Mayhem

See also: Mayhem (homonymy)

Mayhem is a group of Black Norwegian metal currently made up of Attila Csihar with the song, of Blasphemer to the guitar, Necrobutcher to low and Hellhammer to the battery. The group is regarded as one of the pioneers of the second vagueness of the Black Metal.

History

Mayhem is indisputably one of the groups of metal having known the most animated history: murder, arrests, many changes of line-up…

It is in 1983 with Oslo that meet Destructor (alias Øystein Aarseth, guitarist), Messiah (alias Eirik Nordheim, singer), Necrobutcher (alias Jørn Stubberud, bass player) and Mannheim (alias Kjetil Mannheim, beater) to assemble a group of Metal in the line of Venom, whose Øystein is a very large fan. Quickly the name is found, precisely inspired by the song of Venom “Mayhem Without Mercy”, and the group starts to repeat. Only here are, in Norway in 1983, food of Metal was as well as possible a soft dream and the group will spend four years to be oscillated between vague local concerts and repetitions, each member having his own work at side to join the two ends.

Beginnings

Finally in 1986, Mayhem leaves back-to-back its two demonstrations “Voice From has Tortured Skull” and “Pure Fucking Armageddon”. Influenced still well by the first steps of the Death Metal such as practiced it Mantas (the futures Death), Possessed or Merciless (for the Sweden), the group nevertheless has already a rather single sound, very dark version of the style of Speed Metal practiced by Bathory and Venom. Øystein writes almost all the words, and a certain morbid obsession for the Satanism starts to appear in the group, but going further talks cock it usual of the groups of the time.

In 1987 occur the first two major changes in the history of Mayhem. First of all, Messiah is replaced by Maniac (alias Sven Erik Kristiansen) with the song. Then, the group leaves its first genuine wafer on its own label Posercorpse Music. Although limited to: 1000 specimens (on a very pretty vinyl pink), “Deathcrush” is sold like bread rolls and is very quickly exhausted (before its republication in 1993 on the new label of Øystein, Deathlike Silence Productions). The name of the group finally starts to circulate apart from their borders, but the troubles start, beginning of what one will name “the Mayhem curse”. Indeed, in 1988, Mannheim and Maniac leave the group: the first because it found a true employment, the second because it is interned in psychiatric hospital following a missed suicide attempt. To replace them, Øystein (which meanwhile renamed Euronymous, of the name of a demon necrophagous) engages the ex-Morbid Dead (alias Per Yngve Ohlin, and after the test various other vocalists) with the song and the beater Hellhammer (alias Jan Axel Blomberg).

The true Mayhem

The morbid fascination of Dead for death, darkness and the decomposition, as its relatively unstable mental state (it had been diagnosed to be reached of a minor form of Schizophrénie) allow Mayhem to make circulate their name by giving concerts whose macabre aspect remained in the legend (Dead regularly sniffant a dead corbel broken up that it kept in a bag, burying themselves before the concerts to have a paler skin or leaving its buried clothing several months in the close cemetery so that they have an odor of marked decomposition… All this, although taking part in the legend, was rigorously authentic). Euronymous founds its new label, Deathlike Silence Productions, of which it hopes to be used for to convey its ideology of the dark music and satanist by signing only groups corresponding to its vision of what Extreme Metal must be (Merciless, Sigh, Burzum…).

The increasingly marked interest of the members of the groups for various dictatorial ideologies (Euronymous was claimed communist because large admiror of Stalin, impassioned Hellhammer of Second world war like its idols Lemmy Kilmister and Jeff Hanneman, Dead fascinated by the Spanish Inquisition) feels as well in the manner of writing their songs as to interpret them. The group makes its first round in 1990, Norway and Germany, where will be recorded the worship “Live in Leipzig” and the bootleg “Dawn Of The Black Hearts”. Mayhem fascine as far as it disturbs, and in a Métal world dominated by Death, pains to obtain another thing that a very vague recognition Underground (the flyers of the time qualify them besides Morbid Death Metal band ). In parallel, the group repeats to start the recording of its first true album “De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas” (as one can note it via it video bootleg available on Youtube) . Then, in April 1991, the curse catches up with them once more.

Old of only 21 years, Dead commits suicide in a country cottage pertaining to the group with Ski, close to Oslo, of a shooting of rifle in full head, after being lacerated the wrists several times with a knife. The balls were a gift of birthday which the thinking head of Burzum Varg Vikernes had offered to him (Dead being an enthusiastic hunter). Discovering the body, Euronymous took several polaroids of the scene before calling the police force. According to the legend (ever confirmed or cancelled), it recovered also pieces of cranium of Dead to be made a collar of it and ate ends of brain to reproduce a rite Viking. Eager then to pass at the higher stage of than he regards as a crusade, he opens in 1992 his own store of discs in Oslo, Helvete, the purpose of which is of " to sell music MALEFIQUE to MALEFIQUES" people;. It is the time of the Inner Circle and Black Metal Maffia, of the fires of churches (Fantoft, of many churches around Bergen and Oslo) mainly organized by Black Circle, composed people revolving around the Norwegian scene Black Metal, finding time with other with the shop " Helvete". It is also the time of the threatening letters sent to the groups known as " Not Croyants" (Deicide, inter alia), of the war with the Finnish groups (Beherit and Impaled Nazarene in particular) and Swedish (many brawls of streets took place after concerts between fans armed with knives and firearms)… Death Metal is with the pinnacle of its popularity, but in the shade, the Norwegian groups of Black Metal sponsored by Euronymous are on the point of reversing it of its pedestal.

