NORWEGIAN black metal band Mayhem was formed in 1984.
But tragedy struck the group when founder Euronymous was murdered by Varg Vikernes.
Who is Varg Vikernes?
Kristian Vikernes, who is better known as Varg Vikernes, was born on February 11, 1973.
He is a Norweigan author and retired musician known for his black metal albums and later crimes.
He learnt guitar in his teens and played with numerous bands including Old Funeral and Mayhem.
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Under the name Burzum he released 12 studio albums from 1992 until 2020, with two - Dauði Baldrs and Hliðskjálf - recorded while he was in prison.
Burzum is considered to be one of the most influential figures in black metal.
Vikernes changed his name to Louis Cachet after his release from prison in 2009.
Who was Euronymous?
Oystein Aarseth was better known by his name Euronymous.
He was born on March 22, 1968, and was a Norwegian musician and founder of the early black metal scene.
In 1984 he founded black metal group Mayhem and was initially known as Destructor before changing his stage name to Euronymous.
He was also the founder and owner of the record label Deathlike Silence Products and record shop Helvete.
The label supported the black metal revival in the early 1990s.
What happened to the band Mayhem?
Mayhem was formed in 1984 in Oslo, Norway.
It was founded by guitarist Euronymous, bassist Jorn Stubberud - known as Necrobutcher - and drummer Kjetil Manheim.
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The band's name was taken from the Venom song Mayhem With Mercy.
They became highly influential, along with Burzum, to the development of the "second wave" of Scandinavian black metal, and released their demo Pure F***ing Armageddon.
It led to the band amassing a loyal following through their sporadic and notorious live performances.
Their performances were tied to a string of Norwegian church burnings and incidents of violence surrounded them.
The line-up of the band has often changed over the years, with vocalist Messiah recruited in 1986 only to depart in 1987.
He was replaced by Sven Erik Kristiansen, AKA Maniac, with whom the band released their first EP, Deathcrush.
Drummer Manheim and Maniac left the band in 1988.
Later, Swedish vocalist Pelle Yngve Ohlin, known as Dead, and local drummer Jan Axel Blomberg, who had the nickname Hellhammer, replaced Maniac and Manheim to complete what is considered the classic line-up up by fans.
Tragically in April 1991, Dead took his own life at the age of 22.
Euronymous's strange behaviour after Dead's suicide led to Necrobutcher leaving the band.
Occultus, real name Stian Johansen, then joined the line-up and began working on the band's first album, before quitting after receiving death threats from Euronymous.
In 1992, session musicians joined the band, including Burzum's Vikernes and Snorre W. Ruch, known as Blackthorn.
However tragedy struck again.
On August 10, 1993, Vikernes murdered Euronymous in his apartment in Oslo, while Blackthorn waited downstairs.
As a result, the release of Mayhem's first studio album, De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas, was delayed until 1994.
It reached No35 in the Norwegian charts.
Mayhem's discography is patchy with a staggering number of live releases, demos, bootlegs and a handful of official studio recordings.
The only official performances featuring Dead on vocals are the Freezing Moon single, which was recorded in 1990 but released in 1996, and the 1993 album, Live In Leipzig.
The band's most successful album in Norway was Ordo Ad Chao, which came out in 2007 and reached No12.
Fifth studio album Esoteric Warfare climbed to No8 in the US Top Heatseekers in 2014.
In September 2023, the band is releasing their new album, Daemonic Rites.
The 2023 line-up features Necrobutcher, Hellhammer, Attila Csihar, who uses the stage name Void, Morten Bergeton Iversen, known as Teloch, and Charles Hedger, otherwise known as Ghul.
How much time did Varg Vikernes serve?
Vikernes' trial began on May 2, 1994 and he was represented by Stein-Erik Mattsson.
During his trial, it was claimed he, Blackthorn and another friend had planned the murder.
It was alleged the third individual stayed at the apartment in Bergen as an alibi, renting films, playing them in the apartment and withdrawing money from Vikernes' card.
Vikernes was sentenced to 21 years in prison on May 16, 1994, for the murder of Euronymous.
He was also sentenced for the arson of three churches, the attempted arson of a fourth church and for the theft and storage of 150kg of explosives.
Vikernes only confessed to the theft and storage of the explosives.
Two of the churches were set on fire the day he was sentenced.
Blackthorn was sentenced to eight years in prison for being an accomplice.
Vikernes served his sentence at prisons in Bergen, Tonsberg, Ringerike, Trondheim and Tromso.
During his time in prison he released two Burzum albums and wrote two books.
He was released in 2009.