Black Metal is not a normal genre of music. Much like the Ku Klux Klan and the Nazis, most people hate it and not to mention its violent and anti-christian individuals. Scorned by the mainstream and loved by masses of metallers, black-metal isn't just a genre of music. It’s a collective of people who share a mutual passion for anti-religious ideologies, its advocacy for Satanism and of course the unconventional music which follows.
Emerging during the 1980’s from a stem of thrash and death metal bands who formed their own prototype of the genre. From there a new wave of bands would emerge such as Bathory and Venom. But it wasn’t until the '90s when the culture started to form. The second wave of black-metal was mostly conceived in Norway, the bands that would be at the forefront of this genre at the time formed the genre into what it is today, while also receiving heavy media attention. It was at this time that its artists also formed and expressed extreme anti-christian views, which in turn saw a series of arson attacks on churches and several murders. Bands such as Gorgoroth and Burzum spearheaded this movement with their often depressive and satanic lyricism. Musical integrity is a highly important factor within black-metal. Often in the media the genre is often likened to a cult, with those involved wanting the genre to stay underground and “uncorrupted”. Perceived as an exclusive music scene only allowing those in whom its members deemed to be “true” or committed to its ethos. From this second wave of bands emerging in the black metal genre, Norway conceived its own scene and genre of black metal in its own right. It was during this time, in the early 1990s, where “The Black Circle” was formed. Guitarist of the popular black metal band, Mayhem's Euronymous, opened a record shop called “Helvete” (Hell) in Oslo. The shop itself released some of the most recognised releases from black metal history and was considered a central hub on the early Norwegian scene, where members of bands such as Burzum and Emperor would also live. It was at Helvete where its customers and members would congregate in the basement for meetings and activities within the scenes communities, hence the name “The Black Circle”. Its members decked in spiked leather outfits and facepaint likened to that of a corpse. The Black Circle's most consistent members, however, were central figures within this scene and these are the figures that gave Norway its notoriety for the black metal scene and also made national media. Mayhem were arguably the first band to helm the early Norwegian black metal scene. Taking influence from bands such as Slayer and Bathory who found the musicalities to create this new genre, Mayhem took it one step further, just like most other Norwegian bands at the time and created their own black metal sound. But its two members front man “Dead” and guitarist “Euronymous” were two of the most revered figures within the scene. Dead himself is often credited as the first to wear corpse paint on stage, with Mayhem's members saying that he had a vision that blood was frozen in his veins; Stian Johannsen a fill-in vocalist for Mayhem noted about Dead: "He (Dead) didn't see himself as human; he saw himself as a creature from another world. He said he had many visions that his blood has frozen in his veins, that he was dead. That is the reason he took that name. He knew he would die.” | Detailed breakdown on the history of Early Norwegian Black Metal Feature explaining some of the worst crimes in Black Metal history Vice documentary centering on the Black Metal scene in Bergen, Norway Magazine on Black Metal theory Guitarist confirms he owns skull fragments and brain matter of former Mayhem frontman "Dead" |
Dead was a very curious and depressive character, even as a young child he was classed as clinically dead after an accident left his spleen ruptured. His fellow musicians often described him as odd and introverted stating that he did not eat just to get wounds from starvation and wore clothing that sported funeral announcements.
According to Emperor drummer, “Faust”: “He 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.”
During live performances, Dead went to extreme lengths to attain an image and atmosphere as he wanted. As mentioned he was known to wear face paint which likened him to a corpse. During one tour, it was reported he found a dead crow and kept it in a plastic bag, before every show he would smell the bird before going onstage to sing with the stench of death in his nostrils, according to his fellow musicians. Mayhem themselves would even throw real pig heads and blood onto gig-goers to root out those who were apparently “Posers” at their shows.
But what may even be more disturbing is Dead's battle with self-harm, which seemed to be a more mutilation fetish than a problem. The vocalist would often repeatedly cut himself on-stage and would be very depressive around his members, often resulting in Mayhem's members patching Dead up in turn.
Many of the vocalist's friends were concerned about his deteriorating state but guitarist, Euronymous, became increasingly fascinated by Dead's depressive and suicidal tendencies often encouraging him to kill himself.
Eventually as Dead’s state became increasingly worse, he would then proceed to kill himself by slitting his wrists and throat and then shooting himself in the head with a shotgun, leaving this suicide note behind with him:
“Excuse the blood, but I have slit my wrists and neck. It was the intention that I would die in the woods so that it would take a few days before I was possibly found. I belong in the woods and have always done so. No one will understand the reason for this anyway. To give some semblance of an explanation I'm not a human, this is just a dream and soon I will awake. It was too cold and the blood was coagulating all the time, plus my new knife is too dull. If I don't succeed dying to the knife I will blow all the shit out of my skull. Yet I do not know. I left all my lyrics by "Let the good times roll"—plus the rest of the money. Whoever finds it gets the fucking thing. As a last salutation may I present "Life Eternal". Do whatever you want with the fucking thing. / Pelle.
