Euronymous
Encyclopedia
Øystein Aarseth who went by the pseudonym Euronymous, was a Norwegian
guitarist
and co-founder of the Norwegian black metal band Mayhem
. He was also founder and owner of the extreme metal record label
Deathlike Silence Productions
and record shop Helvete, until his murder
by fellow musician Varg Vikernes
.
Euronymous was ranked #51 out of The 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Guitarists of All Time by Guitar World
.
.
On 8 April 1991, Mayhem vocalist Per "Dead" Ohlin committed suicide
in a house shared by the band. He was found by Euronymous with slit wrists and a shotgun
wound to the head. Before calling the police, Euronymous allegedly went to a nearby shop and bought a disposable camera with which he photographed the body, after re-arranging some items. One of these photographs was later used as the cover of a bootleg live album called Dawn of the Black Hearts
. Mayhem bassist "Necrobutcher
" speculated that forcing others to see the pictures was a way for Euronymous to cope with the shock of seeing his friend dead. In time, rumors spread that Euronymous had made a stew
with bits of Dead's brain and had made necklace
s with bits of his skull. The band later denied the former rumor, but confirmed that the latter was true. Moreover, Euronymous claimed to have given these necklaces to musicians he deemed worthy. The suicide caused a rift between Euronymous and some of his friends, who were disgusted by his attitude towards Dead before the suicide, and his behavior afterwards. Necrobutcher and Kjetil Manheim
(Mayhem's former drummer) ended their friendships with Euronymous.
During May–June 1991, Euronymous opened a record shop named Helvete (Norwegian
for ‘Hell
’) at Schweigaards gate 56 in Oslo
. Norwegian black metal musicians often met in the shop's basement, including the members of Mayhem, the members of Emperor
, Varg Vikernes of Burzum
, and Snorre "Blackthorn" Ruch of Thorns
. Euronymous also started an independent record label called Deathlike Silence Productions, which was based at Helvete. It released albums by Norwegian bands Mayhem and Burzum, and Swedish bands Merciless
and Abruptum
. Emperor drummer Bård "Faust" Eithun worked in Helvete and lived at the back of the building; Emperor guitarist Tomas "Samoth" Haugen
also lived there for a time. The shop’s walls were painted black and bedecked with medieval weapons, posters of bands, and picture disc
s, while its window featured a polystyrene tombstone. The opening of Helvete led to the black metal style spreading among Norwegian bands. As Daniel Ekeroth wrote in 2008,
On 6 June 1992, the Fantoft Stave Church
in Bergen
was destroted by arson
. Varg Vikernes is strongly suspected as the culprit, but was never convicted. There followed a wave of church burnings across Norway, perpetrated by musicians and fans of the Norwegian black metal scene. To coincide with the release of Mayhem’s De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas
, Vikernes and Euronymous had plotted to blow up Nidaros Cathedral
, which appears on the album cover. Euronymous's death in August 1993 put an end to this plan and stalled the album's release.
. Vikernes had allegedly requested the interview in order to gain publicity for the black metal scene and for Euronymous's shop and record label. However, the interview led to a police investigation and Vikernes was put under arrest for six weeks. Euronymous decided to shut Helvete due to this negative attention.
On 10 August 1993, Vikernes and Snorre "Blackthorn" Ruch traveled from Bergen to Euronymous’s apartment in Oslo. Upon their arrival a confrontation began, which ended with Vikernes fatally stabbing Euronymous. His body was found outside the apartment with 23 cut wounds – two to the head, five to the neck, and sixteen to the back.
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" a stabbing in Lillehammer by Bård "Faust" Eithun. Vikernes denies all of this, claiming Euronymous had plotted to torture
him to death and videotape the event – using a meeting about an unsigned contract
as a pretext. 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. Moreover, Vikernes defends that most of Euronymous's cut wounds were caused by broken glass he had fallen on during the struggle. This version is doubted by Faust and other members of the scene.
