Mayhem (band)
Mayhem is a Norwegian black metal band which was originally formed in 1983. The first band members were two schoolmates, Manheim on drums and Necrobutcher on bass. The name "Mayhem" was taken from the title of the Venom song "Mayhem With Mercy". Much controversy has surrounded the band regarding various murders, suicides, and other forms of violence. Mayhem has moved through a variety of black metal styles, even delving into the areas of dark avant-garde industrial and electronica. The group is widely considered one of the cornerstone bands in the Norwegian black metal movement.
Statistics
- Genre: Black metal
- Country: Norway
- Status: Active
- Time: 1983-
Biography
Mayhem was formed in 1983 by Necrobutcher and Manheim with the intent to create utterly violent and chaotic music. The two schoolmates were particularly inspired by the British band Venom, only they took the violence and Satanic image more seriously. In 1984, the two boys met Øystein Aarseth, then going by the name Destructor. Upon joining the band, Øystein changed his name to Euronymous, which he claimed meant "Prince Of Death" in Greek. In 1986 Mayhem recorded two demos, Voice Of A Tortured Skull and Pure Fucking Armageddon, both featuring a session vocalist called Messiah.
When Euronymous and Necrobutcher recruited Maniac for vocal duties, the band settled in to record another demo, this time an EP called Deathcrush. In 1987 the legendary album was released, but only 1,000 copies were pressed (it was later reprinted in 1993 for Deathlike Silence, the record label founded by Euronymous). During the summer of 1988 both Manheim and Maniac left Mayhem – Manheim to pursue a love interest and become a businessman, and Maniac due to depression and a failed suicide attempt. Shortly afterward their positions were filled by Dead on vocals and Hellhammer on drums. This new lineup was to become the band's most famous. After some live gigs in Norway and Germany (where Live in Leipzig was recorded) Mayhem started working on their first full length album: De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas.
In 1991, Dead commit suicide by means of a shotgun blast to the head (he had also slit his wrists several times). The bullets which he used had been sent to him by Count Grishnackh (the sole member of the band Burzum and the man who later killed Euronymous), who apparently thought this was cool but denied having any advance knowledge of the suicide. Dead's body was discovered, along with a suicide note reading "Excuse all the blood", in a back room of the band's house. Euronymous quickly took pictures (which later appeared in the booklets for several subsequent Mayhem releases and other bands' materials) of the bloody scene. Persistent rumors assert that he then cooked and ate pieces of Dead's brain, and that fragments of Dead's skull were collected and forged into necklaces by both Euronymous and Hellhammer. In 1993 Live in Leipzig was released as the band's tribute to Dead. The release was followed by the famous bootleg Dawn Of The Black Hearts. Its cover featured a photo of Dead's corpse after the suicide. After Dead's suicide and all of the police and media attention it garnered, Necrobutcher made the decision to leave Mayhem, thinning the band's ranks down to just two.
Later that year, the official recording of Mayhem's upcoming album, De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas began. In Dead's and Necrobutcher's absences, Atilla Csihar handled vocals, and – chillingly enough – Count Grishnackh played bass. After the recording was completed, Count Grishnackh set out with the intent to murder Euronymous. He had apparently lent a large sum of money to Euronymous (and had argued with him several times), and was jealous of his evil reputation. One morning he traveled along with Blackthorn (of the band Thorns) to Euronymous' apartment. There he stabbed Euronymous to death with a viking knife. The autopsy revealed that Euronymous had suffered twenty-three stab wounds: two to the head, five to the neck, and sixteen to the back. Grishnackh left a key piece of evidence, however: a copy of a record contract (used as the pretense for his visit to Euronymous) with his bloody fingerprints on it. Soon Grishnackh was apprehended by police and charged with murder. He continued in prison to record for his one-man project Burzum. With only Hellhammer remaining, Mayhem ceased to exist.
In 1994, De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas was released and formally dedicated to Euronymous. Its tardy release was due to a complaint filed by Euronymous' parents; they detested the release of the album as long as it contained Count Grishnackh's bass tracks. Contrary to popular belief, however, Hellhammer did not re-record Grishnackh's bass-lines, they were left untouched on the album – despite the complaint. In late 1995 Hellhammer decided to reform the band with the help of a new guitarist called Blasphemer and two former Mayhem members: Maniac and Necrobutcher. The first release of this new lineup was an EP titled Wolf's Lair Abyss in 1997 followed by a some live shows in the next few years. One of these shows, which took place in Milan, Italy, guest starred Atilla Csihar, and was recorded for the Mediolanum Capta Est live album.
In 2000 the band's second full length CD was released, called Grand Declaration Of War. The album was concept-based, dealing with themes of war and post-apocalyptic destruction. It was seen by some as an attempt to recreate and redefine black metal; by others it was rejected for its bold and pretentious avant-garde electronic elements. After a four year silence, Mayhem has released a new album titled Chimera. It shows a return to a more raw, brutal style, but has been updated with pristine production value, quite in contrast to the band's early recordings. Chimera still maintains a slight progressive edge, however, which is revealing itself gradually as one of Blasphemer's songwriting tendencies.
Discography
Studio Releases
- Deathcrush [EP] - (1987)
- De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas - (1994)
- Wolf's Lair Abyss [EP] - (1997)
- Grand Declaration Of War - (2000)
- Chimera - (2004)
Live And Compilation Releases
- Live In Leipzig [Live] - (1991)
- Out From The Dark [Compilation] - (1996)
- Ancient Skin / Necrolust [Compilation] - (1997)
- Necrolust / Total Warfare [Split CD] - (1999)
- Mediolanum Capta Est [Live] - (1999)
- European Legions [Compilation] - (2001)
- U.S. Legions [Compilation] - (2001)
- Live In Marseille 2000 [Live] - (2001)
- Freezing Moon / Jihad [Split CD] - (2002)
- The Studio Experience [Box Set] - (2002)
- Legions Of War [Compilation] - (2003)
Demos And Bootlegs
- Voice Of A Tortured Skull [Demo] - (1986)
- Pure Fucking Armageddon [Demo] - (1986)
- Dawn Of The Black Hearts [Bootleg] - (1991)
Videography
Band Members
Current Members
- Maniac (Sven Erik Kristiansen) - Vocals - (1986-1988, 1995-)
- Blasphemer (Rune Eriksen) - Guitar - (1995-)
- Necrobutcher (Jorn Stubberud) - Bass - (1983-1993, 1995-)
- Hellhammer (Jan Axel Blomberg) - Drums - (1988-)
Former Members
- Atilla Csihar - Vocals - (1993)
- Messiah (Eirik Nordheim) - Vocals - (1986)
- Dead (Pelle Yngve Ohlin) - Vocals - (1988-1991)
- Euronymous (Øystein Aarseth) - Guitar - (1983-1993)
- Count Grishnackh (Kristian Vikernes) - Bass - (1993)
- Manheim (Kjetil Manheim) - Drums - (1983-)