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Ep 37: The True Story Behind Lords of Chaos
10 Plays5 years ago
This week we are discussing the Norwegian black metal band, Mayhem. There is some graphic content in this episode so beware.
If you want to watch the video version of this podcast head over to www.youtube.com/girlygore
If you have requests for future episodes or just want to hang out follow us on Instagram @sinistersisterspodcast
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Transcript
Introduction and Technical Challenges
00:00:09
Speaker
What's up, Weirdos? Welcome back to the Sinister Sisters podcast. I'm Felicia. And I'm Lauren. And we're best friends. And we like scary movies. And we just spent a style of 30 minutes trying to figure out the sound to record with. We've done it many times. I would say at least 20. At least 20. And every time, it's like, how can I get GarageBand to understand what I want it to do?
00:00:35
Speaker
It's a real struggle. It's a real struggle. And I want everyone to know that that's the kind of effort we put into this podcast. We'll put that 30 minutes in. We will. And maybe it's because we've learned nothing, but... There was a brief moment where I said, in my head, I was like, let's just take it down to one mic. Oh my god, no. I was gonna do it. We are a high-end podcast. We have two mics, we have a camera. Two girls, two mics. That's...
00:00:59
Speaker
Yeah. I thought you were going to say, uh, two girls, one cup. I wasn't going to, but as soon as I said it, I thought you would think that. And so I was very quiet. Um, what are we doing today? Today? You're telling me a story. I'm telling you a story. So you also noticed that if you're watching on YouTube and not on the podcast,
00:01:20
Speaker
that we are not on a bed anymore. No. This is turning into a very dirty sounding episode. I know. This is really taking a turn. But we have put the sofa bed away, which seemed like the adult thing to do, but has made me a little sadder, I think.
00:01:37
Speaker
And we did also skip a week. We also skipped a week, which we're not talking about, and so you can't either. We are not embarrassed. I'm not embarrassed at all. I'm not embarrassed that we skipped a week. We have a lot on our plates. I'm fine today.
Lords of Chaos and Mayhem's Origins
00:01:52
Speaker
We are talking about the true story behind Lords of Chaos. So this is a movie that I initially saw just because it has Rory Culkin in it.
00:02:02
Speaker
and I think he is very lovely, and I like everything he does, so I was excited. And it basically is based off of a book called Lords of Chaos, which is based off the story of the Norwegian black metal band Mayhem.
00:02:17
Speaker
And boy are we excited. And boy are we excited to learn. I'm excited. So if you see me referring to the computer, that's because I can't pronounce a single one of these names because they're all in Norwegian or they're Swedish. And I don't think we have any listeners from Norway. I could be wrong. Actually, we do. Do you check? No, I just have a subscriber from
00:02:40
Speaker
Norway, um, oh my god Okay, well they tell us how to pronounce these things. Please don't tell me I just want to know so okay
00:02:53
Speaker
Let's just go back a little in time to 1984. Wow. 1984. 1984. 1984. Wow. That was really good. We're singers. I love to sing. I'm a singer first. One day this podcast will start. Okay. So I'm going to hit you with the first thing I don't know how to say. Oystein Arzeth. Was that right? Was that wrong? Hmm.
00:03:22
Speaker
It was pretty close. His first name in the band, so something to note, which is going to be much easier once we get through everyone's names, is that they all went by nicknames to appear more hardcore and intense. So Oyston's original name was Destructor, and then they called him Euronymous, which I think is nice.
00:03:47
Speaker
But I like it. Sounds sort of like anonymous. Sort of like eurydice. Eurydice and anonymous together. We don't even have wine today. No, we are the soberist. Maybe that's why I feel silly because I don't have wine. Yeah, maybe we're just tired. Maybe.
The Band's Image and Tragedy
00:04:03
Speaker
So in 1984, Euronimis, he's the guitar player, the leader of the band. The story eventually will focus around him, but let's say some of the other members. So we had the bass player named Jorn Stuberb, also named Necrobuter. Incredible, incredible. And he is actually still in the band today, even though I think he's the, yes, he's absolutely the only original member.
