Per “Dead” Ohlin was the vocalist of Norwegian black metal band, Mayhem, before his suicide in 1991. His death was an intentionally brutal one, a reaction to years of depression after a succession of strange near-death experiences; he slit his wrists and throat, and then shot himself in the head with a shotgun. An image (NSFW!!!!) of his mangled body as he was found was placed on the cover of a Mayhem bootleg live album, Dawn of the Black Hearts, as a sort of tribute. It was a tribute. Black metal kids could handle it.
It must be in the mythic Nordic winds, because black metal, whose inception took place in the late 80s to early 90s in Scandinavia, is, of the metal genres, the most historically disturbing, whose real stories are more alarming than their rumours. Still, Norway’s vast wealth and natural beauty position the movement, prior to Dead’s death, as an arcane societyof troubled men, offering a mystical aspect to its existence. There was this interest in Nordic heritage (but not religion), and elements of medievalism and folk legends sometimes sifted through. C’mon, remember Burzum’s Hliðskjálf?
In the above video, Dead’s friends speak on the mysterious Per “Dead” Ohlin and give insight into the confusing and complicated and dark black metal cause.
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Jessica Carroll is the Toronto Standard’s “Best Thing on the Internet Today” columnist. Follow her on Twitter at @jssckr.
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