Whatever the circumstances, Vikernes was arrested within days and in May 1994 was sentenced to 21 years in prison (Norway's maximum penalty) for both the murder and church arsons. Controversially, Vikernes smiled at the moment his verdict was read, an image that was widely reprinted in the news media. That month, Mayhem finally released the album De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas
, which features Euronymous on electric guitar
and Vikernes on bass guitar
. Before the release, Euronymous's family had asked Hellhammer, Mayhem's drummer, to remove the bass tracks recorded by Vikernes. Although Hellhammer promised to re-record them himself, Vikernes's contributions remained on the final album.
On 24 May 2009, Vikernes was released from prison on parole.
- influenced by the repressive nature of his Satanism
as well as his intense misanthropy
; Satanism has since been shunned by the majority of black metal musicians in spite of their respect for his role in developing the genre. He admittedly held a disdain for individualism
; a mindset which later on would be a motivating factor for the hostility of many black metal musicians towards Right-Hand Path religions. Nevertheless, his beliefs were to have a profound effect on the then-nascent black metal participants.
However, in the black metal documentary Until the Light Takes Us, Varg Vikernes claimed that, in fact, Euronymous was not a Satanist. Mortiis
, however, said that Euronymous "had this total Satan attitude. I didn't have that - he had that. He was such a devil worshipper you wouldn't believe it".
Ostensibly, the theistic Satanism
embraced by Euronymous was a deliberate fundamental inversion of Roman Catholic dogma. He opposed the teachings of Aleister Crowley
and Anton LaVey
, for unlike Euronymous they promoted what he saw as 'peace', and commercial frivolity, as well as individualism in contrast to precedence of dogma (although Crowley and LaVey both included dogma in their belief systems, they were also naturally opposed to the subservience that Euronymous promoted).
Over time, some members of the Norwegian scene began to follow Paganism
and Euronymous, who released Enslaved
’s Norse mythology inspired first album Vikingligr Veldi
, apparently did not have a problem with this. However, Vikernes later claimed that Euronymous was "obsessed with this 'Satanist' thing" and that he disapproved of Vikernes promoting Paganism.
Metalion, who knew Euronymous since 1985 and considered him to be his best friend, said that Euronymous “was always telling what he thought, following his own instincts to the true Black Metal stuff like corpsepaint and spikes, worshipping death and being extreme”.
leaders such as Joseph Stalin
and Pol Pot
, Euronymous was a member of the Norwegian Communist youth group Rød Ungdom
, where according to fellow black metal musician Frost, he may have honed his leadership skills of which he would utilize in the early Norwegian black metal scene, where he allegedly led a Black Metal Inner Circle. Euronymous himself openly rejected non-repressive interpretations of communism in favor of totalitarian interpretations of communism as practiced by Stalin and Pol Pot.
guitar, which can be seen in many pictures of him playing. He stated in various interviews that his main guitar influences were bands such as Venom
, Bathory
, Slayer
, Celtic Frost
/Hellhammer
, and Sodom
. He played through a slightly modified Marshall JCM800 tube amp and used an Ibanez Tube Screamer pedal as well as an Arion Metal Master distortion pedal.
He also released a demo with Checker Patrol in 1986.
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
and co-founder of the Norwegian black metal band Mayhem
Mayhem (band)
Mayhem is a Norwegian black metal band formed in 1984 in Oslo, Norway and regarded as one of the pioneers of the influential Norwegian black metal scene...
. He was also founder and owner of the extreme metal record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
Deathlike Silence Productions
Deathlike Silence Productions
Deathlike Silence Productions was an Oslo, Norway based independent record label founded in the late 1980s that focused primarily on black metal. It was the first independent label to do so. The label was founded by Øystein Aarseth, also known as Euronymous, who operated the label until his murder...
and record shop Helvete, until his murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
by fellow musician Varg Vikernes
Varg Vikernes
Varg Vikernes is a Norwegian black metal musician, writer, philosopher, religious and political activist, arsonist and convicted murderer.Vikernes was born near Bergen, Norway. In 1991, he founded the one-man music project Burzum, which quickly became popular within the early Norwegian black metal...
.