00:04:30
Speaker
But I did listen to a fun little interview with him and the newer members about the movie and he was just like
00:04:38
Speaker
It was kind of like that, not really like that, kind of like that, not really like that. He doesn't seem to love to be interviewed, which I know I was like some real fat who's laid in the backs. Some real gossip, some real gossip. And then they had a drummer whose name was Kajteel Manheim, but he doesn't really come up again. He's only on for this first EP, so not worried too much about him.
00:05:05
Speaker
Basically, the band formed and they put out their first EP called Death Crash. I'm gonna do something dramatic every time I say something dramatic. Which you won't appreciate if you're listening only. I think vocally you can hear Death Crash. That was very exciting. I take it back. Thank you. They had some studio vocalists come in but no one they were really sold on and they put out this EP.
00:05:34
Speaker
aww in 1986 so that's two years after the band formed and after that they basically got where the band really starts to take off is they got this member in 1988 named dead dead simple simple he was Swedish vocalist his name is uh hmm per yengve ollen
00:06:02
Speaker
Wow, that's only really bad pronunciation. And then a new drummer, Jan Axel Blumberg, who's easier to say, who was nicknamed Hellhammer. So at this point, the whole band, they are very interested in writing really heavy, dark music and personifying that music on stage. And so they basically all
00:06:28
Speaker
went out to a house in the woods, they all lived there together, they rehearsed there, they wrote there. In the movie, they really show a lot of fun partying there and things like that.
00:06:40
Speaker
But I think they were like fairly serious about being a band. And Dead in particular was really interested in like what I would say performance art, but what he would say is just true life. Amazing. Yeah. So his character or his self, Dead,
00:07:00
Speaker
He would do a lot of crazy stage antics such as like cutting himself live on stage He would have like sheeps heads or lambs heads Actual ones on stage. They're really like shock value He would he had like very specific stage clothes that he would bury and then dig up and wear. Yeah
00:07:22
Speaker
Which are unrelated to anything dead, but just that he would bury them. He would just bury his clothes and wear them later. Okay. And then the biggest thing which I think had like the most lasting influence I'll say is that they wore
00:07:35
Speaker
the death makeup. So the like black and white painted corpse-like makeup that would become famous. The idea is to look like a corpse and to look dead. And they were all like very, very serious about this as well. Everything about their lifestyle, they wanted to be the epitome of, you know, this sort of like anti
00:07:57
Speaker
Christian society, their own thing, super based around death. And the sad story about dead is that while in the house, this is in 1991, he ended up killing himself. I know, we really took a turn.
00:08:19
Speaker
and he did leave a suicide note that was quite casual you can read it online but it literally says like sorry for all the blood or excuse the blood is what he says and he basically slit his throat and his own wrists and then shot himself in the head well yeah so that's brutal
00:08:40
Speaker
And then this is with his own throat and his wrist. Yeah, and shot himself in the head. It's a lot. It's a lot He didn't he ended up not wanting to bleed out. I think he just wanted to go faster. I assume is what happened. I assume And so this is where sort of I don't know if I want to say mysticism but like legend around the band starts to form because they had this member commit suicide and so Euronymous who once again is these got started the band and he
00:09:10
Speaker
It's sort of the leader of the band. It is also clearly like the protagonist of the film Lords of Chaos but Apparently he went in he's the one that found dead. He took photos of him He thought it was like so hardcore that he had killed himself that he had really given himself over to this the most notorious thing is that he apparently took pieces of dead skull and made them into necklaces and
00:09:40
Speaker
that he would give out to members of their group and like surrounding people that he thought really like example like was like were like gave the values that he had So that's intense. Yeah, that's really kind of a slippery slope. Yes, and then he also sort of used Dead's suicide to say that Dead was so
00:10:09
Speaker
had so much belief around this. It was so hardcore about it that he killed himself because he thought that black metal had become too trendy and fake. And so I don't think that's why he killed himself. I think he probably had depression and whatever other issues he may have had. But we don't know.
