47 Facts About Euronymous

Euronymous was a co-founder and guitarist of the Norwegian black metal band Mayhem and was the only constant member from the band's formation in 1984 until his death in 1993.

Euronymous was founder and owner of the extreme metal record label Deathlike Silence Productions and record shop Helvete.

Euronymous professed to being a theistic Satanist and was known for making extreme misanthropic statements.

Euronymous presented himself as leading a militant cult-like group known as the "Black Metal Inner Circle".

At the time he was going by the stage name Destructor but later changed his name to Euronymous, derived from the demon Eurynomos which inspired the Hellhammer song of the same name.

Hellhammer recalls that Dead once went outside to sleep in the woods because Euronymous was playing synth music that Dead hated.

Euronymous then went outside and began shooting into the air with a shotgun.

In time, rumors spread that Euronymous had made a stew with bits of Dead's brain and had made necklaces with bits of his skull.

Necrobutcher later speculated that taking the photographs and forcing others to see them was a way for Euronymous to cope with the shock of seeing his friend dead.

Kjetil Manheim said that, after the suicide, Euronymous "tried to be as extreme as he had talked about".

Euronymous started an independent record label called Deathlike Silence Productions, which was based at Helvete.

Euronymous helped many younger bands in the scene, especially Emperor and Enslaved, both of whom he recommended to Candlelight Records.

Euronymous was present at the burning of Holmenkollen Chapel together with Vikernes and Faust, who were convicted for the arson after Euronymous was dead.

Faust says he believes that Euronymous got involved because he "felt he had to prove that he could be a part of it and not just in the background".

Euronymous added that the interview revealed nothing that could prove his involvement in any crime.

Euronymous claimed that Helvete helps fund its activities, but said that he is not directly involved in its crimes, because if he were caught the organization would fall apart.

Vikernes and the authors of Lords of Chaos claim that Euronymous' parents pressured him into shutting Helvete.

Euronymous says that Euronymous had plotted to stun him with an electroshock weapon, tie him up, and torture him to death while videotaping the event.

Euronymous said Euronymous planned to use a meeting about an unsigned contract to ambush him.

Vikernes claims Euronymous ran into the kitchen to fetch a knife.

Vikernes contends that most of Euronymous' wounds were caused by broken glass he had fallen on during the struggle.

Blackthorn claims Vikernes planned to murder Euronymous and pressured him into coming along.

Euronymous added: "I think many people felt relief once he was gone".

Euronymous was always dressed in black from head to foot, his hair dyed black for added effect.

In interviews, Euronymous claimed to be against individualism, compassion, peace, happiness and fun.

Euronymous claimed he wanted to spread hatred, sorrow and evil.

Euronymous' shop attracted a lot of new young fans, many of whom looked up to and even idolized him.

Faust said that with Euronymous, "there was a lot of smoke but not so much fire".

Euronymous added that the scene "wanted to be in opposition to society" and "tried to concentrate more on just being 'evil' than having a real Satanic philosophy".

The theistic Satanism espoused by Euronymous was an inversion of Roman Catholic dogma, and he claimed "We praise the evil and we believe blindly in a godly creature just like a Christian".

Euronymous opposed the Satanic and occultist teachings of Anton LaVey and Aleister Crowley, for unlike Euronymous, they promoted what he saw as "peace" and commercial frivolity, as well as individualism in contrast to dogma.

Euronymous said he would "never accept any band which preaches Church of Satan ideas, as they are just a bunch of freedom and life-loving atheists, and they stand exactly the opposite of me".

Euronymous wanted people to think of him as being extreme; the most extreme of them all.

Euronymous showed no explicit disapproval of paganism though, and released the pagan band Enslaved's first album, Vikingligr Veldi, on Deathlike Silence Productions.

Euronymous rejected bands like Immortal being called black metal, "as they are not Satanists", but supported the band nonetheless.

When it was pointed out that Venom only used Satanism as a gimmick, Euronymous said that he and the Black Circle "choose to believe otherwise".

Likewise, Euronymous said that the term death metal can apply to any kind of metal, so long as the band "cultivates and worships death".

Euronymous lamented the commercialization and loss of extremity within death metal.

Euronymous believed that the idea of staying underground came from hardcore punk, and said, "Those who scream most about being in 'underground' is often those who make so bad music that they don't have a chance to get big themselves".

Euronymous was interested in totalitarian communist states such as the Soviet Union under Stalin and Romania under Ceausescu.

Euronymous said "as I hate people I don't want them to have a good time, I'd like to see them rot under communist dictatorship".

Euronymous had a fascination with the idea of mass surveillance, secret police and forced disappearance.

Hellhammer said "Euronymous wanted to be the most extreme person, and he thought that communism was very extreme", but that he later claimed to be a fascist.

Euronymous' main guitar was a sunburst Gibson Les Paul Standard guitar, which he can be seen playing in many pictures.

Euronymous played through a slightly modified 1981 Marshall Super Lead amplifier and used a Boss SD-1 Super Overdrive pedal, as well as a Boss HM-2 Heavy Metal pedal.

Euronymous was ranked No 51 out of The 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Guitarists of All Time by Guitar World.

Euronymous played guitar on the following albums except where noted, any additional instruments or credits in notes.