#Deathlike Silence Productions

[the-old-mayhem]

"Chaos is here!

I guess everybody has registered all the fuzz the last weeks concerning black metal, us, and of course the Count (B*rzum). The situation here in Helvete has been pretty much unbearable lately, with reporters, Christians and cops, like flies hovering over a corpse. We found no other solution than to reach out to Dagbladet January 24th and do a “nice” interview, to demystify things and get the reporters to lose their interest in us. That was successful. Now that things have calmed down a bit, the time has come to send out some information to our customers about what is really going on.” - Euronymous in a newsletter to Helvete subscribers, February 1993 🕯️

@the.old.mayhem on instagram

[metalcultbrigade]

30 years ago today (May 24ᵗʰ 1994), Mayhem released their debut (full-length) album "De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas" via Deathlike Silence Productions.

[throne-of-rats]

Sigh - Scorn Defeat (1993, Deathlike Silence Productions)

[xardoth]

Decibels Of Storm (1990) | Pelle Ohlin

I know I've talked about posting a Euronymous interview but I haven't had time to type out anything new and I apologize. I'm taking all the Pelle interviews I've published on different social medias and posting them here until I find the time to sit down and search for other ones. As usual, Pelle's words are in italic and the interviewers are bold!

"Hi! What'sup after the release of your EP "Deathcrush"? Is it selling well?

- Deathcrush is sold out since nearly a year! But DC's demo wich is not limited is still available and we don't intend to stop selling it at 5$. The record was produced & pressed by us! If we would have had a commercial record label on us, the songs would have been different as they are, and they would never have allowed that front cover and everyone who got one knows why... After Deathcrush we had a long time of no release and no gigs. We got our actual rehearsal place in April '89, a great equipment and fount at last a place to live and so on.. Now we can really begin the hard work for realizing all our band's future plans!

Why did you change the line-up?

- Well, in fact we never changed it.... only Manheim (ex drummer) and Maniac (ex vocalist) left the band after Deathcrush's recording! I began in spring '88 and Hellhammer joined a few weeks later! Now we are: Dead: vocals; Hellhammer: drums; Necrobutcher: bass and Euroymous guitars. 

What do you think now of your first demo: "Pure fucking armaggeddon"?

- It's the same extremely bad sound quality now as it was before! In '86, when it came out and I first heard it (I didn't sing on that one). it was the rawest and noisiest crushing black metal I'heard till then. The songs we'll use from PFA live are carnage & PFA. We'll print carnage in tha same version as before, and PFA on vinyl, maybe on CD..... What I can say for sure is that Deathcrush will come out again on vinyl, with another cover. Unfortunately, we can't use the name "posercorpse" anymore, as we started our own record label called "Deathlike silence productions" and all our future records will be on DSP. We'll press not only our own records, but also those of some other bands. The first one will be "the awakening", an LP from Merciless from Sweden.

How is life in Norway? Tell me about your country.

- In almost every country you'll find people who would prefer to live elsewhere. I wanna live in Transylvania! I'm not norvegian, maybe another of us should answer this question. I think everything here is too far expensive and the Death Metal scene isn't big enough. There aren't so many satanic covens, the blasphemes in christian churches aren't grim enough and Scandinavia has also a rotten weather. I think that France is more human and nearer other european countries (compared to Norway). I've also heard all about those many ancient castles, I'll have to check that out some days.

What are you listening to now? Death metal I suppose!!

- The bands I prefer are: Mantas and Old Death/Necrovore, Azagthoth, Matricide, Immolation, Autopsy, Damnation, Merciless (SWE), Casbah, Necrophile, Deathspeed, Nausea, Imperator, Panic, Slashing Death, Mercilles death, Tormentor, Mutilated, Agressor and the new stuff on Loudblast.

So you know Mutilated!! Yeah! I think they're awful, shit with big head. Do u think this too?

- Mutilated is OK musically, but as I don't know those guys I can't say much about them, only that someone wrote to us once telling that Mutilated doesn't answer letters. So don't ask me what might go on between them and French public.

