Euronymous facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Euronymous
Euronymous (right) with Dead
Background information
Birth name	Øystein Aarseth
Also known as	Euronymous, Destructor (Formerly)
Born	22 March 1968 Surnadal, Norway
Died	10 August 1993(1993-08-10) (aged 25) Oslo, Norway
Genres	Black metal
Occupation(s)	Guitarist
Years active	1984–1993
Labels	Deathlike Silence Productions

Øystein Aarseth (born March 22, 1968 – died August 10, 1993), known as Euronymous, was a Norwegian musician. He was a key figure in the early black metal music scene in Norway.

Euronymous co-founded the Norwegian black metal band Mayhem in 1984. He was the band's guitarist and the only member who stayed from the beginning until his death in 1993. He also started his own record label, Deathlike Silence Productions, and a music shop called Helvete.

Euronymous was seen as a leader in the black metal community. He was unfortunately killed in August 1993 by another musician, Varg Vikernes, who was a former bandmate.

Biography

Early Years and Mayhem (1984–1991)

Øystein Aarseth started the band Mayhem in 1984. He formed it with bassist Jørn Stubberud, known as Necrobutcher, and drummer Kjetil Manheim. At first, Aarseth used the stage name Destructor. Later, he changed it to Euronymous. This name came from a demon called Eurynomos, which was also the title of a song by the band Hellhammer.

In the summer of 1986, Euronymous and Necrobutcher recorded a demo called Metalion in the Park. They did this with Jon "Metalion" Kristiansen under the name Checker Patrol.

In 1988, Per "Dead" Ohlin joined Mayhem as the singer, and Jan Axel "Hellhammer" Blomberg became the drummer. By 1991, Dead, Euronymous, and Hellhammer lived together. Their house was in the woods near Kråkstad and was used for band practice. Mayhem's bassist, Necrobutcher, said that Dead and Euronymous often argued. He mentioned they were "not really friends at the end."

On April 8, 1991, Euronymous found Dead had passed away at their home. Euronymous used this sad event to make Mayhem's image seem even more "evil."

After Dead's death, Stian "Occultus" Johannsen joined Mayhem as the new singer and bassist. However, he left the band soon after due to disagreements with Euronymous.

Helvete Shop and Music Scene (1991–1993)

The basement of Euronymous' former record shop, showing graffiti from the early 1990s

From May to June 1991, Euronymous opened a record shop called "Helvete" in Oslo. "Helvete" means "hell" in Norwegian. Many black metal musicians from Norway often met in the shop's basement. This included members of Mayhem, Emperor, and Varg "Count Grishnackh" Vikernes of Burzum. Snorre "Blackthorn" Ruch of Thorns also visited.

Euronymous also started an independent record label called Deathlike Silence Productions. This label was based at the Helvete shop. It released music from Norwegian bands like Mayhem and Burzum. It also released albums by Swedish bands such as Merciless and Abruptum.

Euronymous, Varg Vikernes, and Emperor guitarist Tomas "Samoth" Haugen lived at Helvete at different times. Emperor drummer Faust also lived and worked there. The shop's walls were painted black. They were decorated with medieval weapons, band posters, and unique picture discs. A polystyrene tombstone was placed in the window.

According to Occultus, the shop space was very large, and the rent was high. This made it hard for the business to do well. Even so, Helvete became a central meeting place for the Norwegian black metal scene. Metalion, who wrote the Slayer fanzine, said that Helvete's opening "created the whole Norwegian Black Metal scene."

Daniel Ekeroth wrote in 2008 that Helvete quickly influenced many young musicians. Many Norwegian death metal bands changed their style to black metal. For example, Amputation became Immortal, and Thou Shalt Suffer became Emperor. Darkthrone also changed their sound. Kristian (later Varg) Vikernes had already left his band Old Funeral to start his own project, Burzum.

Euronymous helped many younger bands in the scene. He especially supported Emperor and Enslaved. He recommended both bands to Candlelight Records. Ihsahn from Emperor said that if you were serious about your music, you were accepted into the Helvete scene.

Euronymous took Vikernes, who was five years younger, under his wing. He invited him to play bass with Mayhem. He also offered to release Vikernes's music as Burzum. However, it is said that their friendship later turned into a rivalry. Faust, the drummer, later said that there seemed to be a competition between them. They wanted to see who could be more "evil." This created a difficult situation, especially for Euronymous.

Euronymous was present at the burning of Holmenkollen Chapel (pictured).

In 1992, several churches in Norway were damaged by fire. Euronymous was present at the burning of Holmenkollen Chapel with Vikernes and Faust. Faust believes Euronymous got involved to prove he was part of the scene.

Euronymous's death in August 1993 stopped the release of Mayhem's album De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas for a time.

His Death

In early 1993, disagreements grew between Euronymous and Vikernes. On the night of August 10, 1993, Vikernes killed Euronymous at his apartment in Oslo.

Aftermath

Vikernes was arrested on August 19, 1993. In May 1994, Vikernes was sentenced to 21 years in prison. This was for the death of Euronymous and for his involvement in several church fires. He was also found guilty of stealing and storing explosives.

Instruments

Euronymous mainly played a sunburst Gibson Les Paul Standard guitar. You can see him playing it in many pictures. He used a slightly changed 1981 Marshall Super Lead tube amplifier. He also used a Boss SD-1 Super Overdrive pedal and a Boss HM-2 Heavy Metal pedal.

Musical Influences

In interviews, Euronymous said that he and Mayhem were mainly influenced by bands like Venom, Bathory, Hellhammer, Sodom, and Destruction. He also enjoyed music from Iron Maiden, Kiss, Celtic Frost, Dio, and Metallica.

Legacy

Euronymous is seen as one of the people who helped create the unique guitar style of Norwegian black metal. Snorre "Blackthorn" Ruch, another musician, said that Euronymous invented a new way of playing. This was a tremolo picking style that allowed for the famous black metal arpeggio riff. This involves slowly moving up and down a chord while tremolo picking each string.

Guitar World magazine ranked him as number 51 on their list of "The 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Guitarists of All Time."

In March 2012, an airline called Norwegian Air Shuttle asked people to vote for a famous Norwegian person to put on their plane tails. Euronymous was leading the poll, but his family asked for his name to be removed.

The 2018 film Lords of Chaos is about the early 1990s Norwegian black metal scene. It tells the story from Euronymous's point of view. In the movie, Euronymous is played by actor Rory Culkin.

Discography

Euronymous played guitar on the following albums unless noted otherwise. Any additional instruments or credits are in the notes.

See also

In Spanish: Øystein Aarseth para niños