Maniac: 13 years with Norway’s most notorious band (Part 1)

Sven-Erik "Maniac" Kristiansen is a living legend on the international black-metal scene being the
former vocalist of one of the genre's most influential bands: Mayhem. In this rare and exclusive
interview Maniac tells his own story on what it has been like to be with one of the world's most
extreme metal bands and why he left the band last year.

05.06.2005 | By: Knut Steen

Maniac - anno app. 1998 (photograf unknown)

Written by Knut Steen

If one is to sum up Maniacs decade with Mayhem, it’s a good idea to start with the very beginning.
Sven-Erik Kristiansen’s interest in extreme music began at an early stage.

“Necrophagia and particularly Sodom’s first album were major sources of inspiration for me. On a
technical level, much of the music was mediocre, the interplay sucked and it was a wonder that
they even managed to end the tunes simultaneously. But the stuff was grim as hell and I loved it. I
learned of Mayhem through one of my buddies who designed the logo that the band is still using. I
listened to the first demo, ‘Pure Fucking Armageddon’ and thought that I could do this myself just
as well.”

The demo that Kristiansen recorded in three scant hours was well received by band leader Øystein
“Euronymous” Aarseth. Up until this point, Mayhem had only had temporary vocalists and the
band needed a front-man that could fit in with the extreme form of expression that the band now
was presenting.
“”This is great, come down and see us as soon as you can” was the response from Euronymous
two weeks later,” says Maniac. “We rehearsed a little bit and recorded “Deathcrush” in 1987.”

Being true

This early demo is extremely hard to come by today – the few available originals trade for NOK 3-
6000. “Had I known how much they would sell for today I’d keep all 50, but unfortunately I’ve only
got one left” says Kristiansen.

During the early days of black-metal, the notion of being authentic, genuine, for real, or true was
imperative. It was important to convey an image of being as extreme as the music and lyrics
implied – no one were to believe that this was theatrics. This stifled attitude would later play a
pivotal role for the media-fed propaganda that followed in the wake of church burnings, homicides
and suicides. However, this is an entirely different story into which we will not go in detail here.
Whether if one is “true” is still a vital measurement scale for many ardent old-school fans to
determine if a band can be “allowed” to brand their music as black-metal, while for others it is a
matter of staying true to the gritty, dirty and un-produced sound that characterised most of the
early releases. It is a widespread opinion that it was only lack of funds and mediocre recording
facilities that resulted in the lacking sound qualities of the early Mayhem and Emperor releases. In
Kristiansen’s opinion there’s more to the notion of being “true” that having crap sound.

“We named our band “The True Mayhem” because there were two other bands that called
themselves Mayhem – one in New York and another somewhere else. We felt that none of those
bands were worthy of such a name. In the beginning, black-metal was not so much about playing
well but more about bringing forth that icy, ugly felling that still characterise bands such as
Mayhem and particularly Darkthrone – the latter is one of my absolute favourites. Darkthrone’s
latest album, ‘Sardonic Wrath’ is amazing. This feeling that you talk about is difficult to describe
with words, and it is one of the reasons why I rarely do any interviews. Mayhem has changed a lot
musically since the early days, but we’ve retained that feeling that many refer to as being “true”,”
says Krisiansen.

“Is your child involved in black-metal?”

At times, Mayhem has appeared to be more of a soap opera than a band. News stories on murder,
heated conflicts, alleged human sacrifice and other scary stuff would for some time divert all
attention from the music that was being put out by the band. Maniac left Mayhem in 1988, and
returned in 1995 when the media frenzy surrounding the conflicts between Per Yngve “Dead”
Ohlin, Euronymous and Varg “Count Grishnackh” Vikernes had abated.

Says Krisiansen: “I left Mayhem in ’88 because I was living in Rjukan at the time while the rest of
the band stayed at Langhus. Back then, I wasn’t ready to move – that’s the only reason for my
hiatus from the band. But when the band needed a new vocalist in 1995, both I and (bass player)
Necrobutcher were sceptical. We didn’t know (guitarist) Blasphemer and we were quite anxious to
see how this was going to turn out.

