If one is to sum up Maniacs decade with Mayhem, it s a good idea to start with the

very beginning. Sven-Erik Kristiansen s interest in extreme music began at an ear

ly stage.
Necrophagia and particularly Sodom s first album were major sources of inspiration
for me. On a technical level, much of the music was mediocre, the interplay suck
ed and it was a wonder that they even managed to end the tunes simultaneously. B
ut the stuff was grim as hell and I loved it. I learned of Mayhem through one of
my buddies who designed the logo that the band is still using. I listened to th
e first demo, Pure Fucking Armageddon and thought that I could do this myself just
as well.
The demo that Kristiansen recorded in three scant hours was well received by ban
d leader Øystein Euronymous Aarseth. Up until this point, Mayhem had only had temp
orary vocalists and the band needed a front-man that could fit in with the extre
me form of expression that the band now was presenting.
This is great, come down and see us as soon as you can was the response from Eurony
mous two weeks later, says Maniac. We rehearsed a little bit and recorded Deathcrus
h in 1987.
Being true
This early demo is extremely hard to come by today the few available originals t
rade for NOK 3-6000. Had I known how much they would sell for today I d keep all 50
, but unfortunately I ve only got one left says Kristiansen.
During the early days of black-metal, the notion of being authentic, genuine, fo
r real, or true was imperative. It was important to convey an image of being as
extreme as the music and lyrics implied no one were to believe that this was the
atrics. This stifled attitude would later play a pivotal role for the media-fed
propaganda that followed in the wake of church burnings, homicides and suicides.
However, this is an entirely different story into which we will not go in detai
l here. Whether if one is true is still a vital measurement scale for many ardent
old-school fans to determine if a band can be allowed to brand their music as blac
k-metal, while for others it is a matter of staying true to the gritty, dirty an
d un-produced sound that characterised most of the early releases. It is a wides
pread opinion that it was only lack of funds and mediocre recording facilities t
hat resulted in the lacking sound qualities of the early Mayhem and Emperor rele
ases. In Kristiansen s opinion there s more to the notion of being true that having cr
ap sound.
We named our band The True Mayhem because there were two other bands that called th
emselves Mayhem one in New York and another somewhere else. We felt that none of
those bands were worthy of such a name. In the beginning, black-metal was not s
o much about playing well but more about bringing forth that icy, ugly felling t
hat still characterise bands such as Mayhem and particularly Darkthrone the latt
er is one of my absolute favourites. Darkthrone s latest album, Sardonic Wrath is am
azing. This feeling that you talk about is difficult to describe with words, and
it is one of the reasons why I rarely do any interviews. Mayhem has changed a l
ot musically since the early days, but we ve retained that feeling that many refer
to as being true , says Krisiansen.
Is your child involved in black-metal?
At times, Mayhem has appeared to be more of a soap opera than a band. News stori
es on murder, heated conflicts, alleged human sacrifice and other scary stuff wo
uld for some time divert all attention from the music that was being put out by
the band. Maniac left Mayhem in 1988, and returned in 1995 when the media frenzy
surrounding the conflicts between Per Yngve Dead Ohlin, Euronymous and Varg Count
Grishnackh Vikernes had abated.
Says Krisiansen: I left Mayhem in 88 because I was living in Rjukan at the time wh
ile the rest of the band stayed at Langhus. Back then, I wasn t ready to move that s
the only reason for my hiatus from the band. But when the band needed a new voc
alist in 1995, both I and (bass player) Necrobutcher were sceptical. We didn t kno
w (guitarist) Blasphemer and we were quite anxious to see how this was going to
turn out.
After half a rehearsing session it was a wrap - the band members worked together
perfectly well.
It wasn t difficult to come back, says Kristiansen. I have never cared much about wha
t was happening at the time, even if I laughed hard when (national daily) VG pub
lished tests that presented nervous parents with questions such as is your child
involved in black-metal? What was taxing was that the music was never mentioned w
ith one word neither in articles nor in interviews. That s the reason why we chose
not to speak to the press for many years.
For as long as he s been a band member, Maniac has contributed with all lyrics whi
le Blasphemer has composed all of the music from 1995 to this date. The two have
always worked separately, and have mostly met only to create the music that is
Mayhem today.