Euronymous was ranked #51 out of The 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Guitarists of All Time by Guitar World
Guitar World
Guitar World is a monthly music magazine devoted to guitarists. It contains original interviews, album and gear reviews and guitar and bass tablature of approximately five songs each month. The magazine is published 13 times per year...
.
Biography
Aarseth formed Mayhem in 1984. At the time he was going by the stage name “Destructor” but later changed his name to Euronymous, derived from the demon EurynomosEurynomos
In Greek mythology, Eurynomos Latin spelling is a legendary creature was the netherworld Daemon of rotting corpses dwelling in the Underworld. He is sometimes identified with Hades and sometimes said to be a servitor of Hecate...
.
On 8 April 1991, Mayhem vocalist Per "Dead" Ohlin committed suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
in a house shared by the band. He was found by Euronymous with slit wrists and a shotgun
Shotgun
A shotgun is a firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder, which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number of small spherical pellets called shot, or a solid projectile called a slug...
wound to the head. Before calling the police, Euronymous allegedly went to a nearby shop and bought a disposable camera with which he photographed the body, after re-arranging some items. One of these photographs was later used as the cover of a bootleg live album called Dawn of the Black Hearts
Dawn of the Black Hearts
Dawn of the Black Hearts is a bootleg live album by the Norwegian black metal band Mayhem. It is infamous for bearing a photograph of Mayhem's vocalist, Dead , after his suicide in April 1991. This photograph was allegedly taken by Mayhem's guitarist, Euronymous , upon discovering Dead's body...
. Mayhem bassist "Necrobutcher
Necrobutcher
Jørn Stubberud is a Norwegian musician. He is best known as the bassist in the black metal band Mayhem under the stage name Necrobutcher...
" speculated that forcing others to see the pictures was a way for Euronymous to cope with the shock of seeing his friend dead. In time, rumors spread that Euronymous had made a stew
Stew
A stew is a combination of solid food ingredients that have been cooked in liquid and served in the resultant gravy. Ingredients in a stew can include any combination of vegetables , meat, especially tougher meats suitable for slow-cooking, such as beef. Poultry, sausages, and seafood are also used...
with bits of Dead's brain and had made necklace
Necklace
A necklace is an article of jewellery which is worn around the neck. Necklaces are frequently formed from a metal jewellery chain. Others are woven or manufactured from cloth using string or twine....
s with bits of his skull. The band later denied the former rumor, but confirmed that the latter was true. Moreover, Euronymous claimed to have given these necklaces to musicians he deemed worthy. The suicide caused a rift between Euronymous and some of his friends, who were disgusted by his attitude towards Dead before the suicide, and his behavior afterwards. Necrobutcher and Kjetil Manheim
Kjetil Manheim
Kjetil Esten Haraldsson Manheim, , was the drummer for the Norwegian black metal band Mayhem. During this time, he went by the stage name Manheim.-Biography:...
(Mayhem's former drummer) ended their friendships with Euronymous.
During May–June 1991, Euronymous opened a record shop named Helvete (Norwegian
Norwegian language
Norwegian is a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Norway, where it is the official language. Together with Swedish and Danish, Norwegian forms a continuum of more or less mutually intelligible local and regional variants .These Scandinavian languages together with the Faroese language...
for ‘Hell
Hell
In many religious traditions, a hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as endless. Religions with a cyclic history often depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations...
’) at Schweigaards gate 56 in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
. Norwegian black metal musicians often met in the shop's basement, including the members of Mayhem, the members of Emperor
Emperor (band)
Emperor was a Norwegian black metal band formed in 1991. They dissolved in 2001, but reunited in 2006 and again in 2007 for a few festival dates and brief US tours. The group was founded by Samoth and Ihsahn .-Biography:...
, Varg Vikernes of Burzum
Burzum
Burzum is a musical project by Varg Vikernes . It began during 1991 in Bergen, Norway and quickly became prominent within the early Norwegian black metal scene...
