Insightful article

really interesting... will put on my old 1st cadaver LP...

Very interesting article. It continues to make total sense to remember those gems from the past, those which made the future of extreme metal... well, at least that "bastard sound" which lives on some bands today.

hi manheim, your blog's very interesting and i like the way you communicate. i'm 32, from italy, and listen to death metal since i was 13: mostly like the swedish scene (gothenbuger sound). well, i'm off-topic, i just would like to ask you something about the finnish act "oranssi pazuzu". they seems to "mix" early 90's black metal with avantgarde/prog and psychedelic rock. i think you could like that stuff. let me know. ciao.more info:http://www.metal-archives.com/release.php?id=234600

Thanks for sharing that, takes me back to when I first started discovering this music. BTW I am from Florida, US - home of Death! :-)As an "Ahem!" grown-up, I have never grown out of love with this. Tastes have evolved and some has been added or deleted, but I remain true. If this internet thing was as it is now back then, ah, I just can't imagine....Have to agree with The H above, I like the way you communicate as well, and your acceptance if one's opinion differs. This is how it should be.I'll be lurking around! :-)A

Hey Manheim. Can i ask you about Mayhem?1. Who sing on Pure Fucking Armagedon?2. I Hear about other Mayhem demo - Voice of tortured skull of something that. Do this is real or fake?Thx :)

Moonchild: 1. Billy2. It's realManheim

hey manheim im from mexico and for me u are an icon from black metal movement , please answer this questions i wrote in a important magazine from underground metal , add me arias_75@hotmail.com thank u man, greetings1 wich times u has visited in prison to varg vikerness?2 u have inedit photos to per yngve ohlin? 3 after to the inner circle u have a normal life, for example girlfriend, single or married?4 what is ur relation wich the black metal bands from the inner circle now? thanks for answer this questions we are in contact, see you manheim legend

Thx Alberto, I answer your q's here, so everyone can see the answers.1. I never visited Vikernes in prison. I don't think of him as a friend of mine.2. I have unpublished pictures of Per, but their private and will stey that way - sorry.3. I'm pretty normal, I guess. Live with my 2 daughters and their mother. Perform from now and then with noise musicians and enjoy life with friends.4. My relations with the BM bands are as it always has been. I know some people and meet them from time to time on different occations - know of even more. To my knowledge the inner circle you talk about is part of the history now. Things have since long normalized.I hope this answers your q. :-)

Hi Manheim! I am not a fan of black metal but I have recently discovered a lot about it- out of pure curiosity. I read the ?Am I Evil?? article and I liked your writing, wit and theses. I happen to agree with almost everything you (and R. Dawkins) say in there. I think you are an intelligent and free thinking man; that?s why I decided to ask you the following questions:Do you think that common black metal themes such as misanthropy, suicide, pessimism and isolation can be taken too seriously by teenagers? Do you think that extreme/black metal music can push problematic youth to further marginalisation? I am not talking about criminality here because criminality is a very difficult subject, I am talking about kids not normally socialized that fail to enjoy simple pleasures that life has to offer: friendship, love etc. I know it is harmless to explore the dark side of life through art but it is harmless as long as you have friends, normal sex life, a job, and respect from others. What can this music do to a teenager that has nothing of these? Do you think that this music can emerge these kids into a vicious circle: My life is rather blackened by my problems so I listen to black metal music that in turn punctuates my problems and blackens my reality even more... I know I am expressing conservatism here but I?m really curious to learn your opinion on this.

Hi Manheim, I'm Død from Argentina, I'm 14 and I listen to black metal since 3 years ago. Well, I've read about the unpublished photos, and I just going to ask something similar, the images don't interest me now. I wonder how was your relationship with Pelle, if you can tell me about his thoughts, what he liked to do (writing and drawing all the time, anything else?), and yes, I've read that him was introvert, but he had a girlfriend?? :oI you can't answer that, no problem, I get it.Thank you and kisses.

Hey Manheim,Whats up,How are you doing?Dude your an awsome drummer I got almost all the Mayhem cds,I look up to you,ive allways looked up to every musician out their thats good,So are you playing in any bands or your done with that?Keep It Metal!,Chris

Hey Manheim! Just came across this whole thing on my trawl through the internet for anything Mayhem-related, that takes up a LOT of my time ha! Anyway, this is a great site and all really interesting so this is definitely going to be bookmarked. Going to stop now before I make a complete prat of myself ooops think I did already. Ah who cares it's fucking Manheim Whhhhhoooooo hoooooo!!!!!! Pointless as this may be I don't suppose you have any pictures I mean really early ones of Oystein that you would care to share with this little obsessive freak who spends way tooomuch time on this type of thing? Hours and hours of Google and Yahoo searches have proved fruitless - please just one e-mail would be all it takes and I wont show or share them with anybody but my bedroom wall. Please you can make this stupid brit very happy if you can do this or knows anybody else who would do so, just give them my e-mail address please please please please please please please please. absinthepretty27@googlemail.com thank you and once again please.

I hope I won't be intrusive (or annoying; if so, I apologize in advance), but I'd only like to share with you a few things I've pondered, if you will endulge me...

1.) I've seen the video of Pelle dancing round a house, and it made me wonder.. Was he depressed on a daily basis or was it just episodic.. Or was he just 'insane' (if you don't mind me saying so), and wanted to die for the sake of dying? And did the band have to constantly watch him to prevent him from killing himself?

2.) On Varg's site.. he describes black metal as being against the commercialized and top-notch death metal that was being released at the time; was this part of Mayhem's agenda, as well?

3.) What happened to Occultus and the other vocalists Mayhem had between the Dead and Attila periods?

Anyway, I hope you're not getting too annoyed of these questions, but I guess in a way you're cursed, if you don't mind me saying. :)

And I'm not patrionizing you when I say I really enjoy the drumming on the Deathcrush album. The sound of the drums themselves are very inspiring.

Ulrich: Hi there, I'm not sure I should comment on your first q. Pelle was Pelle, and we should leave it to that. To your second q. I guess you can say that, but how big the agenda was I'm not sure. It was more positioning than activism I guess. To q 3 I don't know hehe, simple as that.

Thx for liking DC

Manheim

Hi Manheim!! Mayhem has been my fav band for couple of years now, and i really like the way ur playing on the older stuff!! There isn't much information of you in the internet, so it's nice that you have this blog and people can as things from u :) Can you please tell me, where do you play today?? I really want to hear ur music!