Anti-social creativity
Apart from rehearsals, recording sessions and gigs, the Mayhem members have never
hung out much socially, says Kristiansen, but Blasphemer s and my mind-set are quit
e similar so it has never been a problem to match the lyrics with the music. It
was difficult to fill in for (former vocalist) Dead, but even though he wrote fa
ntastic lyrics I soon realised that I had to do my own thing.
According to Kristiansen, Wolf s Lair Abyss was Mayhem s most occult outing since De My
steriis Dom Sathanas , with lyrics searching deep within various dark elements. On
later outings, lyrics have mostly revolved around such themes as misanthropy, n
ihilism and particularly war.
Despite a good working climate and at times a huge demand from the fans, Mayhem s
studio albums would be released years apart.
I spend a lot of time writing lyrics while it takes Blasphemer ages to write his
music. Neither he nor I are interested in putting out something if we feel we ha
ve nothing to convey in addition to this, Blasphemer is also an extreme perfecti
onist. He won t stop until he s satisfied. Even though if Blasphemer and I work toge
ther well, we have also turned bonkers quite a few times when we ve been forced to
spend long periods of time together, be it on tours or during the making of a r
ecord. This makes it hard to put out a record every year if we could, then it wo
uld be easier to make a living out of Mayhem says Kristiansen who know a thing or
two about being skint.
Low-income part-time job
For the present Mayhem members, the band has always been a full-time job. We hav
e to ask: what was the motivation that kept you going through all these years, e
ven when you had to resort to survive on a day-to-day basis?
Mayhem has always meant hell of a lot to me it still does, even now that I ve quit
the band. It s been an extremely rewarding process. Mayhem has given me an outlet
that enables me to vent out negative moods I wouldn t know how to vent it otherwis
e. The fact that I was dirt poor at times never struck me as a reason for quitti
ng the music was motivation enough says Kristiansen.
No internal dispute
Mayhem s 2004 album Chimera was to be Maniac s last with the band. At this stage, Blas
phemer had gained virtually total creative control nearly al instrumental tracks
were written from the guitarist s new residence in Portugal. The multi-talented g
uitarist elected to produce the album by himself, with the other band-members be
ing instructed how to play. Reportedly, the front-man was the only band-member t
hat had a saying in the process. Kristiansen denies any speculation that Blasphe
mer s total control was one of the reasons why he decided to put Maniac on the she
lf for good.
It was a chaotic process. Blasphemer was pissed off, I was pissed off and it got
ugly at times. But that doesn t mean that we disagreed when it came to the music a
nd how the lyrics fitted in he was always specific and we agreed all along the w
ay. The only negative aspect of this was that we ran out of time by the end of t
he recording process.
Internal dispute was not going to be the reason for Maniac s departure from the ba
nd. Lack of time was to be a vital factor for the vocalist when he ultimately de
cided to split from Mayhem.
Painting the devil on the wall
According to the only press release from the band regarding Maniac s split, tourin
g was cited as a main cause for his decision to leave family obligations was als
o a contributing factor.
Most will find it hard to believe anything else than that being Mayhem s front-man
must have put a heavy strain on the vocalist with ever growing expectations cau
sed by live performances that grew in intensity as the years went on. It was eve
ryday routine that Maniac was left with deep, self-inflicted wounds after a gig
many concerts ended at various intensive care wards around the world. At times,
the front-man came close to bleeding to death.
I didn t give a fuck about what was expected of us. The deepest cuts came at gigs t
hat went down extremely well, when the chemistry between Blasphemer, the audienc
e and me was perfect. I entered a completely different state of mind and I ve neve
r felt so alive, electric and high at the same time. All those times I cut mysel
f it was completely spontaneous. Gradually, the audience started to expect blood
dripping gigs, and when we realised that the cutting had become a phenomenon pe
ople came to watch I quit doing it.
Kristiansen is the first to admit that the myths and media hype that has surroun
ded Mayhem has often been out of proportion. If I was to talk about all those qua
lities and all that power I was supposed to have according to some newspapers an
d web-sites I wouldn t have time to pick up my daughter from her kindergarten says
a laughing Kristiansen. He adds a few interesting facts established by various med
ia in the wake of Mayhem s success: Already by the time we released Wolf s Lair Abyss i
t was established that Blasphemer was extremely violently inclined and that I wa
s running all drug operations in Oslo as if I was some kind of kingpin. We were
also told that all Norwegian black-metallers lived in caves in the forest!
Smiling is a no-no
Maniac was also to be a victim for groups of black-metal pilgrims that each year m
ake pilgrimages to the Oslo club Elm Street, hoping to catch a glimpse of their
heroes.