After half a rehearsing session it was a wrap - the band members worked together perfectly well.
“It wasn’t difficult to come back,” says Kristiansen. “I have never cared much about what was
happening at the time, even if I laughed hard when (national daily) VG published tests that
presented nervous parents with questions such as “is your child involved in black-metal?” What
was taxing was that the music was never mentioned with one word neither in articles nor in
interviews. That’s the reason why we chose not to speak to the press for many years.”

For as long as he’s been a band member, Maniac has contributed with all lyrics while Blasphemer
has composed all of the music from 1995 to this date. The two have always worked separately,
and have mostly met only to create the music that is Mayhem today.

Anti-social creativity

“Apart from rehearsals, recording sessions and gigs, the Mayhem members have never hung out
much socially,” says Kristiansen, “but Blasphemer’s and my mind-set are quite similar so it has
never been a problem to match the lyrics with the music. It was difficult to fill in for (former
vocalist) Dead, but even though he wrote fantastic lyrics I soon realised that I had to do my own
thing.”

According to Kristiansen, ‘Wolf’s Lair Abyss’ was Mayhem’s most occult outing since ‘De Mysteriis
Dom Sathanas’, with lyrics searching deep within various dark elements. On later outings, lyrics
have mostly revolved around such themes as misanthropy, nihilism and particularly war.

Despite a good working climate and at times a huge demand from the fans, Mayhem’s studio
albums would be released years apart.

“I spend a lot of time writing lyrics while it takes Blasphemer ages to write his music. Neither he
nor I are interested in putting out something if we feel we have nothing to convey – in addition to
this, Blasphemer is also an extreme perfectionist. He won’t stop until he’s satisfied. Even though if
Blasphemer and I work together well, we have also turned bonkers quite a few times when we’ve
been forced to spend long periods of time together, be it on tours or during the making of a
record. This makes it hard to put out a record every year – if we could, then it would be easier to
make a living out of Mayhem” says Kristiansen who know a thing or two about being skint.

Low-income part-time job

For the present Mayhem members, the band has always been a full-time job. We have to ask:
what was the motivation that kept you going through all these years, even when you had to resort
to survive on a day-to-day basis?

“Mayhem has always meant hell of a lot to me – it still does, even now that I’ve quit the band. It’s
been an extremely rewarding process. Mayhem has given me an outlet that enables me to vent
out negative moods – I wouldn’t know how to vent it otherwise. The fact that I was dirt poor at
times never struck me as a reason for quitting – the music was motivation enough” says
Kristiansen.

No internal dispute

Mayhem’s 2004 album ‘Chimera’ was to be Maniac’s last with the band. At this stage, Blasphemer
had gained virtually total creative control – nearly al instrumental tracks were written from the
guitarist’s new residence in Portugal. The multi-talented guitarist elected to produce the album by
himself, with the other band-members being instructed how to play. Reportedly, the front-man
was the only band-member that had a saying in the process. Kristiansen denies any speculation
that Blasphemer’s total control was one of the reasons why he decided to put Maniac on the shelf
for good.

“It was a chaotic process. Blasphemer was pissed off, I was pissed off and it got ugly at times. But
that doesn’t mean that we disagreed – when it came to the music and how the lyrics fitted in he
was always specific and we agreed all along the way. The only negative aspect of this was that we
ran out of time by the end of the recording process.”

Internal dispute was not going to be the reason for Maniac’s departure from the band. Lack of
time was to be a vital factor for the vocalist when he ultimately decided to split from Mayhem.

Painting the devil on the wall

According to the only press release from the band regarding Maniac’s split, touring was cited as a
main cause for his decision to leave – family obligations was also a contributing factor.

Most will find it hard to believe anything else than that being Mayhem’s front-man must have put
a heavy strain on the vocalist with ever growing expectations caused by live performances that
grew in intensity as the years went on. It was everyday routine that Maniac was left with deep,
self-inflicted wounds after a gig – many concerts ended at various intensive care wards around the
world. At times, the front-man came close to bleeding to death.