You plan an LP. Please Dead, talk to me 'bout it.

- We hope to get a studio in March '90 for the recording of "De Mysteris Dom Sathanas" LP. Exactly when it'll be out and the time for the recording depend of any possible new gigs appearing. We hope go to Russia for about 20-30 gigs at this year's end and if nothing appears after that then we can record in March. The title "De Misteriis.." comes from a book with ghost stories; ghosts made of human flesh with forced far beyond human imagination. Unfortunately this book seems to exist in only 1 examplary, but I still try to find another. Just now I can tell you which songs we'll use: carnage, the dark of the freezing moon, buried by time & dust, funeral fog, de mysteriis dom sathanas and  song we could call "when the vultures left" and one more without title yet! That makes 7 songs, but as we have 10 on the LP, we have to make 3 more. We still have 4 songs on DeathCrush and all those we composed for the russian tour! There's of course a difference in new track and that of DC, but to me they're in the same vein as our old stuff, maybe longer, with more solo parts! We did all improve technically since then; but it will be the same Death on it!

Are your lyrics funny, or do you speak about reality?

- Let's talk about the new lyrics... They're mostly done by me, and I take it very seriously! I'e been mad of horror since my birth and I'm insane of ancient, nearly forgotten... covens of pure evil!! Lonely castles in carpatians, in transylvania... vulture legends wich are so ancient but still alive in Transylvania! Black metal!!!!

Any future plans?

-I don't like future as I'm obsessed by the past! Hard to talk about it as everything goes so slowly! What will happen after the LP? We've got many plans for then but the biggest is our tour and the way we planned it: Eastern Europe (in its whole), many places in the west (I can't for sure it willbe France, but I would rather think so), southern and  central america and maybe Canada and Asia! My own idea would be to play in the places which invite us. We only wanna play in so "sick" as possible places, communist, with closed borders and impossible to see for tourists. That's all I can say now.

Any last words?

- If one of you, Satanic true evil horror Nosferatu insaniacs of immortality finds per chance the book "De Miteriis Dom. Satanas" and survives its contact, please contact me, so I can die in peace!!"

[cyarskj1899]

25 Essential Black-Metal Albums

From Venom and Bathory to Behemoth and Deafheaven

From its origins in England, Sweden, and Switzerland to its murderous Norwegian prime and its U.S. resurgence, black-metal has proven harder to extinguish than a fire consuming a church. And while sensational violence and a flirtation with the occult have often threatened to eclipse the genre's artistic merits, it is ultimately the music that has given this dark practice its longevity. Here, Revolver picks 25 albums that define the malefic movement. 

(Black Mark, 1984) This cult Swedish studio band took the lo-fi shittiness of Venom and added icy Norse paganism to the garbled mix. Written and coproduced by vocalist-guitarist Quorthon (who died in 2004), Bathory's homonymous debut also features drummer Jonas Åkerlund, who went on to direct videos for both Madonna and U2 (plus the 2002 crystal meth flick Spun), not to mention the forthcoming controversial Lords of Chaos movie.   

(Noise, 1984) Before vocalist-guitarist Tom G. Warrior formed Celtic Frost with bassist Martin Ain, he was the leader of another Swiss metal trio called Hellhammer. Though the band existed for less than two years, the harsh cacophony of the Apocalyptic Raids demo perfectly expressed black metal's caustic furor.

(Peaceville, 1991) This Norwegian duo's second album marks drummer-lyricist Fenriz and vocalist-guitarist Nocturno Culto's defection from the traditional death-metal territory of Soulside Journey to the chilling realm of "unholy black metal."

(Misanthropy, 1992) The debut by Burzum, the one-man studio project of J.R.R. Tolkien aficionado Varg Vikernes (a.k.a. Count Grishnackh), was originally released on Mayhem guitarist Euronymous' Deathlike Silence Productions. Remarkable for its militaristic severity and creepy synth ambience, Burzum remains one of black metal's earliest masterpieces.