, and Snorre "Blackthorn" Ruch of Thorns
Thorns (band)
Thorns is a Norwegian black metal band that formed in 1989 and was part of the early Norwegian black metal scene. They made two highly influential demos in the early 1990s, Grymyrk and Trøndertun, but have only released one full-length album....
. Euronymous also started an independent record label called Deathlike Silence Productions, which was based at Helvete. It released albums by Norwegian bands Mayhem and Burzum, and Swedish bands Merciless
Merciless
Merciless is a Swedish death/thrash metal band. The band was formed during the summer of 1986 in Strängnäs, Sweden by Erik Wallin Fredrik Karlén and Stefan Carlsson . They were inspired of the early fast-playing bands such as Kreator, Sodom, Destruction and Bathory...
and Abruptum
Abruptum
Abruptum was a black metal and dark ambient band from Sweden formed in 1989 by IT , All , and Ext. IT had already planned to create the band in 1987, but it wasn't until 1990 that he found the right members to do it. The same year, they recorded their first two demos. After the release of the...
. Emperor drummer Bård "Faust" Eithun worked in Helvete and lived at the back of the building; Emperor guitarist Tomas "Samoth" Haugen
Samoth
Samoth is a prominent musician and multi-instrumentalist in the Norwegian black metal scene. He was well known for his distinct guitar work and drumming in the band Emperor, as well as his formation of the death metal band Zyklon...
also lived there for a time. The shop’s walls were painted black and bedecked with medieval weapons, posters of bands, and picture disc
Picture disc
Picture discs are gramophone records that show images on their playing surface, rather than being of plain black or coloured vinyl.-Development:...
s, while its window featured a polystyrene tombstone. The opening of Helvete led to the black metal style spreading among Norwegian bands. As Daniel Ekeroth wrote in 2008,
Within just a few months [of Helvete opening], many young musicians had become obsessed with Euronymous and his ideas, and soon a lot of Norwegian death metal bands transformed into black metal bands. Amputation became ImmortalImmortal (band)Immortal is a black metal band from Bergen, Norway, founded in 1990 by current frontman/guitarist Abbath Doom Occulta and former guitarist Demonaz Doom Occulta...
, Thou Shalt Suffer turned into Emperor, and DarkthroneDarkthroneDarkthrone is a Norwegian black metal band. They formed in 1987 as a death metal band, but after embracing the black metal style in 1991, they became a driving force in the Norwegian black metal scene. For most of this period Darkthrone has consisted of just two musicians, Nocturno Culto and...
swapped their Swedish-inspired death metal for primitive black metal. Most notoriously, Old FuneralOld FuneralOld Funeral was a black/death metal band from Bergen, Norway.Old Funeral was one of the first bands to form in the Norwegian extreme metal scene, getting its start in 1988...
’s guitar player Kristian Vikernes had already left the band to form his own creation, Burzum.
On 6 June 1992, the Fantoft Stave Church
Fantoft stave church
Fantoft Stave Church is a reconstructed stave church in the Fana borough of the city of Bergen, Norway.The church was originally built in Fortun in Sogn, a village near inner or eastern end of Sognefjord around the year 1150. In the 19th century the church was threatened by demolition, as were...
in Bergen
Bergen
Bergen is the second largest city in Norway with a population of as of , . Bergen is the administrative centre of Hordaland county. Greater Bergen or Bergen Metropolitan Area as defined by Statistics Norway, has a population of as of , ....
was destroted by arson
Arson
Arson is the crime of intentionally or maliciously setting fire to structures or wildland areas. It may be distinguished from other causes such as spontaneous combustion and natural wildfires...
. Varg Vikernes is strongly suspected as the culprit, but was never convicted. There followed a wave of church burnings across Norway, perpetrated by musicians and fans of the Norwegian black metal scene. To coincide with the release of Mayhem’s De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas
De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas
De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas is an album by Norwegian black metal band Mayhem. Songwriting began as early as 1987, but due to the suicide of vocalist Dead and murder of guitarist Euronymous , the album's release was delayed until May 1994...
