INTERVIEW WITH BLASPHEMER BY JILLIAN DRACHMAN AND LEON SÆTRE
PHOTOGRAPHS BY FINN HÅKON RØDLAND
The timeless and historic masterpiece Grand Declaration of War (2000) by The True Mayhem represents one of black metal’s greatest moments. Grand Declaration of War is, of course, exactly what its name implies—an epic, manifesto-like act of musical, as well as cerebral and poetic, aggression.
Blasphemer most certainly is the genre’s best guitarist as he combines superhuman technical perfection with divine artistry, ceaseless ingenuity, and pure emotion. Blasphemer’s Aura Noir bandmate Apollyon, for instance, has confirmed for us that he immediately nails even the trickiest material with machine-like precision. In honor of Blasphemer’s full-length debut with Mayhem, Grand Declaration of War, we present our dialogue with the master himself.
For the unenlightened, Blasphemer joined Mayhem in October 1994 and is regarded by many as the visionary who saved the powerhouse, which included co-founder and bassist Necrobutcher and Hellhammer, revered as among the movement’s top drummers. Mayhem’s first offering with Blasphemer would actually be Wolf’s Lair Abyss (1997), which the leading black metal expert Finn Håkon Rødland has referred to as the genre’s greatest EP. Following Grand Declaration, Blasphemer led Mayhem onward to the also canonical Chimera (2004) and Ordo Ad Chao (2007). As Blasphemer told interviewer John Stefanis, he viewed Ordo Ad Chao as his opportunity to push the genre-defining De Mysteriis Dom. Sathanas off the shelves. We consider Grand Declaration of War to be the album that not only took Mayhem to new heights, but elevated the dark art form as a whole. The entire Blasphemer era, as celebrated in the monumental box set A Season in Blasphemy (2018), presented by Season of Mist and helping hands like Rødland, encompasses the Mayhem releases that we find most rewarding, in addition to De Mysteriis.
Blasphemer states, “It’s a cool thing to be able to discuss Grand Declaration of War because, despite all the chaos and, dare I say, Mayhem that happened prior to, and even during, this recording, I still have fond memories. This record meant a lot. To this day, it’s actually probably still my most important record in many aspects, RUÏM aside. It built a foundation, not only for me personally, but it also built a new foundation for Mayhem.” The meticulous sonic architect behind Grand Declaration of War provides insight into the milestone’s genesis, “I used to live in a suburb. It’s called Grorud, and it’s actually a part of Oslo. It’s so gray and has this post-Soviet kind of vibe to it — very concrete, very bleak. I had this really shitty apartment there, and this was before computers, probably not for everybody, but for me, at least. I didn’t start to use computers until 2003 or something like that. So, I just recorded riffs on a cassette player, actually.”
“I remember for the first riff, it’s like a two-guitar riff that kind of goes back and forth, like they’re overlapping each other on the first song [‘A Grand Declaration of War’]… I had this idea for the main riff, and then I recorded that on the cassette player, and I played that back so I could come up with a second harmony or a second guitar. I would record these simple riffs and then always strive to come up with something that I could put on top that could play by itself. So, I used to work in a super old-school way. It’s kind of refreshing. But, yeah, the ideas, the compositional parts of everything, and also the general structure, the general gel record, was written in my head while walking. I was just walking around. So, that’s why there’s so much brainy stuff on that record, I guess. It’s not jammed out. It’s made by a dude that happened to have that kind of ability to do so.” Blasphemer notes that his auteur approach leads to the special brand of electricity emanating from Grand Declaration of War’s compositions, “It’s not that type of free energy. It’s kind of held-back energy. It’s very mental.”
Blasphemer clarifies that he and Maniac spoke often and enjoyed a quite cordial relationship while crafting Grand Declaration of War, “We were hanging out a lot. We were kind of on the same wavelength during this period, and we were a team like Attila and I were on Ordo Ad Chao. It was written by us: The music is mine, and the lyrical vision and topics all came from Attila. It was the same thing with Grand Declaration. The only inspiration that came to me from the outside was the conversations with Maniac. Interestingly enough, Chimera was the record where I wanted everybody to be more like a band, so it didn’t really have a united theme either musically or lyrically. That was more like trying to present the beast that I thought Mayhem was at the time, but I see Grand Declaration of War and Ordo Ad Chao as kind of a duo.”
