Euronymous

Øystein Aarseth (22 March 1968 – 10 August 1993), better known by his stage name Euronymous, was a Norwegian musician and a founder of and central figure in the early Norwegian black metal scene. He was a co-founder and guitarist of the Norwegian black metal band Mayhem and was the only constant member from the band's formation in 1984 until his murder in 1993. He was also founder and owner of the extreme metal record label Deathlike Silence Productions and record shop Helvete. Euronymous professed to being a theistic Satanist and was known for making extreme misanthropic statements. He presented himself as leading a militant cult-like group known as the "Black Metal Inner Circle". In August 1993, he was murdered by fellow musician and former bandmate Varg Vikernes.[edit]

Euronymous, born Øystein Aarseth, is a towering figure in black metal, his legend only growing since his death in 1993. His fanbase, though diffuse, is fiercely devoted, channeled through the broader black metal community. There is no formal fandom name, no organized fan club, and no coordinated campaigns, fitting for a scene that was deliberately anti-commercial. Instead, fans mark anniversaries with memorial posts on platforms like Reddit, calling him a 'black metal icon and pioneer.' Even an Instagram account styled as '@euronymous.official' disclaims any official status, a reflection of how fan tributes proliferate organically.

His legacy is kept alive through the music he left behind, particularly Mayhem's landmark album De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas, and through the mythology surrounding his life and death. The story of his murder by Varg Vikernes has been dramatized in the 2018 film Lords of Chaos, cementing it as the most retold tale in black metal history. Fans debate what was real and what was posturing in his self-mythologizing, but his influence on the genre is undeniable.

As of August 2026, iFANN's Global Fame Engine has evaluated Euronymous, but he does not currently hold a placement in the published rankings. He remains unranked in iFANN's data, a status that reflects the niche yet enduring nature of his fame.[edit]

Euronymous's death at the hands of Varg Vikernes on August 10, 1993, is the defining moment of his legend. Vikernes, who had played bass on Mayhem's De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas, stabbed him to death in Oslo. The murder was the culmination of a power struggle within the Norwegian black metal scene, already notorious for church burnings. Fans still retell the story with a mix of horror and fascination, and the 2018 film Lords of Chaos brought it to a wider audience, sparking controversy for its depiction of violence.

Another dark legend involves the death of Mayhem's vocalist Dead, who took his own life in 1991. Euronymous reportedly found the body, took photographs, and made necklaces from skull fragments, a story that has become folklore, though its details are contested. The story is a cornerstone of black metal mythology, often told alongside the murder narrative.

The album De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas itself is a source of dark irony: it features guitar work by Euronymous and bass by his murderer, Vikernes. Released posthumously in 1994, it stands as a haunting encapsulation of the scene's darkness.[edit]