00:10:32
Speaker
That's that side of the story and by the way, that's not even the main part of story. That's just a casual starter Okay, so after Dead died a couple years passed but during that time they still kept playing as a band they had Euronimus started a record shop called Helvet He also said Helvet. Okay. I don't know. I think it's I
00:10:59
Speaker
Probably not, that's not the English translation, I'm not sure. Gotcha. And he also started a label called Death Like Silence Productions. So he's still very much in the community and in the movie Lords of Chaos, which I'm not so clear on in real life if he's true or not, but was not necessarily worship, but really seen as like the leader of the movement. People wanted to impress him, people wanted that skull necklace, like he was sort of the guy, the leader of this whole black metal movement.
00:11:29
Speaker
Yeah. And then this new singer comes along.
Varg Vikernes and the Band's Dark Legacy
00:11:33
Speaker
So another name. So it's Varg, but it's Varg, Verkurnas. Verkurnas. Verkurnas. Verkurnas. Sorry. His stage name was Count Grishnock.
00:11:49
Speaker
Krishna so he was originally in a band called Burzum he was a very talented singer and so they were they initially brought him in and around the same time so this is 1992 that he starts with the band and around this time there is a lot of burning of churches in Norway it's literally an epidemic like some of their oldest
00:12:15
Speaker
most important churches. That's so sad. It's very bad. And this started happening in 1993, seven major churches burned to the ground and turns out it was probably bark.
00:12:32
Speaker
Oh my god! Varric and potentially other members of their community. I was going to say, of the band or no? Maybe. But sort of unclear. But he... Also it does seem like they need to work out their fire safety. Yeah. I think a lot of old churches are made out of wood. And they just go... And they just burn. So that was a bummer. But he is said to have done it for revenge, for the Christian
00:12:59
Speaker
desecration of Viking graves and temples so Basically once again sort of this like anti-christian In a way like looking back to the old ways but also like with this new like it's very angry Yeah, it is very angry. Okay So that happens 1993 This article comes out, okay, so basically
00:13:28
Speaker
this newspaper called Burgus Tilde, I hope I'm saying that right, they do an article sort of about the black metal movement and they interview Varg, who's pretty clearly saying, hi, I lit the fires. And it's sort of, in the movie they make it this very theatrical thing of him posing with skulls and being like, yeah, we're really hardcore, but no one's gonna know it's me, right?
00:13:57
Speaker
almost in this comedic way. I don't know if it was actually that silly, but he basically was proud of what he was doing and really gave himself up.
00:14:10
Speaker
And so at that point the whole movement or the whole scene I guess I'll say sort of came under scrutiny from the public and the police to the point where Euronimus ended up having to close down his record shop because the
00:14:28
Speaker
police and the people that were living there sort of blamed this black metal movement for the burning of these churches for all this chaos going on, which I mean I can understand where they're coming from. Right, but also like not fair for his record shop. Not fair for his record shop. I'd be like, hey Felicia, stop burning churches. Exactly. And so it's sort of like one guy ruined the party for everyone and he will continue to ruin the party. So yeah, it gets just worse and worse.
00:14:53
Speaker
Alright, and so then, August 1993, so this is all happening in a pretty short period of time. Farg, or Count Krishna, goes to Euronimus' house and he murders him. He stabs him 23 times. 23 times? Which seems like a lot to me. Overkill. Overkill. I mean.
00:15:16
Speaker
pun intended yeah and he does end up going to prison for murder and arson and he goes to prison for 21 years but I'm pretty sure he's out now what yeah I think he's just like chillin he is on the loose yeah he only served 15 years Wow classic um it doesn't I just don't think you can murder someone and get out of prison
00:15:41
Speaker
Yes, apparently you can all the time. I know, I know. I just feel like... It's pretty crazy. I just feel like if you end a life, unless, you know... If you stab someone 23 times and you're just not... Like, that's gonna happen again. Yeah, exactly. You don't just get that angry once. Oh, I should also mention that Burzom, who was the... His act, his band, before he was in Mayhem was a solo project, so he was like playing the guitar, doing the instruments, and also singing.