, Vikernes and Euronymous had plotted to blow up Nidaros Cathedral
Nidaros Cathedral
Nidaros Cathedral is a Church of Norway cathedral located in the city of Trondheim in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. It was the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Nidaros from its establishment in 1152 until its abolition in 1537. Since the Reformation, it has been the cathedral of the...
, which appears on the album cover. Euronymous's death in August 1993 put an end to this plan and stalled the album's release.
Death
In late January 1993, Vikernes was interviewed by a journalist from Bergens TidendeBergens Tidende
Bergens Tidende is Norway's fourth largest newspaper and largest newspaper outside Oslo, with a circulation of about 87,000 copies . Founded in 1868, it is a Norwegian-language newspaper published daily in Bergen. It reaches approximately 260,000 readers every day , mainly in the counties of...
. Vikernes had allegedly requested the interview in order to gain publicity for the black metal scene and for Euronymous's shop and record label. However, the interview led to a police investigation and Vikernes was put under arrest for six weeks. Euronymous decided to shut Helvete due to this negative attention.
On 10 August 1993, Vikernes and Snorre "Blackthorn" Ruch traveled from Bergen to Euronymous’s apartment in Oslo. Upon their arrival a confrontation began, which ended with Vikernes fatally stabbing Euronymous. His body was found outside the apartment with 23 cut wounds – two to the head, five to the neck, and sixteen to the back.
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" a stabbing in Lillehammer by Bård "Faust" Eithun. Vikernes denies all of this, claiming Euronymous had plotted to torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
him to death and videotape the event – using a meeting about an unsigned contract
Contract
A contract is an agreement entered into by two parties or more with the intention of creating a legal obligation, which may have elements in writing. Contracts can be made orally. The remedy for breach of contract can be "damages" or compensation of money. In equity, the remedy can be specific...
as a pretext. 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. Moreover, Vikernes defends that most of Euronymous's cut wounds were caused by broken glass he had fallen on during the struggle. This version is doubted by Faust and other members of the scene.
Whatever the circumstances, Vikernes was arrested within days and in May 1994 was sentenced to 21 years in prison (Norway's maximum penalty) for both the murder and church arsons. Controversially, Vikernes smiled at the moment his verdict was read, an image that was widely reprinted in the news media. That month, Mayhem finally released the album De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas
De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas
De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas is an album by Norwegian black metal band Mayhem. Songwriting began as early as 1987, but due to the suicide of vocalist Dead and murder of guitarist Euronymous , the album's release was delayed until May 1994...
, which features Euronymous on electric guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
and Vikernes on bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
. Before the release, Euronymous's family had asked Hellhammer, Mayhem's drummer, to remove the bass tracks recorded by Vikernes. Although Hellhammer promised to re-record them himself, Vikernes's contributions remained on the final album.
On 24 May 2009, Vikernes was released from prison on parole.
Satanism
Euronymous was a practitioner of Theistic Satanism Although he did not use the music of Mayhem to promote his political leanings, he saw them as mutually compatible with black metalBlack metal
Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, shrieked vocals, highly distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, blast beat drumming, raw recording, and unconventional song structure....
- influenced by the repressive nature of his Satanism
Satanism
Satanism is a group of religions that is composed of a diverse number of ideological and philosophical beliefs and social phenomena. Their shared feature include symbolic association with, admiration for the character of, and even veneration of Satan or similar rebellious, promethean, and...
as well as his intense misanthropy
Misanthropy
Misanthropy is generalized dislike, distrust, disgust, contempt or hatred of the human species or human nature. A misanthrope, or misanthropist is someone who holds such views or feelings...
; Satanism has since been shunned by the majority of black metal musicians in spite of their respect for his role in developing the genre. He admittedly held a disdain for individualism
Individualism
Individualism is the moral stance, political philosophy, ideology, or social outlook that stresses "the moral worth of the individual". Individualists promote the exercise of one's goals and desires and so value independence and self-reliance while opposing most external interference upon one's own...
; a mindset which later on would be a motivating factor for the hostility of many black metal musicians towards Right-Hand Path religions. Nevertheless, his beliefs were to have a profound effect on the then-nascent black metal participants.
