialist record shop Helvete. Øystein'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."[citation needed]
By mid-1988 both Manheim and Maniac had left the band: Manheim left to find a mainstream job, and Maniac, due to depression following a failed suicide attempt, was confined to a mental institution. After two brief replacements, their positions were filled by Swede Dead (Per Yngve Ohlin, previously of Morbid), and scene drummer Hellhammer (Jan Axel Blomberg). Dead, as suggested by his stage name, was melancholic by nature and fascinated by death, decay, and darkness.
According to Bård Eithun "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."
By this point the band's lyrics had moved increasingly toward Satanism, darkness, depression and evil. A focal point of gigs at this time was the planting of pigs' heads on stakes, center stage, and Dead cutting himself with a knife[citation needed].
The new lineup with Dead and Euronymous quickly became the band's most notorious[citation needed]. After some live gigs in Norway, Germany (where Live in Leipzig was recorded), and Izmir, Turkey (the first-ever Black Metal gig in Asia) Mayhem started working on their first full length album: De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas (Lord Satan's Secret Rites), though by the time of its eventual release the two cornerstone members would be dead.
Later years (1994–2000)
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.
By late 1995 Hellhammer had decided to reform the band with the help of new guitarist Blasphemer (Rune Eriksen) 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 Wolfs Lair Abyss, up to present day, 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.
Live albums
- 1993: Live in Leipzig (recorded in 1990)
- 1995: Dawn of the Black Hearts (recorded in 1986 and 1990)
- 1999: Mediolanum Capta Est
- 2001: Live In Marseille 2000
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