00:16:10
Speaker
So they sort of saw him as this like, and he was like really young. Um, so they sort of saw him as like, not like a prodigy, but like a wow. Yeah. Yeah. Um, he was born in 73 and that was a 91. I don't know how that makes him 83. Wait, what?
00:16:25
Speaker
Oh yeah, he was like 18 years old. Yeah. Yeah, he's like 18 years old. Um, so they were like, this is an amazing, super talented young kid. Um, Varg did have some history of like neo-nazism. It says like it when he was a teenager, but it's like this all happened basically when he was a teenager. Oh my gosh. Um, but maybe not so much like while he was in the black metal scene. Um, but yeah.
00:16:51
Speaker
Murder. Murder. Jail. And also to that, so in an interview, Necro Butcher, who once again ends up kind of bringing Mayhem back and starting the band up again, he has also admitted that, which I think was hilarious, he's like, it's been a long time, so I think I'll say like, I was probably on my way to kill Euronymous that night too.
00:17:10
Speaker
But he just didn't do it. What? It was like, he's basically like, yeah, like, you know, he got there first kind of thing. Because Necrobutcher was also really resentful towards Yharnamis for... Because Dead, so Necrobutcher says like, Dead was my friend and my friend killed himself and then he was sort of used, and his death was like used in this like, almost like,
00:17:34
Speaker
almost like politically, but within like this small scene. It also feels like a little disrespectful to give out parts of his body. I think that's what he's saying. Like it was super disrespectful. He's like, my friend died and this friend that totally disrespected his body and everything about the whole situation got kind of famous. Yeah. It's like benefiting from that. Yeah. And he was like, that was fucked up. And then, um, and also I don't think Never Butcher is his, um,
00:18:03
Speaker
I don't know how he felt about the burning churches, but I don't think he participated in that. But so there was tension there and there was a lot of tension happening between Euronymous and Varg because Euronymous, in the movie they sort of show him as a, he is this persona for show. It's like a character and Varg is like, no, this is who we are. If it's not real, it's not worth it.
00:18:28
Speaker
And so there's these sort of like opposing opinions about like how this black metal movement or like how this should all be going. And Barrack thought Euronymous was like, you know, being false and fake and like a poser, basically, to use a casual term.
00:18:48
Speaker
And then you're honest, this was upset because he had created this whole scene that then started being shut down because of all these church burnings and putting all this really bad negative attention on their little scene. And so, yeah, so basically he killed him and then he ended up serving 15 years.
Mayhem's Reformation and Influence
00:19:04
Speaker
and got out and basically and now you can meet him and now you can just go meet him um so he's out of jail uh necro butcher is still playing so basically 1994 mayhem got restarted again um which feels soon to me it feels very soon yes um and so the members that uh got it started back up were hellhammer maniac neck and necro butcher excuse me and they just got a new guitarist
00:19:34
Speaker
and um just moving right along yeah and even though there was some like early controversy they still um seem to be like a pretty loved band and i think the most important things to note from this it's like mayhem was a hugely influential band i know we didn't talk a lot about the music today but their first ep sold like a thousand copies and like
00:19:56
Speaker
No time. They were a big deal. It was a very exciting time. Separate from all of the rest of it. They were a great band. Yes. And then you have this suicide, and then you have this murder, and you have all this stuff that created this big swirling legend around this band that has to do with death and all that. And that it's being surrounded by actual death is pretty wild.
00:20:25
Speaker
That's crazy. Yeah. So that's what happened. The book Lords of Chaos was from 1998. Yeah, when was the movie? The movie came out I think like two years ago. Okay. Yeah. I wrote here, so also these notes are from like weeks ago, so if I missed things, sorry. But I wrote here, movie made Necro Butcher sad.
