Early Norwegian black metal scene
In interviews, they expressed anti-Christian and misanthropic views, presenting themselves as a cult-like group of militant Satanists intent on spreading terror, hatred, and evil.
In interviews during the early 1990s, Euronymous and other members of the scene portrayed themselves as militant misanthropic devil worshippers[3][better source needed] who sought to spread hatred, sorrow, and evil.
"[6] Regarding other members of the scene, Samuel Fridh suggests that there is no evidence to support their early claims of being devil worshippers,[21] and Leif A. Lier, who led the police investigation following Euronymous's death, stated that he and his team had not encountered a single Satanist.
[25] At the time, bands with a style akin to Norwegian black metal but lacking Satanic lyrics tended to use alternative terms to describe their music.
[29][better source needed] In a private letter written in the early 1990s, Euronymous asserted that "almost all" Norwegian black metal bands at the time were "more or less Nazis.
[33] The band drew on the influence of the first wave of black metal such as Hellhammer, Venom and Bathory, the punk of Amebix, GBH, Discharge and the Misfits,[34] as well as more experimental groups like Tangerine Dream and Pink Floyd.
[42] Mayhem guitarist Øystein "Euronymous" Aarseth and Snorre "Blackthorn" Ruch of Thorns developed a style of riffing where guitarists played full chords utilising all the strings of the guitar instead of relying on power chords, which typically use only two or three strings, which would become a key element of the subsequent waves of black metal.
[17][43] On 8 April 1991, Mayhem vocalist and lyricist Per Yngve Ohlin, known by the stage name "Dead," committed suicide with a shotgun while alone in a house shared by the band.
"[39] The months following the event saw the formation of Norwegian black metal bands Arcturus, Burzum, Carpathian Forest, Emperor, Enslaved, Immortal, Mysticum, Satyricon, Hades Almighty and Gorgoroth.
[52] Two other members of the scene would later commit suicide: Erik 'Grim' Brødreskift (of Immortal, Borknagar, Gorgoroth) in 1999[53][54] and Espen 'Storm' Andersen (of Strid) in 2001.
[55] Mayhem guitarist Euronymous was "the central figure involved in the formation of the Norwegian black metal scene,"[7][better source needed] which he "almost single-handedly founded.
[17][15] The shop's walls were painted black and adorned with medieval weapons, posters of bands, and picture discs, while its window featured a polystyrene tombstone.
Jon "Metalion" Kristiansen, the writer of the fanzine Slayer, stated that the opening of Helvete marked "the creation of the whole Norwegian Black Metal scene.
[15] Euronymous portrayed the "Black Circle" as an organized, cult-like group of militant Satanists, with activities funded by his record shop.
"[62] Similarly, in his review of Lucifer Rising, Varg Vikernes claimed, "The so-called 'Black Circle' was something Euronymous made up because he wanted to make people believe there was such a thing, but it was nonsense and never existed.
[72] To coincide with the release of Mayhem's De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas, Vikernes and Euronymous allegedly plotted to bomb the Nidaros Cathedral, which appears on the album cover.
Many musicians, singers, and songwriters from the early Norwegian black metal scene, such as Infernus and Gaahl of Gorgoroth, continue to praise the church burnings, with the latter asserting, "there should have been more of them, and there will be more of them.
"[77] The following is a partial list of church arsons: 1992 1993 1994 1995 On 21 August 1992, Bård "Faust" Eithun murdered Magne Andreassen, a gay man, in Lillehammer.
"[88] Ihsahn, his bandmate in Emperor, remarked that Faust "had been very fascinated by serial killers for a long time, and I guess he wanted to know what it's like to kill a person.
[89] In January 1993, an article in one of Norway's largest newspapers, Bergens Tidende (BT), brought the black metal scene into the media spotlight.
[90] The article was published on 20 January as the front page of BT, headlined "Vi tente på kirkene" ("We set the churches on fire"), and included a photo of Vikernes, his face mostly obscured, holding two large knives.
[91] According to Vikernes, the anonymous interview was orchestrated by him and Euronymous with the aim of spreading fear, promoting black metal, and attracting more customers to Helvete.
[92] Vikernes remarked on the interview, "I exaggerated a lot and when the journalist left we... had a good laugh, because he didn't seem to understand that I was pulling his leg.
[90] Shortly after this incident, the Oslo police dispatched its Church Fire Group to Bergen, establishing a makeshift headquarters in the Hotel Norge.
He was "dressed in chain mail, carrying two large knives in his belt, and flanked by two young men who apparently behaved as if they were his bodyguards or henchmen."
[98] Speculation surrounding the murder suggests it stemmed from a power struggle, a financial dispute over Burzum records, or an attempt to "outdo" a previous stabbing incident in Lillehammer.
He contends that Euronymous had devised a plan to incapacitate him with an electroshock weapon, bind him, and torture him to death while filming the event, using a meeting regarding an unsigned contract as a ruse to ambush him.
[93] Faust has expressed skepticism regarding the self-defense narrative,[100] while Necrobutcher believes Vikernes killed Euronymous due to the death threats he had received from him.
In May 1994, Vikernes was sentenced to 21 years in prison (Norway's maximum penalty) for the murder of Euronymous, the arson of four churches, and possession of 150 kg of explosives.
Beherit's vocalist, Nuclear Holocausto, utilized the rivalry to execute a series of telephone pranks on Mika Luttinen (of Impaled Nazarene), during which he would call him in the dead of night and play nursery rhymes at high speed on a cassette recorder.
