Euronymous(1968-1993)
- Soundtrack
Euronymous (Øystein Aarseth) was a Norwegian guitarist. He gained fame as a founding figure of Norwegian black metal scene, as a founding member of the long-running metal band "Mayhem", and as the owner of both the record label Deathlike Silence Productions and the record shop Helvete. He named himself after the Underworld spirit Eurynomos from Greek mythology. In 1993, Euronymous was murdered by his former band-mate Varg Vikernes.
In 1968, Euronymous was born in the Surnadal Municipality, a primarily agricultural settlement located in the Møre og Romsdal county of Western Norway. During the 1980s, he was a member he communist youth group Rød Ungdom. He left because he reportedly disagreed with the group's humanist beliefs. He later self-identified as a fascist, though he typically avoided including political messages in his music.
In 1984, Euronymous started his professional musical career at age 16. He co-founded the band Mayhem with Necrobutcher (Jørn Stubberud) and Kjetil Manheim. In 1986, he recorded the demo "Metalion in the Park" in collaboration with Metalion (Jon Kristiansen).In 1988, Mayhem recruited two new members, the singer Dead (Per Ohlin) and the drummer Hellhammer (Jan Axel Blomberg). By 1991, Euronymous, Dead, and Hellhammer were sharing a forest house located near Kråkstad. Euronymous and Dead reportedly got on each other's nerves, and Euronymous intentionally disturbed Dead's sleep.
In April 1991, Dead committed suicide and Euronymous was the first person to discover the body in their shared home. Euronymous had the idea to use the suicide in a controversial publicity campaign to foster Mayhem's "evil" image, including the publication of photos of the corpse. At the same time, Euronymous adopted a satanic stage persona and started behaving aggressively in real life. This behavior alienated Euronymous from a number of friends, who started avoiding him. Following a number of resignations, Mayhem was left with only two members. Occultus (Stian Johanssen) briefly served as Mayhem's new lead singer. He resigned in protest when he received threats from Euronymous.
In May-June 1991, Euronymous opened his record shop Helvete (Norwegian for "hell") in Oslo. He decorated the shop with medieval weapons, posters of bands and picture discs. Euronymous lived in another area of the same rented building as the shop, while Varg Virgeness and Samoth/Tomas Haugen served at times as his new housemates. The shop's basement served as a meeting place for Norwegian black metal musicians from various bands. Euronymous soon started the independent record label called Deathlike Silence Productions, which was based at Helvete. He produced records for the Norwegian bands Mayhem and Burzum, and for the Swedish bands Merciless and Abruptum.
In the early 1990s, Euronymous helped promote a number of younger bands, such as Emperor and Enslaved. He tried to serve as a mentor to Varg Vikernes, who was five years younger than him. He invited Vikernes to play bass with Mayhem and offered to release his music through his record label. Their friendship reportedly soon turned to rivalry. In August 1993, Vikerness stabbed Euronumous to death during a physical fight between them. Vikerness claimed that he acted in self-defense, and that Euronymous had started the fight by kicking him in the chest. They were reputedly arguing over money, as Euronymous owed Vikernes a large sum of royalty payments. Vikerness was imprisoned for Euronymous' murder, but was released from prison on parole in 2009.
In 1968, Euronymous was born in the Surnadal Municipality, a primarily agricultural settlement located in the Møre og Romsdal county of Western Norway. During the 1980s, he was a member he communist youth group Rød Ungdom. He left because he reportedly disagreed with the group's humanist beliefs. He later self-identified as a fascist, though he typically avoided including political messages in his music.
In 1984, Euronymous started his professional musical career at age 16. He co-founded the band Mayhem with Necrobutcher (Jørn Stubberud) and Kjetil Manheim. In 1986, he recorded the demo "Metalion in the Park" in collaboration with Metalion (Jon Kristiansen).In 1988, Mayhem recruited two new members, the singer Dead (Per Ohlin) and the drummer Hellhammer (Jan Axel Blomberg). By 1991, Euronymous, Dead, and Hellhammer were sharing a forest house located near Kråkstad. Euronymous and Dead reportedly got on each other's nerves, and Euronymous intentionally disturbed Dead's sleep.
In April 1991, Dead committed suicide and Euronymous was the first person to discover the body in their shared home. Euronymous had the idea to use the suicide in a controversial publicity campaign to foster Mayhem's "evil" image, including the publication of photos of the corpse. At the same time, Euronymous adopted a satanic stage persona and started behaving aggressively in real life. This behavior alienated Euronymous from a number of friends, who started avoiding him. Following a number of resignations, Mayhem was left with only two members. Occultus (Stian Johanssen) briefly served as Mayhem's new lead singer. He resigned in protest when he received threats from Euronymous.
In May-June 1991, Euronymous opened his record shop Helvete (Norwegian for "hell") in Oslo. He decorated the shop with medieval weapons, posters of bands and picture discs. Euronymous lived in another area of the same rented building as the shop, while Varg Virgeness and Samoth/Tomas Haugen served at times as his new housemates. The shop's basement served as a meeting place for Norwegian black metal musicians from various bands. Euronymous soon started the independent record label called Deathlike Silence Productions, which was based at Helvete. He produced records for the Norwegian bands Mayhem and Burzum, and for the Swedish bands Merciless and Abruptum.
In the early 1990s, Euronymous helped promote a number of younger bands, such as Emperor and Enslaved. He tried to serve as a mentor to Varg Vikernes, who was five years younger than him. He invited Vikernes to play bass with Mayhem and offered to release his music through his record label. Their friendship reportedly soon turned to rivalry. In August 1993, Vikerness stabbed Euronumous to death during a physical fight between them. Vikerness claimed that he acted in self-defense, and that Euronymous had started the fight by kicking him in the chest. They were reputedly arguing over money, as Euronymous owed Vikernes a large sum of royalty payments. Vikerness was imprisoned for Euronymous' murder, but was released from prison on parole in 2009.