(Century Black, 1993) Also originally released on Deathlike Silence, De Mysteriis was Mayhem's scorching full-length follow-up to the seminal Deathcrush mini-LP. The album features longtime drummer Hellhammer, current vocalist Attila Csihar (ex-Tormentor, ex-Aborym), and Burzum's Varg Vikernes (on session bass), who would stab guitarist Euronymous to death shortly after the album's release.

(Cacophonous, 1994) Back when vocalist Dani Filth was still known as Daniel Davey, British goth ghouls Cradle of Filth unveiled their full-length debut — complete with elaborate keyboard intros, female backing vocals, and naked vampire chicks. Taking said formula to its baroque breaking point over following releases, CoF rose to be possibly the most well-known band in black metal (if you considered them "black metal" at all), not to mention a onetime personal favorite of Bam Margera.

(Candlelight, 1995) Emperor's full-length debut — and final recording with drummer/convicted murderer Bård "Faust" Eithun, In the Nightside Eclipsemarked the beginning of symphonic black metal, a style later spit-polished and propelled into the mainstream by Cradle of Filth and Dimmu Borgir.

(Nuclear Blast, 1995) Led by guitarist-vocalist Jon Nödtveidt, Gothenburg's Dissection blurred the line between black metal and the melodic death metal their Swedish city made famous. The band's second album was their last (and finest) riff blizzard before Nödtveidt was imprisoned for murder.

(Nuclear Blast, 1996) Long before they dragged their chain-mail-encased tits onto Ozzfest's main stage, Dimmu Borgir announced made their symphonic bid to dominate Norwegian underground with Stormblåst. The native-tongued LP was rerecorded in 2005, only increasing its original frostbitten grimness. 

(Osmose, 1996) Although they have suffered chronic touring setbacks due to vocalist-guitarist Morgan Håkansson's felonious history (which allegedly includes assaulting a police officer and grave robbery), black-metal berserkers Marduk know how to throw down in the studio. On Heaven Shall Burn, the Swedes unleash a blast of unapologetic blasphemy captured devilishly by producer (and Hypocrisy main man) Peter Tägtgren.

(Century Media, 1997) Although the band would take a severe turn into proggy histrionics (see 2005's Blood Inside), Ulver's third full-length — a savagely shrill concept album about werewolves (subtitle: Eight Hymns to the Wolf in Man) that was supposedly recorded outdoors in an ancient Norwegian forest — could turn any mere man into a murderous beast

(Nuclear Blast, 1998) Four years in the making, Gorgoroth's fourth effort borrows the title of Kiss' 1976 album, boasts four different vocalists (sensing a pattern here?) — including their particularly notorious former frontman, Gaahl — and features guest drumming from Satyricon's Frost. Unrelenting from front to back, Destroyer closes with a cover of Darkthrone's "Slottet I Det Fjerne."

(Nuclear Blast, 1999) Widely discounted by apparently deaf journalists as some sort of goth/industrial crossover release, Rebel Extravaganza sounds more like a black-metal version of Voivod than anything else. Satyricon's fourth album is not just another underappreciated sonic blitzkrieg, it's actually Phil Anselmo-approved: Pantera tapped the band to open their 2000 European tour.

(tUMULt, 2000) In 2000, Weakling created a world all their own with Dead as Dreams, following in the footsteps of early Emperor, Ulver and Burzum to create moving, beautiful black metal that crossed over into ambient and post-rock. Hands down one of the most important USBM (U.S. black metal) LPs of all time, highly influential to the likes of Wolves in the Throne Room and Deafheaven, the group's lone full-length is also a crucial release for black metal at large.

(Century Media, 2001) On their fifth album, this Japanese trio (now a quartet) shed their corpse paint but not their insatiable appetite for increasingly progressive black-metal. Imaginary Sonicscape revels in the pleasures of magic mushrooms, evil moog keyboards, and dizzying arrangements; plus, the lyrics to "Nietzschean Conspiracy" were written by then-imprisoned Emperor drummer Faust.