'Satanism comes from religious Christianity, and there it shall stay. I'm a religious person and I will fight those who misuse His name. People are not supposed to believe in themselves and be individualists. They are supposed to OBEY, to be the SLAVES of religion.' - Euronymous, in an interview by Esa Lahdenperä
However, in the black metal documentary Until the Light Takes Us, Varg Vikernes claimed that, in fact, Euronymous was not a Satanist. Mortiis
Mortiis
Mortiis is a band from Notodden, Norway fronted by Håvard Ellefsen, who is also known as the namesake of the band. The name is a misspelling of the word 'mortis', which is the pronunciation used by the band. However, Mortiis started as the solo project of Ellefsen as a means to convey a story...
, however, said that Euronymous "had this total Satan attitude. I didn't have that - he had that. He was such a devil worshipper you wouldn't believe it".
Ostensibly, the theistic Satanism
Theistic Satanism
Theistic Satanism, sometimes referred to as Traditional Satanism, Spiritual Satanism or Devil Worship, is a form of Satanism with the primary belief that Satan is an actual deity or force to revere or worship. Other characteristics of Theistic Satanism may include a belief in magic, which is...
embraced by Euronymous was a deliberate fundamental inversion of Roman Catholic dogma. He opposed the teachings of Aleister Crowley
Aleister Crowley
Aleister Crowley , born Edward Alexander Crowley, and also known as both Frater Perdurabo and The Great Beast, was an influential English occultist, astrologer, mystic and ceremonial magician, responsible for founding the religious philosophy of Thelema. He was also successful in various other...
and Anton LaVey
Anton LaVey
Anton Szandor LaVey , born Howard Stanton Levey, was the founder of the Church of Satan as well as a writer, occultist, and musician...
, for unlike Euronymous they promoted what he saw as 'peace', and commercial frivolity, as well as individualism in contrast to precedence of dogma (although Crowley and LaVey both included dogma in their belief systems, they were also naturally opposed to the subservience that Euronymous promoted).
Over time, some members of the Norwegian scene began to follow Paganism
Paganism
Paganism is a blanket term, typically used to refer to non-Abrahamic, indigenous polytheistic religious traditions....
and Euronymous, who released Enslaved
Enslaved (band)
Enslaved is a progressive black metal band formed in June 1991 in Sveio, Norway, and currently based out of Bergen, Norway.-History:Enslaved was formed in June 1991 by Ivar Bjørnson and Grutle Kjellson when they were 13 and 17 years old, respectively. The band name was inspired by an Immortal demo...
’s Norse mythology inspired first album Vikingligr Veldi
Vikingligr Veldi
Vikingligr Veldi is the first full-length album release by Norwegian progressive metal band Enslaved. It was released in 1994 on Deathlike Silence Productions, which was the record label run by Euronymous; he was killed before the album's release...
, apparently did not have a problem with this. However, Vikernes later claimed that Euronymous was "obsessed with this 'Satanist' thing" and that he disapproved of Vikernes promoting Paganism.
Metalion, who knew Euronymous since 1985 and considered him to be his best friend, said that Euronymous “was always telling what he thought, following his own instincts to the true Black Metal stuff like corpsepaint and spikes, worshipping death and being extreme”.
Communism
An admirer of CommunistCommunism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
leaders such as Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
and Pol Pot
Pol Pot
Saloth Sar , better known as Pol Pot, , was a Cambodian Maoist revolutionary who led the Khmer Rouge from 1963 until his death in 1998. From 1976 to 1979, he served as the Prime Minister of Democratic Kampuchea....
, Euronymous was a member of the Norwegian Communist youth group Rød Ungdom
Red Youth (Norway)
Red Youth is a Norwegian revolutionary youth league. It is the youth organization of the party Red and former Red Electoral Alliance and the Workers' Communist Party. The current leader of Red Youth is Iver Aastebøl.-Politics:...