The fires of churches involve investigations of police force, forcing Necrobutcher to leave the group in its turn. Euronymous convinces Varg Vikernes to come to play the low one on “Mysteriis Dom Sathanas”, and it engages as vocalist Hungarian Attila Csihar (after another great waltz of vocalists whose history did not really retain the name, like Occultus), whose it made play the group Tormentor in Norway. Finally, the August 10th 1993, the curse catches up with Mayhem when Varg assassinates Euronymous at his place of 4 or 5 stabs (one with the chest, and the remainder in the back) for a murky story of unpaid royalties (Euronymous had: 30000 Crowns of royalties for the albums of Burzum, but he refused to pay them because of various dissensions with Varg which never were really elucidated, Varg itself changing its version of the history regularly) .

The bad patch

The group, tiny room to Hellhammer, cease any activity but the death of Euronymous becomes the final release of the explosion of Black metal as a metal kind with whole share, involving the creation and/or the recognition of hundreds of groups still in activity today. “De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas” appears finally in a posthumous way in 1994. Contrary to the popular belief, the parts of low neither unobtrusive (as the family of Euronymous asked it) nor were not rejouées by Hellhammer but simply not masterized.

From there, one enters the polemic: Did Mayhem it die with Euronymous, which was the single thinking head? For much of fans, it is the case. Also the advertisement by Hellhammer of a reformation of the group with new a line-up fine 1995 made it the effect of a bomb in the metal landscape of the time. To justify historical guarantee, Maniac and Necrobutcher reinstate the rows of the Animal. Remain the place of guitarist, who will be finally taken by Blasphemer (alias Rune Erickson of Will have Black, Silence and future Mezzerschmit and Amicus). New Mayhem take its time to compose, with an aim of leaving something which can at the same time satisfy the fans of the first hour but also extend the popularity of the group.

The revival of Mayhem

In 1997, appears mini Cd “Wolf' S Lair Abyss” on the mythical English label Misanthropy Records. Success, so much public that criticizes, is with go, and Mayhem profits then from an attention on behalf of the media which he had never known at the old time. Regarded as sold by some, the group starts a world tour to celebrate its return, during which live “the Mediolanum Capta will be recorded Is” with Milan.

The charge of treason by the most chauvinistic fans will find an echo even more resounding when the group leaves in 2000 its second true album on the French label Season Of Mist (meanwhile, each member was occupied with its personal projects). " Large Declaration Off War " will accentuate even more the schism between the old ones and the new fans. Avant-gardist, electronics, militarist, daring… The album was at the same time a critical and commercial success, although tarnished by many rumors concerning the lure of gain which seemed to affect the group. Blasphemer, type-setter of almost all the album, is essential quickly as the new true Master on board instead of Hellhammer which does not seem any more to take part in the group but for the money that saves to him (made many times acknowledged by the interested party in interview).

Mayhem connects the rounds, outgoing cocktail snacks to make have patience the fans (“Live In Marseilles”, different “the Legions” albums, the republication of the vinyl discography) while each member devotes himself to parallel projects (Wurdulak for Maniac, Will have Black for Blasphemer, Arcturus/Winds/Shining for Hellhammer). At that time, Maniac starts to suffer from a advanced form of Glossophobie (fear of speaking in public, a mental disease) which it fights with great alcohol blow to be able to carry out the concerts.

Mayhem “is reformed” to leave in 2004 “Chimera”, which sees the group returning to a more brutal and believed sound, though produced well, of which all the texts are the work of Maniac. Once again, the album is accommodated in half-tone by the critic and the fans, but is sold sufficiently well to maintain the group with flood. However, the fear more and more growing of Maniac to find itself vis-a-vis the public poses problems with the group which is obliged to cancel many concerts. Finally, fine 2004, Maniac is transfered group by Necrobutcher the evening of the cancellation in a concert where the singer had drunk so much to fight his phobia which it was unable to remember of the words of the songs (the rumor wants that Necrobutcher drew it out of scene by projecting it with the bottom of the staircases which carried out to it).

Without vocalist, Mayhem cancels part of its round but Hellhamer manages to convince Attila Csihar, then in Aborym/SunnO)))/Keep Off Kalessin/Tormentor, to take the vacancy to finish the round and to record the following album, entitled " Ordo Ab Chao ". Attila accepts, and a new page is turned in the tumultuous history of the group. The new very required album marks an important work of composition with slower tempos, presques doom, and the vocal ones. Maniac with as for him joined one of the Punk project of studio of Bård Eithun (ex- Emperor, Dissection, Thorns) entitled Bomberos.

In spite of its chaotic course, Mayhem was essential with the passing of years as being the reference as for the evolution of the Black Metal, the only group joining together several different generations of fans (generally not for the same reasons). Even if one inevitably does not like what the group became, one is nevertheless obliged to respect the undeniable print that it left on the Extreme Metal of the last decade.

Discography

Sources

Biography written by CapricornMoon and catch on the site Cryptic Madness

See too

lords of chaos

External bonds

  • Official site
  • (English )
  • Cryptic Madness

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