Bassist Jørn “Necrobutcher” Stubberud of Norwegian black metal veterans Mayhem recently spoke with Mexico’s Metal Memes Mx about the group’s newly launched 40th-anniversary run across Latin America. When asked whether he ever imagined, back in 1984, that Mayhem would still be active four decades later, he didn’t hesitate.
“Yes. And the reason why I can say that very quickly, without even thinking about it, is that I think, as in most things, to put it in perspective, so people understand that, if you find something that you believe a lot in, and so you think this is it. And then just with that, you already believe that this is gonna be so great that it’s gonna last forever. So, I think that you even need this kind of way of thinking to be able to succeed. You tell yourself, ‘This is fucking great. This is gonna go fucking straight up there. We’re gonna make it. This is good music,” he explained.
He also looked back at the band’s earliest days and the chemistry that solidified the project. According to Necrobutcher, he and Manheim had already played in other groups before crossing paths with Øystein Aarseth (also known as Euronymous). He recalled that Øystein Aarseth was the band’s fifth guitarist around that time and that their shared taste in heavy classics helped spark an immediate connection.
“I mentioned in many interviews over the years that me and Manheim, the guy I started the band with, we had different bands before we met Øystein [Aarseth, a.k.a. Euronymous]. And I think Øystein was our fifth guitarist at that time, when he came along in 1984. And so when he plugged in, and we started jamming with us, he knew some of the same cover songs.
“We did some Venom covers. We did some Motörhead covers. I think we did a Judas Priest cover, and we knew some Black Sabbath. So we kind of knew the same cover tracks. So when we started to jam on that, I immediately felt — and I never forgot it — the feeling of euphoria. It was, like, This is it. This is what we were looking for.’ And I always felt that, and I felt so strongly for this project my whole life. This is my life’s work. This is the essence of all my work, my whole life. So, I always believed in it.”
While reflecting on longevity, he was straightforward about the band’s position in the broader metal world. Mayhem, he said, has never operated at the massive commercial level that would let the members step away from regular work.
“We are not Metallica — we are still an underground band — so it’s not like we’ve achieved everything, and now I can retire,” he said. “It’s not that kind of achievement. It’s more like we made it, and we are doing what we are supposed to do. We are now playing live concerts ’cause we are live musicians. We are not studio musicians. We are that, too, but most and foremost, we are a live band, and we have been since 1984. And I don’t see any reason to stop.”
The conversation also turned to what might happen to Mayhem in the distant future, especially if he were no longer part of the lineup. Necrobutcher suggested that the band’s identity is deeply tied to its core members and that the name shouldn’t continue in a way that dilutes what made it meaningful in the first place.
“I think, personally, that there should at least be one original member. Otherwise, it could be watered out, and then maybe it will lose the essence of it. I don’t see us continuing without, let’s say, the old members that are in the band today, and I don’t think, let’s say, if anything would happen to me, Hellhammer [Mayhem drummer Jan Axel Blomberg] or Attila [Csihar, Mayhem singer], we might say, ‘Okay, we’ll call it quits.’ But here’s the thing. We’re still able to do it. And I’m 57 now. I’m the oldest in the band, so everybody was born two years or more younger than me, but they are getting there at some point.”
“But here is my philosophy. We go on as long as we can because you never know when you’re forced to stop… You never know what’s gonna happen. And this is my perspective, and I haven’t thought about it, but since you just asked the question, I would think if the core members, something happened to them that they were not able to do it anymore, maybe then we will say that we have met the end of the line. Now, Mayhem will live on anyway, but there wouldn’t be any touring, there wouldn’t be any recording of new albums. But they will be there as long as people are interested in listening,” Necrobutcher concluded.
To cap off the milestone period, Mayhem is set to unveil its seventh studio record, Liturgy Of Death, on February 6, 2026, via Century Media.
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