(Nuclear Blast, 2002) Since reissued with a bonus live DVD, the seventh album from Norwegian power triad Immortal is practically unstoppable. Produced by Peter Tägtgren, Sons of Northern Darkness combines fierce riffery with a Maiden-esque sense of epic dynamism. (Fun fact: One of the band's promotional photos for this release mistakenly caught guitarist-vocalist Abbath with his fly down.)

(Moribund, 2004) The one-man plague of professional tattoo artist Jef Whitehead (a.k.a. Wrest), Leviathan are the vanguard of the American isolationist black-metal phenomenon. Whitehead's second full-length under the Leviathan moniker, Tentacles is a vicious display of lo-fi pyrokinesis that takes its cues from the Burzum back catalog.

(Moribund, 2004) Another one-man outfit, L.A.'s Xasthur is the brainchild of Scott Conner, a.k.a. Malefic, also known for his live guest "vo-kills" with sub-harmonic drone overlords Sunn O))). The bleak psychedelic hellscapes that bleed black through each of his many LPs, EPs, and splits are at their most unsettling on this, Xasthur's fourth full-length.

(Ajna Offensive, 2005) Little is known about this reclusive French posse; the band refuses almost all interview requests. But Kénôse is one of the most powerful, ideologically intriguing black-metal releases in the history of forever. Ominous and brooding, the hypnotic fury of the album's three epic tracks is matched only by its enigmatic artwork.

(Candlelight, 2005) Along with Darkthrone, the reunited Emperor, Varg Vikernes and the surviving members of Mayhem, Enslaved are the last of Norway's living black-metal O.G.s. Their Grammy-winning eighth album is a rousing Viking feast that makes you wanna burn and pillage all the way to Valhalla — and proof that these originators are still well ahead of most of the pack.

(Total Holocaust, 2005) Much like Varg Vikernes did through Burzum's experimentation with keyboards, Leviathan's Jef Whitehead (re)established black metal as not just a sound, but a feeling and approach, with his project Lurker of Chalice and its sole, self-titled offering. Wildly inventive, employing everything from electronic samples to wind chimes and chorus vocals, the album proves that all the chilling darkness of the subgenre can be conjured without a lo-fi tremolo riff.

(Season of Mist, 2007) Despite their infamous penchant for literal mid-set bloodbaths, the Swedish pyromaniacs Watain have always been a band defined by sharp songcraft, not just provocative showmanship. Case in point: Sworn to the Dark, which saw the Satanic firebrands culling from thrash, hard rock, prog and dark ambient to deliver one of the most stylistically diverse black-metal albums of the 2000s.

(Metal Blade, 2013) While their music arguably leans more death metal, these Polish blasphemers' explicitly Satanic philosophical stance and corpse-paint-and-hellfire onstage presentation clearly place them within the black-metal movement. Behemoth's comeback album after frontman Nergal's near-fatal battle with Leukemia, The Satanist stands as a majestic and vital (re)statement of intent.

(Deathwish, 2013) Deafheaven's sophomore LP Sunbatherrepresented a true paradigm shift in black metal both in its aesthetics and attitudes, from its pink album cover to its sunny riffage. Indeed, the first notes of "Dream House" evoke something not often heard in the genre: a feeling of optimism. Sunbather leaned on the creativity of bands past, but took it next level, embracing elements of shoegaze, post-rock and screamo in the way that hadn't been done before. But its greatest innovation may be the way the album rides on the belief that black metal doesn't have to be antisocial in spirit; indeed, it can come with open arms.

Sent from my iPhone

[danzameccanica]