“I didn’t give a fuck about what was expected of us. The deepest cuts came at gigs that went down
extremely well, when the chemistry between Blasphemer, the audience and me was perfect. I
entered a completely different state of mind and I’ve never felt so alive, electric and high at the
same time. All those times I cut myself it was completely spontaneous. Gradually, the audience
started to expect blood dripping gigs, and when we realised that the cutting had become a
phenomenon people came to watch I quit doing it.”

Kristiansen is the first to admit that the myths and media hype that has surrounded Mayhem has
often been out of proportion. “If I was to talk about all those qualities and all that power I was
supposed to have according to some newspapers and web-sites I wouldn’t have time to pick up my
daughter from her kindergarten” says a laughing Kristiansen. He adds a few interesting “facts”
established by various media in the wake of Mayhem’s success: “Already by the time we released
‘Wolf’s Lair Abyss’ it was established that Blasphemer was extremely violently inclined and that I
was running all drug operations in Oslo as if I was some kind of kingpin. We were also told that all
Norwegian black-metallers lived in caves in the forest!”

Smiling is a no-no

Maniac was also to be a “victim” for groups of black-metal pilgrims that each year make
pilgrimages to the Oslo club Elm Street, hoping to catch a glimpse of their heroes.

“Fenriz (Darkthrone) and I used to be caught off guard by those fanatics who would often have
their perception of reality distorted. Fans from abroad that would enter Elm Street, fall on their
knees and kiss Fenriz’ shoes simply could not understand that we could be sitting there, laughing
with beer in hand sans corpse make-up. After all we were Fenriz and Maniac! On another
occasion, an Australian woman came back-stage and insisted on holding my arms and feel the
scars left by the knife cuts. She wanted to absorb my aura and take on the vibes that was
supposed to surround me. In my world, being a groupie is just about the most pathetic there is so I
had one of the bouncers throw her out of the venue we were in. But she didn’t give up – when we
left she hung onto our car. Luckily, I haven’t seen her since then.”

Armed fans

Amid all the madness, do you feel that Mayhem have been taken seriously as creative artists by
media, authorities and promoters?

“Not initially, and not in Norway. Back home, the press has always managed to dig up some old
and gross stories. When a deranged guy from some crap band was caught molesting a corpse, the
newspapers thought it was a great idea to call us for comments because the guy had been
pictured wearing a Mayhem shirt at a party years earlier. That says a thing or two about the level
of reporting in Norwegian media. This idiot attitude was also one of the reasons why we at one
point refused (national dailies) VG and Dagbladet access to one of our gigs at (defunct Oslo club)
Mars – if they were to see the gig they had to buy tickets as everybody else did.”

During trips abroad, Kristiansen has experienced a higher level of awareness in media and with
authorities: “We toured Australia some years ago on an invitation from the Australian Department
for Culture and Arts on the basis that we represented “Norwegian culture at its highest level”.
Naturally, it was awesome – we were welcomed everywhere.

Kristiansen also discovered that Mayhem has fans in many unlikely places: “Blasphemer and I like
to head out on a little sightseeing when we arrive at a new place; just a little stroll to take in some
new impulses. During this walk we visited the Australian parliament that’s located in a huge
majestic building surrounded by armed guards. Our appearance was like it always is: longhaired
and clad in black. As we approached the building, one of the guards eyed us with increasing
intensity; we sort of expected a gun in our faces at any time. Suddenly the guard shouts out:
“Mayhem? Mayhem!”, and bolts into a souvenir shop and returns with a small disposable camera.
He ignored the fact that he was on guard; he was all smiles while he shot photos of us” laughs
Kristiansen.

“The Russian border patrol would also gradually warm up even though he was sceptical to us after
he had pulled out the nth cartridge belt from our flight cases. “Where are you going? Chechnya?”
In Blasphemer’s photo collection there are loads of pictures of him and a giant teddy bear with an
officer’s hat and a broad grin!”

