Attila Csihar is best known as the man who performed vocals on Mayhem's legendary "cult" album, "De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas". Incidentally, he's also Mayhem's - or The True Mayhem, as they call it now - current vocalist.
But he was hardly the first person to record vocals for Mayhem. Euronymous, Necrobutcher, Maniac, Messiah and eventually Dead all held that position - albeit sometimes briefly - before him.
Attila is simply the artist who first come to mind when you hear the words "Mayhem" and "vocals" because... "De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas". Yeah, as an album, it was that influential.
But things were aren't all fun and games in Mayhem. As we know, Euronymous was often in conflict with various members of the scene... and sometimes even members of his own band. His "megalomania" often got in the way of musical output.
The Complete Attila Csihar Mayhem Interview
In his most recent interview for the best-selling book "The Death Metal Bible: A Journey Into the World of Brutality", Attila recounts how he joined Mayhem in the first place, as well as the events that led to that fateful day in August 1993 ("The Day Burzum Killed Mayhem" as Nargaroth would say).
"After Dead's suicide, Euronymous became a different person..."
While he famously hated Ihsahn from the moment he saw him, and also got into various feuds with pretty much every black metal musician he ever crossed paths with (and even with some death metal musicians), it would be incorrect to say that Euronymous had "no friends". Certainly, Attila Csihar makes a point of calling him his "best friend in Mayhem".
Attila Csihar: It's so crazy that it was over 30 years ago. This is what it is. I'm just passing by. The thing is, to think back, I was there [in Norway] for two weeks. At the same time, I lived at Euronymous's place. I stayed with Euronymous and Varg. We were all friends. I was a very good friend of Euronymous. He was my best friend in MAYHEM by far. [...] But after Dead's suicide, he became a different person. [...] We also talked about the ideologies and the direction [of black metal] music. He had all these ideas. What the music would become, how people should behave. I was impressed.
Attila also says that Euronymous wasn't just interested in signing Csihar for his singing talents. He was also eyeing a contract between his label "Death Like Silence Productions" and Attila's various side projects: Tormentor, Khranial, and Plasma Pool.
Attila Csihar: Euronymous was very interested in me singing on the MAYHEM record [tn, De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas, 1994]. But his other interest was to release [Attila Csihar's other band] TORMENTOR. He thought it was important to release it [on Deathlike Silence Productions] since we couldn't release it in communist Hungary.
The Hungarian vocalist also claims all three men shared a love for dark, electronic music - Burzum would later release synth ambient albums, often referred to as the "prison albums" as they were recorded while Varg was incarcerated.
"Don't you think Euronymous is a bit strange?"
But things started to turn sour when Euronymous closed down his shop (Helvete) after it had received too much media attention. By this point, according to Csihar, Euronymous was heavily in debt and couldn't afford to pay the royalties owed to the bands signed on DSP.
Attila Csihar: They put all their effort - Euronymous borrowed money from his grandmother to pay for [Helvete, the cult black metal shop], which was expensive. I was amazed. But the thing with Euronymous and Varg, I never thought it would go that far.
The relationship between Euronymous and Varg Vikernes was also a point of contention.
Attila Csihar: At the same time, Euronymous said, 'Don't you think he's weird?' speaking of Varg. [...] Varg then said, 'Don't you think the other guy is a bit strange?' I made a joke about the other guy. Then we were laughing. It was not that bad. It didn't look that bad at all. There was a bit of tension, but I thought it was normal.
According to Darkthrone's frontman Fenriz, the killing of Euronymous wasn't due to money problems alone.
"Maybe this is why I don't hear from anyone..."
Attila Csihar then talks about the time after the completion of "De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas", and the frustration that accompanied his inability to get in touch with the bandmates of Mayhem, or anyone within the Norwegian black metal scene, during that fateful summer of 1993.
Attila Csihar: I always talked to Euronymous. Suddenly, the summer came. I had the contact of Euronymous, Blackthorn [Snorre Ruch] and Varg [Vikernes]. The only phone I didn't have was Jan Axel [Hellhammer]. I talked from time to time with Euronymous. Suddenly, I couldn't reach them. I was like, 'Whatever.' [...] It was strange we didn't talk. Then a friend of mine came to my place in Hungary. He said, 'You played in MAYHEM?' I said, 'Yeah.' He said, 'I just read in the news in this metal magazine from Hungary. There is a very small news piece that the bass player killed the guitarist.' I was like, 'Dude. You took it wrong. It's not the bass player. It was the vocalist who committed suicide.' Then my friend said, 'I don't know. This is what I read.' He didn't have the magazine. I was like, 'No f[-]cking sh[-]t. What is this bullsh[-]t?' I went down and bought the magazine. When I read it, I couldn't believe my eyes. Like, 'What?' Then I started to think, 'Sh[-]t. Maybe this is why I don't hear from anyone.' [Laughs out loud]
Attila later rejoined with Mayhem in 2007, making him one of the longest lasting Mayhem vocalists to date.
As for his personal theories on why the black metal scene disintegrated after the death of Euronymous, and imprisonment of Varg Vikernes... let's just say that he shares many of the opinions of Necrobutcher, who claimed the Norwegian police were "well aware" of the bad blood between the two, but didn't want to be involved with the infamous "Inner Circle" of black metal.
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