00:20:51
Speaker
Which is a bummer. Which is a bummer. Because it was so different, you think? Or just sad in general? Oh, something else crazy to say. Okay, sorry. So in 1994, they came out with another, I don't know if this is a full length album or not, because this happened, the murder happened in the midst of recording an album. Oh my gosh. Yeah. And sorry, I just want to make sure. Have you ever considered murder while you've been recording an album? It does feel like a- Not yet. It feels like a dramatic time. Yes. Okay.
00:21:21
Speaker
So I'm going to say that's probably wrong, but Dey Mysteries, Dums, and Thanos. And so basically, they started recording this, or they started writing for this album. This was the lead up to everything in 1987. And then it got, obviously, due to murder. And then released in 1994. The album was dedicated to Euronimus, who was murdered. But they had already recorded
00:21:51
Speaker
The bass parts. Right. And and so and Varg was playing bass and so his murderer is on the album that is dedicated to him. That's so messed up. I know. Feels like he could have just recorded the bass again. That's what I thought. But was he singing on it too? That would be. Let's see. Yeah, they just had him on as bassist for this.
00:22:16
Speaker
Yeah, so that's all messed up, but I think that's about it. Jeez. That's a lot. Yeah, so that is the suicide and murder legend around Mayhem, aka Lords of Chaos. I love it. And that's it.
00:22:32
Speaker
That's amazing. Honestly, I really enjoyed the movie. It's definitely, it's a very dark film, but it's really filmed, I don't want to say like a comedy, but with a lightness to it. Right. Or with a style to it that feels light. So even though this is like a lot of dark stuff, it's a very watchable film. It's even funny at times. Sometimes it's really fucked up at times. But I would definitely recommend it. I thought it was good.
00:22:56
Speaker
I got to watch it. You got to watch it. Now I know the whole thing. I know the whole thing. Hopefully, if I said anything wrong, just you can let me know in the comments. Especially if you're from Norway. Yeah, then you can definitely tell us more. But that's sort of the story. And I hope you sort of enjoyed it. Yes. I mean, I enjoyed it. I hope they did. OK, cool. I'm fascinated about the band now. Oh, yeah. We can all put maybe a clip of it at the end of this episode. Oh, yeah. Play a little music. I think it's fun.
00:23:26
Speaker
But yeah, so also just so you know, next week we are doing something different, which is I feel like the theme of this podcast is we're doing something different. But next week- We just keep switching what we want to do. Yeah, it's our podcast. It's our podcast. Yeah. But we're going to be talking about Saw. And we're just going to be talking about the first film, but it might lead to just talking about the entire franchise, which I feel we're really excited about. We might get to one that really stumps us.
00:23:56
Speaker
I can't, I'm still, I'm very excited. I also haven't seen the later ones, so I'm very curious to see. I've only seen the first two. Have you seen Beyond? I've seen the first three, but I think there are seven. Yeah. And then what if this leads us up to the new movie coming out? Well, that's what I was thinking. Oh. Is that why you had this idea? You're so much smarter than me. Sort of. No. I was thinking about Invisible, man. We'll talk about it next week. Yeah.
00:24:23
Speaker
But recommendation corner first of all go see invisible man. Yeah, it's amazing. That's our new fave. It's so good I loved every I honestly would see it again me too, and I don't say that about no I kind of want to go back actually knowing more things now Because I felt like I was like so on the edge of my seat the whole time. Me too! Oh my god I was so on the edge of my seat. It was so good that I'm like now I kind of want to go back and like knowing where it's gonna go Yeah, totally. Also Birds of Prey that's still in theaters by the time you watch this
00:24:54
Speaker
It's incredible. It's so good. It's incredible. I would watch that again, too. Also, I might literally order that Blu-ray as soon as it comes out. Oh yeah, I love the movie. I want to see the behind-the-scenes. I want the behind-the-scenes. Okay. I think that's it, people. But we will see you in our next video slash podcast. Yes. We hope you have some sweet sweet nightmares. Bye. Bye.
00:27:26
Speaker
I dream, the corner is tied The morning takes us by Out from the dark Remembers hear them die