, where according to fellow black metal musician Frost, he may have honed his leadership skills of which he would utilize in the early Norwegian black metal scene, where he allegedly led a Black Metal Inner Circle. Euronymous himself openly rejected non-repressive interpretations of communism in favor of totalitarian interpretations of communism as practiced by Stalin and Pol Pot.
Instruments
Euronymous played a Standard sunburst Gibson Les PaulGibson Les Paul
The Gibson Les Paul was the result of a design collaboration between Gibson Guitar Corporation and the late jazz guitarist and electronics inventor Les Paul. In 1950, with the introduction of the Fender Telecaster to the musical market, electric guitars became a public craze. In reaction, Gibson...
guitar, which can be seen in many pictures of him playing. He stated in various interviews that his main guitar influences were bands such as Venom
Venom (band)
Venom are an English heavy metal band that formed in 1979 in Newcastle upon Tyne. Coming to prominence towards the end of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, Venom's first two albums—Welcome to Hell and Black Metal —are considered a major influence on thrash metal and extreme metal in general...
, Bathory
Bathory (band)
Bathory was a Swedish heavy metal band, formed by Quorthon in 1983. They are regarded as pioneers of both black metal and viking metal. Quorthon remained the main songwriter and member of Bathory for more than two decades. Bathory was permanently ended after Quorthon's death in 2004...
, Slayer
Slayer
Slayer is an American thrash metal band formed in Huntington Park, California, in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. Slayer rose to fame with their 1986 release, Reign in Blood, and is credited as one of the "Big Four" thrash metal acts, along with Metallica, Megadeth and...
, Celtic Frost
Celtic Frost
Celtic Frost was a metal band from Zürich, Switzerland. They are known for their heavy influence on the extreme metal genres. The group was first active from 1984 to 1993, and re-formed in 2001. Following Tom Gabriel Fischer's departure in 2008, Celtic Frost decided to break up again...
/Hellhammer
Hellhammer
Hellhammer was an influential extreme metal band from Switzerland, active during 1982–1984. They are regarded as being one of the first extreme metal bands and are a key influence on later black metal and death metal bands.-Biography:...
, and Sodom
Sodom (band)
Sodom is a German Thrash metal trio from Gelsenkirchen, formed in 1981.Along with the bands Kreator and Destruction, Sodom is considered one of the "big three" of Teutonic thrash metal...
. He played through a slightly modified Marshall JCM800 tube amp and used an Ibanez Tube Screamer pedal as well as an Arion Metal Master distortion pedal.
Discography
| Title | Recorded | Released |
|---|---|---|
| Pure Fucking Armageddon | 1985 | 1985 |
| Deathrehearsal | 1987 | 1987 |
| Deathcrush Deathcrush Deathcrush is an EP by the influential Norwegian band Mayhem. It was released in 1987 and was the first studio release by any band of the Norwegian black metal scene. "Chainsaw Gutsfuck" was voted Most Gruesome Lyrics Ever by Blender Magazine. Though influential to black metal, its lyrics and sound... |
1987 | 1987 |
| Live in Leipzig Live in Leipzig -Credits:*Dead - vocals*Euronymous - guitar*Necrobutcher - bass*Hellhammer - drums... |
1990 | 1993 |
| Dawn of the Black Hearts Dawn of the Black Hearts Dawn of the Black Hearts is a bootleg live album by the Norwegian black metal band Mayhem. It is infamous for bearing a photograph of Mayhem's vocalist, Dead , after his suicide in April 1991. This photograph was allegedly taken by Mayhem's guitarist, Euronymous , upon discovering Dead's body... |
1990 | 1995 |
| Freezing Moon/Carnage | 1990 | 1996 |
| Out from the Dark Out From The Dark Out from the Dark is an album by the Norwegian black metal band Mayhem. It consists of a rehearsal from early 1991, but it was not officially released until 1996.... |
1991 | 1995 |
| De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas is an album by Norwegian black metal band Mayhem. Songwriting began as early as 1987, but due to the suicide of vocalist Dead and murder of guitarist Euronymous , the album's release was delayed until May 1994... |
1993 | 1994 |
He also released a demo with Checker Patrol in 1986.