Maniac stuns with his versatility on Grand Declaration of War, incorporating a combination of the most fiercely wild vocals available to ears as well as others delivered with the remarkable cadence of a beatnik poet, which evoke maximum power from the Nietzsche-inspired lyrics. Blasphemer responds to our curiosity about Maniac’s intellectual leanings, “Maniac was always busy with his studies during this time, so I always thought that these things went hand in hand. He would come straight from the university when we would meet up for a couple of years, and then we essentially went to rehearsal. We were constantly talking, and that’s how these things unfolded. Maniac’s interest in this topic was even present, in my opinion, on Wolf’s Lair Abyss. I don’t think this was something that occurred overnight. This was something that had been brewing, and that he wanted to convey. He wanted to express himself in this direction, and he did so in a very fitting way. We were riding the same train of thought, and we complemented each other with everything we were doing. This was the record that we were supposed to make together. That’s what I feel. I’m grateful to have worked with Maniac. He’s a very interesting character, a very talented dude, and we shared a moment in history.”
Blasphemer continues shedding light on the compositions, “If you listen to the second song on the record, ‘In the Lies Where Upon You Lay,’ there’s this solo-esque kind of thing that comes suddenly, and that thing is kind of repeating on top of a riff that comes later that was kind of semi-introduced even earlier. So, I’m just trying to make the composition multidimensional in a way. I was obsessed with these kinds of things, like that you could almost play every riff from every song on top of each other, and it would kind of make a symphony. That was like the basic concept that I worked around. Of course, that wouldn’t work everywhere though because there are a lot of different parts in each song…” This is just one example of all the clever compositional devices that are to be found throughout the entire album. These devices, to name a few, include counterpoint, polyphony, melodic and rhythmic development. Such devices are usually found within classical music, and perhaps most notably in the works of Johan Sebastian Bach. Great minds think both alike and uniquely.
Anders Odden of Cadaver contributed to the songwriting for the refreshing and unexpected two-part trip that is “A Bloodsword and a Colder Sun.” Blasphemer reflects, “The original idea was to make something way colder. At the time, I was listening to quite a lot of Lycia, which I still really enjoy. They have an album called Cold [1996], and I used to listen to that record a lot. When we entered the studio, we just literally started from scratch, and we wanted to build the album right away. I was like, ‘Okay, I have this rough idea about the beats.’ I was trying to come up with a beat myself, playing on my knees or whatever, and I came up with the basic beat for ‘A Bloodsword and a Colder Sun.’ And then, Anders came on with his keyboard, which he used for the bass sound. We created a rough sketch, even within the first couple of hours, essentially. He was definitely a big, let’s say, motivator for that song. He made the bottom bassline, so kudos to him for that. It was something that literally just happened as a spur-of-the-moment kind of thing. We brought this to the studio, and I started playing the guitar on it. There was some back and forth and rearrangements. That was probably the song that came the easiest. I was nerding on the rest of the songs for a very-very long time, which I usually do with all my music. Another thing about that song is that it triggered a lot of old Mayhem fans because it’s so radically different than anything else that had been released before.”
Concerning the album’s next gem, Blasphemer reveals, “I remember sitting on a bus on the way back to Oslo. I had been visiting my parents, and I came up with this weird section for ‘Crystalized Pain in Deconstruction,’ the very staccato and maniacally rapid section. I think I started to count this cool thing while on the bus, and that’s what ended up on the record.”
