MAYHEM - Close-Up (1992)

You guys seem not to come in so good with the Death-metal trend going on. So why stand up and do this interview for close up (isn't it against your principles)?

Well, we dont count Close-up as some fucking trend-zine.But of course it would be fucking irretating if we came in the same place as THERION or any other of those idiot bands. But our economy doesnt primit us to isolate ourself completly from the outer-world even if it would of been wonderful! Its incredible irretating to see all this shity trendbands that exists we hate them so much so words cant describe.In Sweden there area only 5 good bands: MERCILESS , ABRUPTUM , DISSECTION , MARDUK and BATHORY. DEATH to all the trendy "DEATH" metal-bands with jogging paint and society texts, they have nothing to do with death-metal. We call bands such as THERION and AFFLICTED(and about 340 other swedish bands) for LIFE METAL 'coz they dont worship death but life instead. What the fuck has Hardcore lyrics to do with evil music? The fools(idiots) have jumped on a wave and we are sure that 90% of the swedish LIFE METAL bands played Heavy Metal or some commercial Trash before the they discoverd 'MORBID ANGEL '89 or '90.The ones who are doing this are a insult towards what death-metal from the beginning stod for and its a insult towards us. MAYHEM is the only band from the beginning of the 80ties whom still exsists without wimping out.Its a shame(hell) to see all these new idiot who jump on the wind without knowing anything of what Death-metal really from the beginning was. We are nearly sure that none of these trend bands have heard VENOM, whom they can thank there existence for. And the matter of THERION, who is the worst of all swedish bands, we have a special message to them. If they dare to came to Norway and play LIFE METAL, we are going to kill them. The whole of Norways Black metal population is going to be there with knifes .

When can we await a new record from Mayhem?

We are going to play 'De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas' about the same time that this mag cames out. Its going to be EVIL!! Normal idiots should stay the fuck away from this record. DON'T BUY IT!. It's not for you, but for the evil. However it's going to be a big fucking diffrence from all the trendmusic. Normal people will not understand the music as we will put it so high standard over all MORRISOUND SUNLIGHT shit and the typical song which sounds like a dog with cold VOFF VOFF . MAYHEM record is going to very fucking fast and will be filled with evil and mood.

How come you haven't found a new singer and are instead using yourself of the Hungarian Tormentor's vocalist Attila Csihar?

Because his so damn good! He is one of the utmost best singers that exsists and that he also comes from one of the most evil bands ever exsisting. Its now manny who deserv to play on a MAYHEM record but he is one of does. There are thousands of vocalists who sound like standard ENTOMBED/GRAVE/ CARNAGE/DISMEMBER-copies it would never fall in us to take in such a singer in MAYHEM.Its the same as if VENOM would have Michael Jackson. Its by the way good that 'Drutten Blames' started in ENTOMBED again, 'coz the idiot that sang with them here in NORWAY(we were for the worse at the concert)was the worst we ever heard. Fuck its so fucking lousy. Absolutly anyone can bludder "BJFFA".The problem is that every does it also.

For a year ago your singer Dead took his life. As it was you who found the body maybe you can tell us why he shoot himself?

When it comes to DEAD than he was a very EVIL MAN (GOAT). He hated all that lived. The only thing which keept him from shooting himself earlier was the BLACK METAL/DEATH METAL way of lifestyle, with evil bands that worshipped death and wore black clothes, nitar(dont know how to translate/NECRO), leather, bullet-belts and everything else which hade to do with the real lifestyle. It was so the old bands lived, like BATHORY, SODOM,HELLHAMMER, while bands such as THERION where still sucking milk from there mothers breasts. DEAD lived only for this and all the old bands died and LIFE METAL bands in there softpants and baseball shoes took over, then he had nothing more to live for. The scene was destroyed. Another reason was that he meant that he didnt belong on this world. He thought it was cold and his blood froze to ice all the time. We support what he did and we respect his never sinning hate. After GOATS death there have been actually alot better , there have came alot of fucking good bands which live according to the old true identities. Norway is the bossland, bands such as IMMORTAL, BURZUM, DARKTHRONE, THORNS , MALFEITOR, INCARNATOR and so on are undescribebly good and incredible EVIL.

Was his death awaited, I mean had he spoke of comitting suicide?

Yes, it was awaited. We hade spoken a great deal about that one day we would find him hanging from the ceiling, but fortunatly he was more evil and he had even cut himself something so terrible before he shoot himself.

The talk has went around that you took a picture of his corpse to use in your new record cover, and also send pieces of his head to the most loyal Mayhem fanatics. Isn't that a quiete sick?

WE ARE FOR FUCK'S SAKE NOT A HUMANITARIAN JOKEBAND! When we say that we are into death-metal then it means we worship the dead. There is nothing that is to raw, disgusting or sick(morbid). People who dont understand this can GO TO HELL!.

Where have you thought to record your new LP "De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas"?

Its not completly sure where yet.... We are right now looking for a good pair of studios. The most evil would be if we could record it in TRANSILVANIA, but that is of course impossible.

You have also begun to put alot of in your "Deathlike Silence" record Co. and also opened a record store here in Oslo by the name Helvete (Hell). How is it going?