I didn't come up with this now, but seventeen years ago.”
According to Emperor drummer, “Faust”: “He 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.”
During live performances, Dead went to extreme lengths to attain an image and atmosphere as he wanted. As mentioned he was known to wear face paint which likened him to a corpse. During one tour, it was reported he found a dead crow and kept it in a plastic bag, before every show he would smell the bird before going onstage to sing with the stench of death in his nostrils, according to his fellow musicians. Mayhem themselves would even throw real pig heads and blood onto gig-goers to root out those who were apparently “Posers” at their shows.
But what may even be more disturbing is Dead's battle with self-harm, which seemed to be a more mutilation fetish than a problem. The vocalist would often repeatedly cut himself on-stage and would be very depressive around his members, often resulting in Mayhem's members patching Dead up in turn.
Many of the vocalist's friends were concerned about his deteriorating state but guitarist, Euronymous, became increasingly fascinated by Dead's depressive and suicidal tendencies often encouraging him to kill himself.
Eventually as Dead’s state became increasingly worse, he would then proceed to kill himself by slitting his wrists and throat and then shooting himself in the head with a shotgun, leaving this suicide note behind with him:
“Excuse the blood, but I have slit my wrists and neck. It was the intention that I would die in the woods so that it would take a few days before I was possibly found. I belong in the woods and have always done so. No one will understand the reason for this anyway. To give some semblance of an explanation I'm not a human, this is just a dream and soon I will awake. It was too cold and the blood was coagulating all the time, plus my new knife is too dull. If I don't succeed dying to the knife I will blow all the shit out of my skull. Yet I do not know. I left all my lyrics by "Let the good times roll"—plus the rest of the money. Whoever finds it gets the fucking thing. As a last salutation may I present "Life Eternal". Do whatever you want with the fucking thing. / Pelle.
I didn't come up with this now, but seventeen years ago.”
After Dead's inevitable suicide, Euronymous would come into the picture. Quite literally finding Dead's body hours after the suicide. Before calling the police, Euronymous allegedly photographed the body with a disposable camera, this would then become the cover for a bootleg Mayhem album titled “Dawn of the Black Hearts”. Soon after this, rumours then came to light that Euronymous had made a stew with bits of Dead's brain and also made necklaces from fragments of his skull, which was later confirmed to be true.
Euronymous would often use Dead's suicide to foster Mayhem's “evil” image that they were known for. Claiming that the vocalist had killed himself because the music became too commercialised.
During this time period a spate of church burnings and anti-christian events would also happen throughout the scene. In early 1993, a grievance began to rise between Euronymous and Burzum front man Varg Vikernes, resulting in Vikernes brutally stabbing Euronymous and eventually killing him, leaving him with twenty three stab wounds. Vikernes was then arrested in May 1994 and sentenced to 21 years in prison for the murder as well as four church burnings and possession of explosives.
These events were probably some of the most key moments in early Norwegian black metal, shaping the scene into what it is today. Most of its history is surrounded by rumours and hearsay; rumours of individuals kidnapping mental patients to record albums and musicians replacing their limbs with satanic symbols such as pig hoofs. As it stands today though black metal is nothing other than an art form. It remains one of the most raw art forms telling stories of cultural oppression and the occult. But from its past, it's also renowned as one of the most disturbing, dark and anti-religious cult movements in music.
This isn't a comprehensive guide to the early Norwegian black metal scene but more or less a guide to its rise and downfall following some of its key figures. If you would like to learn more on this movement follow the links in the sidebar. You'll also find our essential listening guide to early Norwegian Black Metal.
Euronymous would often use Dead's suicide to foster Mayhem's “evil” image that they were known for. Claiming that the vocalist had killed himself because the music became too commercialised.
During this time period a spate of church burnings and anti-christian events would also happen throughout the scene. In early 1993, a grievance began to rise between Euronymous and Burzum front man Varg Vikernes, resulting in Vikernes brutally stabbing Euronymous and eventually killing him, leaving him with twenty three stab wounds. Vikernes was then arrested in May 1994 and sentenced to 21 years in prison for the murder as well as four church burnings and possession of explosives.
These events were probably some of the most key moments in early Norwegian black metal, shaping the scene into what it is today. Most of its history is surrounded by rumours and hearsay; rumours of individuals kidnapping mental patients to record albums and musicians replacing their limbs with satanic symbols such as pig hoofs. As it stands today though black metal is nothing other than an art form. It remains one of the most raw art forms telling stories of cultural oppression and the occult. But from its past, it's also renowned as one of the most disturbing, dark and anti-religious cult movements in music.
This isn't a comprehensive guide to the early Norwegian black metal scene but more or less a guide to its rise and downfall following some of its key figures. If you would like to learn more on this movement follow the links in the sidebar. You'll also find our essential listening guide to early Norwegian Black Metal.
By George Dimmock
Read More:
The cult of Norweigan Black Metal
Black Metal Cults discussed at length in new book