The guitar sound that Blasphemer managed to sculpt for Grand Declaration of War is perfect in every sense of the word, clear yet utterly ruthless. Blasphemer used several different amps in combination with his BC Rich Warlock guitar. He elaborates upon achieving his sound during the production process, “There’s a lot of layering, but it’s always on the left and right, and then building on top of that because I think that, for example, with three guitars copying the same riff three times on like the left guitar or whatever, it doesn’t allow the deserved clarity. For me, at least, there is a difference between very guitar-driven death metal and black metal that carries that emotion. With black metal, you’re naked in a way. If you’re building a wall of sound, then, to me, you’re burying the initial intent.” Blasphemer emphasizes the seriousness with which he approaches tracking, “In the studio, I was always super sober and super clear about what I was doing. I was never drinking while recording or anything like that. So, that part is totally pure, and I take pride in that because you need to have a sharp and focused mind so that the essence of what you’re doing comes through as clearly as possible.”
Although the production wrongly generated controversy from closed-minded individuals, Blasphemer, of course, stands by the original because it conveys Mayhem’s aims and contributed to making Grand Declaration of War one of the most unique albums of all time. Idle criticisms simply don’t make sense, given that the chilling, clinical, inhuman, razor-sharp soundscape goes hand in hand with the concept. Electronic components and computer-altered vocals are beautifully incorporated, enhancing the futuristic edge. The highly accomplished men who produced and mastered Grand Declaration of War, Børge Finstad and Morten Lund respectively, would team up with Mayhem again for Chimera, demonstrating that the group was well pleased. Finstad would likewise work with Blasphemer’s bands Ava Inferi and Mezzerschmitt, which also included Hellhammer. Both studio professionals actually participated in other avant-garde metal titles from the time: For example, Morten Lund mastered Thorns’ self-titled 2001 debut, while Finstad mixed Ulver’s Themes from William Blake’s The Marriage of Heaven and Hell (1998). Speaking of which, Ulver’s late Tore Ylwizaker lent his expertise with samples and noise construction to “Completion in Science of Agony (Part I of II),” which moreover features additional vocals from Spiral Architect’s Øyvind Hægeland.
Hellhammer has cited Finstad’s work with Arcturus, of which he is a member, as the reason Mayhem selected him. Blasphemer agrees, “It was a conscious decision to go to Børge, at least from my end. I wanted a really good, clean, cold guitar tone, and I succeeded. Hellhammer’s drums took me by surprise, but that is still a part of the charm of the original — it sounds so strange and cold, and I think it fits the album perfectly. I think Børge did a fantastic job. He’s a really talented musician. He comes from a place completely outside of the typical black metal kind of scenario. He’s a fan of AC/DC and David Bowie and just likes music. He was perfect for us, and he has such a nice, easygoing energy, which is crucial for me in a studio. I’m very picky with the people I work with because I don’t want an obtrusive energy near me when I record. I just need to be in my own zone. I don’t want to hear anybody else’s thoughts. Even to this day, I’m never in a studio with more than one person at a time. This is how I work, especially because I’m very sensitive to my surroundings. Børge and I were like super-friends at the time. I recorded Chimera living in his cabin in the middle of Norway, so we bonded. Of course, the intention was very-very different for that record.”
Season of Mist’s founder, owner, and venerable commander-in-chief, Michael Berberian, initiated the project of preparing a remixed and remastered version of Grand Declaration of War with updated artwork, which was unleashed in 2018. The best man for the job, Paradise Lost producer and engineer Jaime Gómez Arellano, a friend of Blasphemer’s who has since collaborated with him in Earth Electric and the supergroup Vltimas, was enlisted for the task of giving the record a more underground, and ironically approachable, black metal vibe. Gómez sought to add depth, body, and warmth. Ultimately, he allowed countless nuances of the musicianship to be heard. While the result sounds more like a traditional Mayhem album than a revolution, it is a fabulous and necessary piece of supplementary evidence testifying to the offering’s supremacy. Blasphemer remarks, “I think the remixed and remastered version helped to give people a slightly different view of the record. It gave a little bit more dirtiness to the album. I know people who prefer that.”