We are working like hell with DSP nowadays and we have a few evil record on the way.We have just released a record with the norwegien black-metal band BURZUM. Its really good, incredibly moody, hysterical and melodic.It reminds a bit of a mixture beetwen old BATHORY,HELLHAMMER and actually MAYHEM. After that a new pressing of 'DEATHCRUSH' and ABRUPTUM's LP "OBSCURITATEM ADVOCO AMPLECTERE ME", That record is the most fucked thing ever recorded, its not normal music but instead 50 minutes of evil.They had tortured each other during the recording in the studio and you can hear that they are suffering. DAMN GOOD! Normal people should fear this record. After ABRUPTUM they new MAYHEM and later a record with TORMENTOR. The band is now dissolved, but will be a monument over one of the world most brutal bands. We also have other plans, like MONUMENTUM's LP and a new BURZUM rec. We will also do a new pressing(volume) of MERCILESS 'The Awakening'.We have hade alot of economical problems the last year and MERCILESS deserve better sypport than what they have been getting so far.'The Awakening' is the 1st swedish record that came out(execpt BATHORY), it came way before ENTOMBED hade released anything. People hade not even discoverd how good MERCILESS actually are.It's brutal like hell without being trendy. Within a near future the record will be in every record store in Sweden, also on CD. We are working on to get a real good distribution, but its not completly sure what going to happen yet, but its possible that we fix a distrobution thru SPV. HELVETE is a very evil record store. We wish we only could sell Black metal and real Death metal, but we are forced to sell trend to trendy people to get cash. Its cool to suck out money from them and put it on evil bands such as ABRUPTUM instead. Its also better than that we sell the records that are indemand then that som HC-swin/Punk-idiots make money on the music they shall keep far away from.If we dont sell these records then someone else will do it and its nearly fool prof that some idiot that has nothing whatsoever to do with the music is selling them.And we have also been into this form of music since the beginning in the 80'ties so we know what where doing.

You are known to succed to live way under existence minimum for years. Where does then all this money came from that you are using to start and support on your company and shop?

We have been able to borrow abit of money from inc. BURZUM and then there comes a bit from the pre-post ordered stuff. Its not alot of money we have to live on, but we survive. So far everything has been going well.Were going to make a little money on the BURZUM rec. that we later on can continue to invest in MAYHEM, ABRUPTUM and TORMENTOR. Hopefully things will turn better as time continues. But during manny times we have been without food for a week and DEAD lived even for 2 months in the woods and lived on everything he found there. MAYHEM have had HELL, but the worse things get the harder it will take to knock us down and we can stand back against more . WE NEVER GIVE UP. It has even happened that we had periods were we just didnt have food but also shelter(place to stay) or to rehearse plus our instruments fuck up. AT THE SAME TIME! but our time is coming.

You are going to release a new press of "Deathcrush", why? According to your interviews you have done then only the real fans of Black/death metal should buy your records and they ought to already have "Deathcrush"?
The problem is simply that it wasnt just the evil that got there hands on 'DEATHCRUSH' but also a hell of alot of trend idiots. There are alot of raw dudes today who doesnt have this rec. and thats fucking irretating. And we also hade a limited release press, '87 we thought we werent going to sell more than 1000 rec. We needed money to survive, i dont see no reason that we shouldnt release 'DEATHCRUSH' again. It will thou be a diffrence on it from the original, so the ones who have 1st press can fill that they have something. Besides everything the record was sold in the black-market in Singapore for 700kr for a few years ago, and then without a cover . But its true that we only want given people to own the MAYHEM rec. If we had the economy we would ask people to send a picture of themselves and answer a question form for approval for buying a MAYHEM records.

It was a long time ago since you released anything, aren't you afraid that people have forgotten about you?

NO! The ones who are really raw are still continuing to be so as there havent came out so manny brutal records, so they have instead waited for the new MAYHEM for 5 yrs. They see that we also live to the true lifestyle and then you dont become forgotten. And there is also a bunch of evil rumours about MAYHEM 'coz we are a big diffrence from Life metalbands and that only creates more depend(intresse). And another thing that is good is that we havent released any rec. before now, As its only around now we are getting really satisfied with our music.

Why this extreme pull to both music and politics (Stalinism)?

People know we are sick, and we give a fuck. Thats what we live(die) for... stalinismen. We hate does 'PEACE,LOVE and DEMOCRAZY'-ideas. WAR, SODOMY and DICTATION! We support all extreme and opressed states like the old ALBANIEN , IRAN , KAMPUCHEA under the RED KHMEERS and so on. People who are dying and suffering!

Do you sill believe in communism after the fall of it nearly all over the world?

We have studied so much politics/teori/economy (Marx, Engels, Lenin, Stalin , Mao, Hoxha) that we know that the world will sooner or later become communistic. Its the marketing economy and capitalisms ideas that will be forced forward sooner or later. Maybe in 30yrs, maybe in 300yrs. The problem is that communism is fucking good for the people, its total freedom. Thats why we never wish that it happens. The world can go to hell. We want back the old stalinist-dictatorship, there its was grey, misery and evil. THE BERLIN WALL SHALL RISE AGAIN!!

Are you yourself politicly active?

We were member of a parti who was very extreme, they supported the old Albanien and there former leader who even was in Kampuchea under the Red Khmeers and ate dinner with Pol Pot! Incredibly good! But the party turned to humanitarien, so we shall leave it.

Well Mayhem play live sometime in the future?

We refuse to play live! Its only trendchildren, moshers, skater and HC-swines that go to conserts. We dont play for such a low standard flok. We will play live, but it has to be together with evil band for a evil public and that is economicaly impossible to arrange. Today there are only idiot-concerts arranged where you mix everything possible, like BERGSLAGS-ROCKEN. What does that have to do with death? Punknuts like Babs should stay the hell away from death-metal. MAYHEM will never play such a concert. We have been discusing a to build up a Eastern-europe togheter with other evil bands like IMMORTAL and DARKTHRONE sometime in the future coz its completly OK to play in 'strange' countries. We played in Turky 1990, and thats was nice(cool). We will never play a concert infront of a normal public,
THEY CAN GO TO HELL.