This interview with Mayhem’s Maniac is the first instalment of two articles. In the second part,
Kristiansen touches upon the reasons for his split with Mayhem, and why an extreme lifestyle
came close to ruining his life.

The interview originally appeared at MIC’s Norwegian site Ballade.no and has been translated.
Maniac: My last years with Mayhem (Part 2)

For 13 years, Sven-Erik "Maniac" Kristiansen was the undisputed front-man of the legendary black-
metal band Mayhem. It’s all over now; no more recordings with Mayhem, no more concerts and
no more tours. In this second instalment of our Maniac profile, Kristiansen tells his story on the
difficult split with the band, how it felt to see Mayhem live with the band’s new vocalist Attila
Csihar and how becoming a father gave him a new perspective on a life that for years was
inextricably linked to heavy drinking.

06.06.2005 | By: Knut Steen

Written by Knut Steen

Kristiansen explains that the decision to quit Mayhem

has been a difficult one to make, but also a necessary
step to take. Despite officially quitting the band on 17
November last year, Kristiansen is still very satisfied with
what the years as a vocalist and lyricist have brought
him: “The role as Mayhem’s front-man has been
incredibly rewarding but it has also drained me
physically and mentally while on tour. When it was
decided that we would increase our touring schedule in
the future, it added to the list of reasons for quitting the
band” says Kristiansen who’s also struggled with King
Alcohol. Today the scarred vocalist is dry, but this has not always been the case. 

Waking up on the fourth floor

“I’ve never been that kind of guy that would sit at home and hurt myself, but life with Mayhem
has at times also been extreme off-stage. The reason for my current übermillitant relation to
alcohol was a scary experience that happened after years of daily drinking. Often, I’d just be
waiting for the first bar to open and then it would be the same story all over again. One day I came
to my senses hanging from one arm out of a fourth floor window – it was the wake-up call I
needed. I had no idea how I ended up there and that scared the shit out of me. After that incident
I haven’t drunk a drop of alcohol.”

Family & barbed wire

“I have two children, a daughter from a previous relationship and a son with my girlfriend Hilma –
they are my most prized possessions in life. Hilma made me realise that if I didn’t cut down on my
drinking, things would go seriously wrong. Initially, the role of being a father was kind of surreal
for me, but as time goes on it has become more and more important for me to be there for them
when they grow up. My attitude to Mayhem hasn’t changed but I’m much more conscious on
what I expose myself to. I’ve become less destructive” Kristiansen says reflectively. 
Through his lyrics, Kristiansen has never tried to conceal his hatred for organised religion and, in
particular, Christianity. Few would have guessed that Kristiansen would end up with a Christian girl
from Norway’s southern bible-belt district. How has it been to have such fundamentally opposing
stances? After all, your past is full of offensive lyrics that convey your hatred for Christianity and
Christians. 

“He, he... it’s been ok, we don’t argue much about those issues. Of course, we’ve had objective
and controlled discussions, but Hilma has never tried to convert me and I certainly haven’t tried to
covert her either. For her, the worst part has been the tours when she has no idea what’s
happening to me for up to six weeks. Mayhem tours are full of surprises and it’s probably easier to
live with me now that I’m not trapped in barbed wire at a stage somewhere in a country far
away.”

Into the great void

You say that your attitude towards Mayhem hasn’t changed – won’t life be dull now that you don’t
have that outlet anymore? What can replace the adrenaline-rush that a dedicated audience can
give to a band like Mayhem?

Kristiansen turns silent for a while. He looks down at the table, scratches his neck and looks to the
interviewer while shrugging his shoulders.

“I’ve asked myself that question over and over again during the last two months. I can’t find any
answer to it. I’ve bid farewell, but at the same time there’s something inside me that can’t
reconcile with the fact that it’s actually true. The paradox is that even if I’ve quit the band I’m
writing more material now that ever before. I’ve got tons of lyrics that would have been perfect
for Mayhem now. Quitting the band has probably made me more conscious and given me more
control over my own psyche. But still, this is going to be hard – no doubt about it” says a saddened
Kristiansen. 