Ci sono poche band al mondo ad aver creato un genere, ad essere diventati punti cardinali e, nella maggior parte dei casi, esserlo rimasti. Nel black metal si dice dei Darkthrone, degli Emperor, di Burzum... In un certo senso tutte quelle band che hanno rilasciato il primo album fra il 91 e il 93 sono seminali, uniche nel loro genere, padrone e creatrici del proprio suono e del proprio prodotto, uniche artefici del proprio cambiamento (e del cambiamento sugli altri). La particolarità e l’unicità della scena norvegese è stata davvero unica ma, c’è un’altra importantissima strada fondata da una band svedese, che ha formato e raccolto centinaia di adepti creando uno stile unico che verrà poi emulato fino ai giorni nostri: gli svedesi Dissection. I talentuosi germi di questa band si sentivano benissimo già dal demo Into Infinite Obscurity, del 1991. Il sound che emergeva dal demo era un death metal malsano, complesso, ma che non disdegnava un certo apparato melodico. Jon Nödtveidt era in contatto con Euronymous fin dai primissimi concerti dei Mayhem in Svezia e avrebbero dovuto rilasciare il debut con la cult Deathlike Silence Productions ma le vicende di cui tutti siamo a conoscenza hanno cambiato le carte in tavola.  Nödtveidt e Palmdahl erano originari di Strömstad (questa vicinanza li mise da subito in contatto anche con Metalion della Slayer magazine) e questo ha fatto sì che le loro sonorità ed influenze fossero molto vicine agli At the Gates e ai Grotesque: ossia alle sonorità più aperte, heavy, talvolta folk, piuttosto che a quelle più compresse e dirette di Stoccolma. La prova più calzante e aliena, per una band del genere a quell’epoca, è la conclusiva traccia acustica del demo: pura chitarra classica, che emana quel qualcosa di tradizionale e di atmosferico; che, non si sa come mai, ma si incastra alla perfezione anche in mezzo a quella violenza appena sentita. Stessa questione per la prima versione di “Feathers Fell” del demo del 1992. Ultima nota: non credo esistano altre band ad aver proposto due demo-tape con un livello così alto, nei quali si sentono chiaramente tutte le intenzioni della band e l’impronta che concretamente stava realizzando già dai primi vagiti in sala prove.

E lo stile dei Dissection di The Somberlain non fa altro che affinare davvero la tecnica e mettere a fuoco ogni singolo elemento all’interno del loro songwriting. L’accordatura delle chitarre diventa standard, la batteria diventa sempre più precisa e potente; Ole Öhman è uno dei batteristi più variegati e complessi della scena death-black: pur costruendo le sue due colonne portanti fatte di blast-beat blackmetal e tupa-tupa-tupa deathmetal, riesce a dare una dinamica incredibile alla fine di ogni riff.

I Dissection compongono i loro riff come una qualsiasi band death metal svedese ma su un’accordatura standard, prediligendo tonalità più alte e con un massiccio uso del tremolo, tirando fuori un’atmosfera più occulta, notturna e mistica a discapito del classico marciume svedese. Le influenze sono le stesse dei primissimi Marduk, il mondo di scorrere fra le corde è quello dei Mayhem e dei Thorns ma con meno dose di dissonanza; ci sono tantissime influenze heavy metal, i quali riff si fondono perfettamente con quelli black metal, eliminando quasi del tutto i riff in palm-mute. Tutto questo ha creato quello che è considerato lo “swedish black metal”. Un brano come “The Somberlain” è emblematico per il suo essere progressive, per avere tre-quattro chitarre che si intrecciano e, allo stesso tempo, per realizzare un prodotto oscuro e complesso senza tirare in ballo l’epica o il melodramma ma con un dinamismo e una freschezza davvero unici (ancora oggi, dopo vent’anni di ascolti, quando la batteria passa da battere a levare al minuto 02:00). Se analizziamo queste sonorità i Dissection si pongono nell’anello di congiunzione di diverse catene dal quale partono: gli At the Gates che tengono un passo più sul death metal; i Marduk che spingono più sull’acceleratore e sulla violenza di Those of the Unlight; i Katatonia sono invece con un piede più sul doom mentre altri act europei come Samael o Rotting Christ hanno ancora un loro modo di unire thrash, death e black. In questo momento nessuno suona come i Dissection, nessuno fa i cambi di tempo e di atmosfera come si sentono in “A Land Forlorn”; nessuno ha mai partorito l’idea dei primi riff di “Frozen”… Oppure se si prende in esame il primo riff di “Heaven’s Damnation”, in passato si faceva accordato in basso, in classico stile Unleashed o Entombed; ora con l’uso del tremolo emerge come se lo facessero gli Immortal o gli Emperor ma con la produzione e la ricerca sonora tutta votata alle chitarre. “Crimson Towers” e “Feathers Fell” si uniscono al trio acustico comprendente anche la già citata “Into Infinite Obscurity”, per l’occasione risuonata e ripulita Due band che avrebbero potuto competere con i Dissection sono i Necrophobic e gli Unanimated, ma nel 1993 godevano purtroppo di un’imparagonabile produzione, ancora troppo grezza pur con delle ottime idee ma che però, ahimè, non hanno fatto centro come quelle di Jon & co.  Forse se si volesse trovare il pelo nell’uovo di questo disco, se proprio si volesse trovare un neo quello sarebbe la durata dei brani che tendono ad una lunghezza, anch’essa, fuori dagli schemi dell’epoca; c’è anche da dire che il minutaggio non proprio compatto emerge proprio per il numero di parti atmosferiche che sfumano naturalmente verso sezioni più violente. Non voglio dire che i Dissection siano gli Opeth della situazione ma quasi… anzi, riascoltando Morningrise diverse volte emergono i ricordi e le influenze di The Somberlain. 

