INTERVIEW: Mayhem

Singer Attila Csihar first joined Mayhem after the previous singer, Dead, killed himself in 1991. Prior to Mayhem, Attila sang for Hungarian metal band Tormentor. Over the years, he has also worked with bands such as Plasma Pool, Aborym, Burial Chamber Trio, Sunn O))) and Korog.

Mayhem are the most notorious band in the Norwegian Black Metal scene, a musical movement famously associated with a string of church-burnings, murders and suicides in the 1990s. Next week, Mayhem perform in New Zealand for the first time ever, at Auckland’s King’s Arms tavern.

I caught up with Attila ahead of the gig.

As you have performed with many different bands over the years, do you find it difficult to maintain loyalty to each band?

I have been loyal to all the bands I ever played with through the years. I started to play music with my first band called Tormentor from Hungary in 1985. I played in lots of different bands from different music styles not just metal but experimental, industrial, ambient, doom, psych billy and even electronic music. I was guest vocalist in many other bands too. I’m very proud of all the bands I ever played with. Today I play in three bands - Mayhem, which is my main band, Sunn O))) which is an ambient drone band from the U.S., and my solo band called Void Ov Voices which is more like experimental music. [The] musical style[s] is pretty different however their message is very parallel (sic).

Has the fact you are Hungarian ever been a problem in the Norwegian Black Metal scene, where Norwegian culture is perceived to be quite important?

No, I never had any problems with that. In Norway people respect me for what I did and for my voice and don’t really care about my nationality. Even more sometimes they tell me how cool and exotic that I am a Hun. It also shows how much Norwegians are open-minded people. Besides that, the reason why I became a vocalist of a Norwegian band is Tormentor my first band from Hungary. People in the Norwegian scene simply just loved that band, also I was one of the favorite vocalist of the old members of Mayhem and that is why they asked me to join Mayhem when they were looking for a vocalist back in 1992.

Are all eras of Mayhem’s career going to be represented at the Auckland show – will there be songs from every album?

Of course, we always play songs from each record.

What attracts you to the masks and costumes you wear on-stage, and what will you be wearing at the Auckland show?

Mayhem always had these certain kind of theatratical elements to make stronger visual expressions of the live shows. After the Ordo Ad Chao record I used lots of different costumes on the promotional tour to express the message of that record. Now I use less different costumes but I don’t like to tell about it in advance to keep maximum freedom in art and what we are doing.

What else can you tell us about the stage show Mayhem has planned for Auckland? As it’s the first show the band has performed here, the fans are excited about this, especially considering how notorious the stage shows have been in the past.

The only thing I can tell that we will try to do our best from the conditions we will have to make the best show we can.

Finally, do you have anything else to say to your fans in New Zealand before your first show here?

Thank you for the interest! We are very excited to come and play in New Zealand finally! Hail the Mayhem fans and our Brotherhood, Mayhem Uber Alles!

Interview by Daniel Rutledge.