Satisfied with Attila

“I saw a Mayhem-gig at Hamar recently, and it was a true out-of-your-body experience. I haven’t
seen Mayhem as an audience member since 1988, so it was pretty emotional at the same time as
it was good to see that the band performed so well with Attila. I shook their hands afterwards.”

What do you think of the band’s choice of ex. Tormentor/Aborym singer who did the vocals on ‘De
Mysteriis Dom Sathanas’ as your successor?

“It was fantastic to hear the title track from that record live for the firs time. Attila is the only
vocalist I’d be happy with, he was a natural choice. But Mayhem will probably have to omit many
songs from their live set now – “Grand Declaration of War” will probably fall out of the set now.
I’m looking forward to the release of the new album, my guess is that Mayhem will sound a bit
more atmospheric in the future” says Kristiansen. 

Who are the new bad guys?

Black metal has been an epoch-making genre, do you see any other current forms of music that
carry the same level of revolt, or is black metal in your opinion the last extreme musical and lyrical
uprising?

“It’s difficult to say. These days I listen mostly to 80’s extreme-metal, but I’ve come to realise that
some of the industrial stuff released some years ago might have been just as path-breaking as
black-metal has been. Bands such as Death in June, Lustmord, Der Blutharsch, NON and Clood Axis
have also managed to provoke loads of people with rabid lyrics. It’s not that these bands have so
much in common with black-metal as it is the misanthropy and contempt of humanity that’s on
display. On a musical level there are a couple of punk bands such as World Burns To Death and
Skitsystem that are interesting. It’s extreme, ugly and tough as nails” says Kristiansen who also
reveals that he has spent the downtime between gigs and tours to study philosophy and music. 
His studies can come in handy now that he for the very first time is about to join the ranks of
employees working an ordinary full-time job. 

“Working nine to five isn’t something that’s natural for me, so I really don’t know what kind of job
I’ll end up with” says Kristiansen who reveals that he has sent job applications to a number of
Norwegian music-related companies. He refuses to name any of them. 

Punk and country 

In the meantime, his new punk outfit Bomberos is his main outlet for lyrical and creative needs. 

“Since the tunes are so short I’ve got to write lots of lyrics. But it’s fun and definitely something
that I’ll continue doing. In addition to Hinkel on Guitar and Pete (Blood Tsunami) on bass we’ve
recruited Bård “Faust” Eithun on drums – we’ll migh be putting out more material that the two
singles we’ve released so far. Apart from that project, Neddo (Cadaver) and I might get together to
play some country tunes.” 

The years with Mayhem are definitely a thing of the past for Maniac, and this is a fact that the fans
would have to accept. But will we ever see him on a stage in a metal-setting in the future after
such a difficult split with his former band?

“Well, I don’t’ feel that I’m done with this genre yet. It’ll take some time to find somebody to play
together with, but if it happens I can promise you that it’ll be a fucking old-school, total regressive
necro package recorded in minus-mono” Kristiansen concludes. 

The final words of this interview come from one of Norwegian black-metal’s true veterans and a
person for whom Kristiansen has the highest respect, Gylve Fenris Nagell of Darkthrone: 

For me, Maniac was a familiar name as long back as in 1987 when his eminent DAMAGE INC
magazine was one of the first underground fanzines that I would buy. He would also do the vocals
on what is for me the most important Mayhem album – ‘Deathcrush’ – that was totally insane. 

Then he disappeared for some time, but came crashing back to the black-metal scene in 1994 at
the height of the turbulent times. Couldn’t have been easy to do that! It could be that he never
found his place in Mayhem, but that was never the intention, was it? That such a turbulent band
has been one of the most tenacious black-metal bands is nothing short of a wonder – they are the
only band to outlive Darkthrone, despite touring massively. 

Lately, we’ve been having more contact than ever before, and I bet that both Maniac and Mayhem
will survive anything. 

Best, 

Gylve Fenris Nagell

This interview originally appeared at MIC’s Norwegian site Ballade.no and has been translated.