Fenriz (Darkthrone) and I used to be caught off guard by those fanatics who would
often have their perception of reality distorted. Fans from abroad that would e
nter Elm Street, fall on their knees and kiss Fenriz shoes simply could not under
stand that we could be sitting there, laughing with beer in hand sans corpse mak
e-up. After all we were Fenriz and Maniac! On another occasion, an Australian wo
man came back-stage and insisted on holding my arms and feel the scars left by t
he knife cuts. She wanted to absorb my aura and take on the vibes that was suppo
sed to surround me. In my world, being a groupie is just about the most pathetic
there is so I had one of the bouncers throw her out of the venue we were in. Bu
t she didn t give up when we left she hung onto our car. Luckily, I haven t seen her
since then.
Armed fans
Amid all the madness, do you feel that Mayhem have been taken seriously as creat
ive artists by media, authorities and promoters?
Not initially, and not in Norway. Back home, the press has always managed to dig
up some old and gross stories. When a deranged guy from some crap band was caugh
t molesting a corpse, the newspapers thought it was a great idea to call us for
comments because the guy had been pictured wearing a Mayhem shirt at a party yea
rs earlier. That says a thing or two about the level of reporting in Norwegian m
edia. This idiot attitude was also one of the reasons why we at one point refuse
d (national dailies) VG and Dagbladet access to one of our gigs at (defunct Oslo
club) Mars if they were to see the gig they had to buy tickets as everybody els
e did.
During trips abroad, Kristiansen has experienced a higher level of awareness in
media and with authorities: We toured Australia some years ago on an invitation f
rom the Australian Department for Culture and Arts on the basis that we represen
ted Norwegian culture at its highest level . Naturally, it was awesome we were welc
omed everywhere.
Kristiansen also discovered that Mayhem has fans in many unlikely places: Blasphe
mer and I like to head out on a little sightseeing when we arrive at a new place
; just a little stroll to take in some new impulses. During this walk we visited
the Australian parliament that s located in a huge majestic building surrounded b
y armed guards. Our appearance was like it always is: longhaired and clad in bla
ck. As we approached the building, one of the guards eyed us with increasing int
ensity; we sort of expected a gun in our faces at any time. Suddenly the guard s
houts out: Mayhem? Mayhem! , and bolts into a souvenir shop and returns with a smal
l disposable camera. He ignored the fact that he was on guard; he was all smiles
while he shot photos of us laughs Kristiansen.
The Russian border patrol would also gradually warm up even though he was sceptic
al to us after he had pulled out the nth cartridge belt from our flight cases. Wh
ere are you going? Chechnya? In Blasphemer s photo collection there are loads of pi
ctures of him and a giant teddy bear with an officer s hat and a broad grin!
Kristiansen explains that the decision to quit Mayhem has been a difficult one t
o make, but also a necessary step to take. Despite officially quitting the band
on 17 November last year, Kristiansen is still very satisfied with what the year
s as a vocalist and lyricist have brought him: The role as Mayhem s front-man has b
een incredibly rewarding but it has also drained me physically and mentally whil
e on tour. When it was decided that we would increase our touring schedule in th
e future, it added to the list of reasons for quitting the band says Kristiansen
who s also struggled with King Alcohol. Today the scarred vocalist is dry, but thi
s has not always been the case.
Waking up on the fourth floor
I ve never been that kind of guy that would sit at home and hurt myself, but life w
ith Mayhem has at times also been extreme off-stage. The reason for my current ü
bermillitant relation to alcohol was a scary experience that happened after year
s of daily drinking. Often, I d just be waiting for the first bar to open and then
it would be the same story all over again. One day I came to my senses hanging
from one arm out of a fourth floor window it was the wake-up call I needed. I ha
d no idea how I ended up there and that scared the shit out of me. After that in
cident I haven t drunk a drop of alcohol.
Family & barbed wire
I have two children, a daughter from a previous relationship and a son with my gi
rlfriend Hilma they are my most prized possessions in life. Hilma made me realis
e that if I didn t cut down on my drinking, things would go seriously wrong. Initi
ally, the role of being a father was kind of surreal for me, but as time goes on
it has become more and more important for me to be there for them when they gro
w up. My attitude to Mayhem hasn t changed but I m much more conscious on what I exp
ose myself to. I ve become less destructive Kristiansen says reflectively.