Blasphemer praises his great relationship with Mr. Berberian, “I still keep on with Michael, and we’re still working together. I’ve had many-many good years with Michael, and I hope that will continue. He’s a cool guy, and Season of Mist is a fantastic label.” Blasphemer reminisces upon how Grand Declaration of War, an incredible seller, boosted the status of Season of Mist and Mayhem, generating a wealth of opportunities for both parties. He acknowledges, “It could have been a flop, and probably the name Mayhem would just be like a myth, but it did very well, and it’s a wonderful record.”
Hilariously, because this album of an extremely anti-commercial nature paradoxically, as just mentioned, performed extremely well commercially and defies categorization due to its innovation, some erroneously claimed that Mayhem had sold out. Blasphemer, who refuses to slavishly copy past successes or allow his path to be governed by consumerist expectations, weighs in, “If we did that, the record wouldn’t have had a lasting effect. I think that somebody needs to kick in the doors.” Grand Declaration, which contains the line, “Have I been understood?,” will forever be blessed and cursed in eternity to be misunderstood by some as a result of its genius. Blasphemer recalls a certain magazine that initially supported Grand Declaration later reversing their stance, “It’s funny because when the winds changed, and the more obscure, underground black metal aesthetic became more popular, they were also the first to diss the record. People change their opinions like underwear sometimes.”
We can only express our extreme gratitude that, in our age of watered-down weakling metal, Blasphemer maintains the correct attitude, “There’s zero interest for me to please anybody in terms of art. If you do that, then you’re simply not an artist; you’re a follower. I understand that, as I told you the last time, this was probably the right record but by the wrong band because of the die-hard underground mentality as well as the romantic relationship to the previous lineup on De Mysteriis, the passing of Øystein, the legacy he left behind, and whatnot. I think it was important to go further, cut the ties to that, and just say, ‘Hey, there’s someone else in charge.’ I think I did that pretty well, actually.” The tireless creator adds, “I never really fit in anywhere, even as a kid. I always did my own thing, and I have never compromised with anything. Again, I understand that can trigger a lot of people, but Mayhem is that type of band that shouldn’t compromise. When De Mysteriis came out, it was completely unique, and I think we kept that tradition alive.” As Blasphemer focuses on expanding his own legacy through other endeavors, he shares, “I’m happy to be a part of it [Mayhem’s history], but also kind of happy to see that they are sailing their own sea, and, now, I’m doing my own thing. That’s great.”
In 2020, Blasphemer conceived RUÏM, a vessel through which he dives into Brazilian witchcraft and the left-hand path of the Umbanda tradition, after Rødland sent him a digitized cassette containing his riffs from ’98/’99. Blasphemer sets the record straight, “Some of the things on that tape were actually rough ideas for ‘Completion in the Science of Agony,’ and there were some other ones as well, things that I remember, but I never used in RUÏM. That’s a common misconception: People think that I used something that I wrote literally 26 or 27 years ago, which I obviously wouldn’t do because it wouldn’t represent me today. I used the inspiration from the old tape as a means of getting back into our vibe and to rediscover what I did back in the day; I used the energy from this discovery as an asset to me. I will never use any of the music. When I make new music, I like to start fresh. That’s exactly what I did with RUÏM.”
RUÏM’s glorious debut, Black Royal Spiritism — I.O Sino da Igreja (2023), became the first installment in an unfolding trilogy. It not only contains a revisiting of Wolf’s Lair Abyss’ “Fall of Seraphs” with Absu’s Proscriptor McGovern on vocals, which was reprised live at Brutal Assault, just as 1349’s Ravn joined RUÏM onstage for the Mayhem classic “I Am Thy Labyrinth,” but “Evig Dissonans” serves as a flashback of sorts to when Blasphemer joined Mayhem. Fortunately yet unsurprisingly, Black Royal Spiritism earned Blasphemer his second Spellemann, or “Norwegian Grammy,” win since Ordo Ad Chao. Although it’s fantastic to see Blasphemer receive due recognition, it remains strange to remember those times when his records weren’t awarded. Regardless, Blasphemer’s achievements have proved immortal and given him that sought-after feeling “when you’ve done something, and it’s conveying exactly what you have in your heart and mind. When you have managed to empty yourself of that and make something that thoroughly encapsulates that vision that you have, I don’t think anybody needs to tell you that, ‘No, this should be done differently.’”