Ad ogni modo la quadratura del cerchio verrà fuori con il successivo impeccabile Storm of the Light’s Bane ma questa è un’altra storia. L’eredità dei Dissection è davvero sconfinata, basti pensare ai vari Dawn, Sacramentum, Naglfar, Vinterland, Noctes, Mörk Gryning, Setherial, Lord Belial, Decameron fino ad arrivare ai più recenti Dark Fortress, Stortregn, The Spirit o Thulcandra... In generale la maggior parte del catalogo No Fashion Records ha creato una sua identità attorno al dissection-sound e solo rarissime formazioni svedesi (come ad esempio i Dark Funeral o i Belphegor) hanno sviluppato un’altra identità, sicuramente connessa ai Dissection o ai Marduk ma che guardava in un’altra direzione. A mio avviso c’è solo un altro album che può davvero competere con The Somberlain e col successivo Storm of the Light’s Bane ed il suo nome è Ancient God of Evil degli Unanimated ma anche questa è un’altra storia.

[omegaplus]

# 3,286

Mayhem De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas clear purple bootleg cassette (1994, 2018)

Wu-Tang Clan’s Raekwon is not the only one with a “purple tape”. Only recently have these clear purple shells been released in the wild, location or number pressed unknown. Notice the Anti-Mosh catalogue numbers, though. It traces back to Deathlike Silence Productions, named for Euronymous’ record store and label which issued and sold records mostly from Mayhem, Burzum, and more. That died when Euronymous was killed by Varg Vikernes himself. Released in 2018, De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas‘ purple cassette issue is obviously not from the original Deathlike Silence Productions releases but maintains the Anti-Mosh catalogue numbers. Meaning, it’s a bootleg. You can still acquire it from Discogs providing they don’t shut this down.

[blackmetalstellar]

° 25th birthday ! 1994 - 2019 °

MAYHEM

[De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas, Norway, Deathlike Silence Productions, 1994]

[triste-guillotine]

MERCILESS “The Awakening”, LP 1989 (One of the most legendary and ultimate Death/Thrash Metal album spawned from Scandinavia. Total Cult !)

“No more pain, my birth's no longer denied I'm your god, obey me or die Light of the sun, at last I am free Born with vengeance, I'm your destiny In my dreams wall of despair In my mind I knew it's nothing there You'll pay for all my suffering and pain Soon I will rule this earthly domain Hate is the only word I know And my heart's black and so cold The awakening Lonely I am, that's the way it's gonna be When you're mine, you're mine for eternity Now your soul belongs to me So down on your fucking knees I'll take your soul into the dark Seas of blood from your bleeding heart Now this fuckin' world is mine As you know I will never die”

https://osmoseproductions.bandcamp.com/album/the-awakening

[shadow-prince-666]

NEVER STOP THE MADNESS

DRUGS ARE NO FUN. DRUGS ENDANGER THE LIFE AND HAPPINESS OF MILLIONS. IT MUST NEVER STOP. WE APPEAL IN PARTICULAR TO THE YOUTH OF TODAY. DON’T STOP THE MADNESS. THERE ARE BETTER THINGS IN LIFE. Deathlike Silence Productions support the Never Stop The Madness-campaigns for the use of hard drugs. Join us.