Through his lyrics, Kristiansen has never tried to conceal his hatred for organi
sed religion and, in particular, Christianity. Few would have guessed that Krist
iansen would end up with a Christian girl from Norway s southern bible-belt distri
ct. How has it been to have such fundamentally opposing stances? After all, your
past is full of offensive lyrics that convey your hatred for Christianity and C
hristians.
He, he... it s been ok, we don t argue much about those issues. Of course, we ve had ob
jective and controlled discussions, but Hilma has never tried to convert me and
I certainly haven t tried to covert her either. For her, the worst part has been t
he tours when she has no idea what s happening to me for up to six weeks. Mayhem t
ours are full of surprises and it s probably easier to live with me now that I m not
trapped in barbed wire at a stage somewhere in a country far away.
Into the great void
You say that your attitude towards Mayhem hasn t changed won t life be dull now that
you don t have that outlet anymore? What can replace the adrenaline-rush that a d
edicated audience can give to a band like Mayhem?
Kristiansen turns silent for a while. He looks down at the table, scratches his
neck and looks to the interviewer while shrugging his shoulders.
I ve asked myself that question over and over again during the last two months. I c
an t find any answer to it. I ve bid farewell, but at the same time there s something
inside me that can t reconcile with the fact that it s actually true. The paradox is
that even if I ve quit the band I m writing more material now that ever before. I ve
got tons of lyrics that would have been perfect for Mayhem now. Quitting the ban
d has probably made me more conscious and given me more control over my own psyc
he. But still, this is going to be hard no doubt about it says a saddened Kristia
nsen.
Satisfied with Attila
I saw a Mayhem-gig at Hamar recently, and it was a true out-of-your-body experien
ce. I haven t seen Mayhem as an audience member since 1988, so it was pretty emoti
onal at the same time as it was good to see that the band performed so well with
Attila. I shook their hands afterwards.
What do you think of the band s choice of ex. Tormentor/Aborym singer who did the
vocals on De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas as your successor?
It was fantastic to hear the title track from that record live for the firs time.
Attila is the only vocalist I d be happy with, he was a natural choice. But Mayhe
m will probably have to omit many songs from their live set now Grand Declaration
of War will probably fall out of the set now. I m looking forward to the release o
f the new album, my guess is that Mayhem will sound a bit more atmospheric in th
e future says Kristiansen.
Who are the new bad guys?
Black metal has been an epoch-making genre, do you see any other current forms o
f music that carry the same level of revolt, or is black metal in your opinion t
he last extreme musical and lyrical uprising?
 It s difficult to say. These days I listen mostly to 80 s extreme-metal, but I ve come
to realise that some of the industrial stuff released some years ago might have
been just as path-breaking as black-metal has been. Bands such as Death in June,
Lustmord, Der Blutharsch, NON and Clood Axis have also managed to provoke loads
of people with rabid lyrics. It s not that these bands have so much in common wit
h black-metal as it is the misanthropy and contempt of humanity that s on display.
On a musical level there are a couple of punk bands such as World Burns To Deat
h and Skitsystem that are interesting. It s extreme, ugly and tough as nails says K
ristiansen who also reveals that he has spent the downtime between gigs and tour
s to study philosophy and music.
His studies can come in handy now that he for the very first time is about to jo
in the ranks of employees working an ordinary full-time job.
Working nine to five isn t something that s natural for me, so I really don t know what
kind of job I ll end up with says Kristiansen who reveals that he has sent job app
lications to a number of Norwegian music-related companies. He refuses to name a
ny of them.
Punk and country
In the meantime, his new punk outfit Bomberos is his main outlet for lyrical and
creative needs.
Since the tunes are so short I ve got to write lots of lyrics. But it s fun and defin
itely something that I ll continue doing. In addition to Hinkel on Guitar and Pete
(Blood Tsunami) on bass we ve recruited Bård Faust Eithun on drums we ll migh be putt
ing out more material that the two singles we ve released so far. Apart from that
project, Neddo (Cadaver) and I might get together to play some country tunes.
The years with Mayhem are definitely a thing of the past for Maniac, and this is
a fact that the fans would have to accept. But will we ever see him on a stage
in a metal-setting in the future after such a difficult split with his former ba
nd?
Well, I don t feel that I m done with this genre yet. It ll take some time to find someb
ody to play together with, but if it happens I can promise you that it ll be a fuc
king old-school, total regressive necro package recorded in minus-mono Kristianse
n concludes.