Blasphemer updates us on RUÏM’s sophomore album, “It’s halfway there. This has been a little bit of a hectic year for me on many levels, and I have a lot of shows this summer, but I’m supposed to go back to work with my drummer [CSR]. It’s going to be an amazing record. I feel a little bit of weight now because I’m very happy with Black Royal Spiritism, and I need to find a little bit different current for this new one, and yet I still need to be equally happy with it. It’s going to take a lot of blood, sweat, and tears, I would imagine, but I will get there. It will be released next year for sure.”
Again, we touch upon the importance of allowing Blasphemer’s untainted authorial stamp and brilliance to shine through to the fullest, though, of course, Blasphemer deeply values the magical synergy between him and CSR, “I didn’t need anybody else to tell me anything or give me input about the direction. It’s a very singular thing. It’s like, if you’re doing a painting, you don’t want more people to add colors to your vision. Do it yourself. Music, for me, is extremely personal. Sometimes, I think that having more people involved in a project dilutes the essence, especially if the music and the idea come from one person. So, I think that’s also the beauty of RUÏM.” Whereas RUÏM clearly offers freedom, Blasphemer points out that current involvement in Mayhem would only constrict, “I was a dictator back then, but I think I would be even a worse dictator now.” To be absolutely clear, a resolute leader is the only type of person who could have spawned a shell-shocking victory like Grand Declaration of War.
We checked back in regarding the sense of closure that Blasphemer told us upon the release of Black Royal Spiritism that he had found as a consequence of RUÏM, “I still feel like that this is the start of a different circle, and a circle with so much more significance and meaning on so many levels to me personally that it cannot even be compared. It’s too complete. It’s like night and day. So, for me, all my efforts are as if from a dream now. I have just started this new journey, and the energy is just building up in me, and I know I can take it to the top. That’s essentially what I mean to do. This has a much stronger force for me because it resonates; it’s my vibrational frequency. This is something that I can work on and then bring to different heights.”
On Vltimas’ Epic, some of Blasphemer’s dazzling and ridiculously sinister guitar work, haunting to the utmost degree, seems strongly reminiscent of RUÏM. Blasphemer confirms that RUÏM did, in fact, impact Epic. He explains, “We wrote Epic immediately after I was done with the first RUÏM record. I go so deep into the matter of the things that I’m singing about and my music as well. RUÏM is not only a musical thing, but also a spiritual thing that all comes from me. It’s 100% my expressions. So, I drain myself literally of every ounce of energy. Once I’m done with a record, I essentially need about six months just to recover because I dedicate so much of myself to it. But I didn’t have the time to do that. I just went straight to Texas and started to work on the Epic record. We rolled it out in a couple of weeks, essentially. With Vltimas, David [Vincent, formerly of Morbid Angel fame] brings the lyrics, so it’s different. It’s like playing tennis again.”
Blasphemer has been partaking in the star-studded tributes to the late Quorthon of Bathory. He comments, “It’s a family thing, paying homage to one of the most, for me, at least, important black metal musicians of all time. I remember I heard Blood Fire Death [1988] on Swedish radio in 1988 or ’89, and I was blown away. It shaped me and so many others. I’m just feeling honored to be a part of this and doing it justice. It’s just a pure thing from the heart, pure dedication. So, it’s amazing.” We hope to see tributes to Blasphemer during his lifetime. This pioneer has, of course, introduced countless fans and artists to black metal, which his masterworks epitomize, expand, and transcend. Blasphemer can certainly be viewed as the Quorthon of his generation.
(Browse Season of Mist’s collection of Mayhem merchandise on Bandcamp here, or buy directly from Season of Mist’s webshop here.
We would like to send special thanks to Season of Mist as well as photographer and bipedal music textbook Finn Håkon Rødland.)
