Mayhem Timeline

1984—Band was founded, inspired by Venom. Started as a Death Metal band. Sometime in the early history, Euronymous creates the corpsepaint look, inspired by the Brazil band “Sarcofago.” He would also insist that people wear leather jackets and black clothes, instead of the jogging suits that early death metalers wore. They became the first real Black Metal band, under the influence of Euronymous, whose real name was Oystein Aarseth.

1985—Slayer Magazine founder Jon “Metalion” Kristiansen meets the band.

1986—Band releases demo “Pure Fucking Armageddon."

1987—Mini-album release “Deathcrush.”
1988—Dead (Per Yngve Ohlin was his real name) and Hellhammer join the band. Varg Vikernes forms the band “Burzum.”

1990—Mayhem’s first official gig. Dead cut himself so badly, to provide a good show, he was sick and in pain for the rest of the night. He went to the hospital only after it was too late, so he didn’t need stitches.

1991—Dead shot himself with a shotgun. Euronymous and Hellhammer take a picture of their fallen comrade and later put it on the album cover “Dawn of the Black Hearts.” Euronymous and Hellhammer took bits of Dead’s skull and made necklaces out of it, then took bits of his brain, put it in a soup and ate it. Two months later Euronymous opens Helvete (Hell in English), a record store where the Black Metal community would hang out at and make all their contacts. The community would be known as “The Black Circle.” Euronymous would convince bands like Emperor and Dark Throne to switch from death metal to black metal. Euronymous records Black Metal releases on his record label, “Deathlike Silence Productions.” Voices of Wonder were their distributor. The Black Circle desecrated graves before the Morbid Angel concert in Oslo.

1992--Varg Vikernes burns the legendary Fantoft Norwegian church to the ground June 6, 1992. August 1, 1992—Revheim Church in Southern Norway torched. August 21, 1992—Holmenkollen Church burned. September 1, 1992—Ormoya Church caught fire. September 13, 1992—Skjold Church burned. October—Hanketo Church burned. December—Asane Church and Sarpsborg Church burned. All in all there were 45-60 attempts by the Black Circle and surrounding Black Metal Community.

1993—August 10 Varg kills Euronymous.

1994—De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas is released. Hellhammer is on drums, Euronymous is on guitar, Varg is on bass and Attila is the vocalist.

1997—Varg Vikernes ordered to pay a million dollars for the church burnings, with a 12% interest rate.

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