[the-old-mayhem]

Part 1/4

"The trip to Norway was such a bizarre story that has become a source of many myths. It happened that my friends from MAYHEM, specifically Euronymous, invited me to visit them. It was nice at first, but then it started to become less fun. They turned out to be shitty people. Especially Euronymous.

I was certainly not blameless - I made some stupid moves - but after all, I was the guest, and the guest (at least among the Slavs) is kind of protected. Well, it was how it was.

They said they would host me, so I guess they didn't expect me to have any money. Two hundred bucks is what I brought with me. I spent it in two weeks, because Norway is probably the most expensive country in Europe. Then Euro generously said that he would register me as unemployed and would give me part of the benefit every month to live on." - Marcin W., interview published in "Najświętszy Napletek Chrystusa" zine #6, 2008 🦇

-To be continued-

(Drawing by Pelle, published in Marcin's zine. Drawing and the interview provided by him personally.)

@the.old.mayhem on instagram

[aearmstraing]

[werwolf28]

no fun

no core

no mosh

no trends

[nekrowitch666]

Merciless is an extreme metal band with influence from groups such as Sodom, Kreator, and Bathory.

Founded in the summer of 1986 in Sweden, the band consisted of guitarist Erik Wahlin, Frederik Karlen, (bass) and Stefan Carlsson (drums).

The band was known as "Obsessed" and "Black Mass" for a few live gigs, before officially changing their name to Merciless in 1987. In July, Merciless released their first demo titled "Behind the Black Door," which led to a change in vocalists.

In 1988, a second demo, titled "Realm of the Dark" was released, and caught the attention of Deathlike Silence Productions, which was a record label ran and owned by Mayhem's Euronymous.

This led to the release of the band's debut album, "The Awakening" in March 1990.

Merciless recorded their second album, "The Treasures Within" in 1991. However, due to mismanagement, this album would not be released until the following year, in 1992.

Their third album, "Unbound" was released in 1994. This would be the same year that Merciless would split up, before reuniting again in 1999. They released one more album in 2002, simply called "Merciless."

They are still active to this day.

[euronymous-files]

Ryan [...] is generally not overjoyed by recent scene developments, where extreme metal is getting increasingly polarised by political interests. " It’s completely beyond me why these wimps and infiltrators who need safe lyrics and imagery in music even listen to black metal. It was never for them, yet here they are."

Like many others, he expresses a sense of nostalgia for the under ground of the early nineties. As an example, he mentions his experience with Oystein ‘Euronymous’ Aarseth, the late guitar player of Norwegian black metal band Mayhem. "I contacted Euronymous on the strength of the two tracks on the “Projections of a Stained Mind” compilation. I picked up the CD version and discovered killer bands such as Grotesque and Macrodex, both of which I was previously unfamiliar with.”

The Mayhem tracks “Freezing Moon” and “Carnage” stood out, so Ryan sent a letter to the address provided on the compilation CD and got a quick response. Euronymous told him they were planning on recording an album soon but that vocalist Dead had committed suicide, so there was going to be a delay. “He introduced me to his label, Deathlike Silence Productions, and pointed me to bands I might be interested in since I liked Mayhem.”

Do you remember which ones? “Abruptum, specifically. I bought their “The Satanist Tunes” demo and was mystified! That was the first time since getting into Sodom years earlier that I heard a band which actually sent shivers down my spine. Euronymous was very helpful and really cool to me – he even sent CD’s and shirts before I paid for them, and told me to reimburse him whenever I could. No one else would do something like that.”

----------------------------------- read the full interview here

[helvetes-basement]

Letter from Dead to Old Nick talking about Deathlike silence productions logo he made and sent with the letter.