Get ready to embrace the power of darkness when the legendary black metal pioneers Mayhem enter our biggest venue in Harstad kulturhus - bringing highlights from their carreer, something brand new and of course the classics from the albums «Deathcrush» and «De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas».
Over the course of Mayhem’s storied and groundbreaking 35-year career—from Deathcrush (1987) through Esoteric Warfare (2014)—the Norwegians have continuously challenged the orthodoxy of the genre they helped create. Originally informed by greats Hellhammer, Venom, Bathory, and Sodom, Mayhem eventually imbued their damnable attack with influences from all over the music extreme spectrum, indicated first on the harsh and angular Wolf’s Lair Abyss (1997) EP and foremost on the enterprisingly brutal and revolutionary Grand Declaration of War (2000). In 2019, Mayhem has yet again left holy earth scorched on their latest album, "Daemon".
Founded in 1984 in the quaint village of Langhus, Norway by the late (and visionary) frontman Euronymous (aka Øystein Aarseth), Necrobutcher (aka Jørn Stubberud), and Manheim (aka Kjetil Haraldsson), Mayhem’s small-town origins didn’t prevent them from achieving global domination. By 1986, the Norwegians had ventured headlong into the proverbial abyss with the release of their first demo, Pure Fucking Armageddon, a cacophonous mob of metal so extreme classifications of the day didn’t apply. Certainly, sides “Fuck” and “Off” were indicators of Mayhem’s fractious aesthetic, but it was their debut EP, Deathcrush (1987), that set off alarm bells. All was not well in Norway. From lineup shifts, record stores, and suicide—vocalist Per Yngve Ohlin (aka Per Yngve Ohlin) shot himself in 1991—to record labels, The Inner Circle, and death—Euronymous was killed by Varg Vikernes in 1993—Mayhem’s eternal spirit and flesh have not only endured but also evolved into a monster as dangerous to mind as it is body. Daemon continues Mayhem’s relentless malice and wicked aesthetic.
The first band on stage is Confess, the Iranian heavy metal band - part of the Safemuse residency in Harstad. The band members were inprisoned because of their anti-religious message and strong criticism of the governing power in Iran, and had to flee Iran to avoid long prison sentences. Do not miss this unique opportunity to embrace the freedom to create music regardless of preferences and points of view!
We recommend the NRK documentary "Helvete - historien om norsk black metal", available on the NRK web player
