Deathlike Silence Productions
Deathlike Silence Productions was a Norwegian independent record label founded in Oslo in the late 1980s by Øystein Aarseth, professionally known as Euronymous, who served as guitarist for the black metal band Mayhem.[1][2] Initially operating under the name Posercorpse Music before adopting its final moniker—inspired by the Sodom song of the same name—the label focused exclusively on black metal and adjacent extreme metal acts, releasing a limited catalog of nine albums between 1990 and 1994.[3][4] Headquartered at the Helvete record shop, which Euronymous established as a gathering point for Oslo's nascent black metal community, the label emphasized raw production values, anti-commercial stances, and opposition to "trendy" or "poser" elements in metal music, as reflected in its slogan "No Fun. No Mosh. No Trends."[5] Key releases included Mayhem's De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas, Burzum's Aske EP, and Abruptum's debut album, which exemplified the genre's lo-fi aesthetic and thematic fixation on Satanism, paganism, and misanthropy.[1][4] These outputs solidified DSP's influence in propagating the uncompromising ethos of early Norwegian black metal, distinct from the more polished death metal prevailing elsewhere. The label's activities intertwined with the broader Norwegian black metal scene's escalations into real-world extremism, including church arsons and fatal violence, culminating in Euronymous' stabbing death at the hands of Burzum's Varg Vikernes in August 1993, after which DSP effectively shuttered despite a few posthumous distributions handled by associates.[3][4] Though short-lived, Deathlike Silence Productions remains emblematic of black metal's origins as a deliberate rejection of mainstream cultural norms, prioritizing ideological purity over commercial viability.[1]Founding and Operations
Establishment and Euronymous's Vision
Deathlike Silence Productions was founded in 1988 by Øystein Aarseth, professionally known as Euronymous, the guitarist and central figure of the Norwegian black metal band Mayhem.[1] Operating from Oslo, Norway, the label emerged amid the nascent Norwegian black metal scene as a vehicle for distributing underground recordings that aligned with Euronymous's uncompromising standards for the genre.[4] The name "Deathlike Silence Productions" was derived from the opening track "Deathlike Silence" on the German thrash metal band Sodom's 1986 debut album Obsessed by Cruelty, symbolizing the atmospheric and thematic emphasis on death, isolation, and infernal quietude central to Euronymous's conception of black metal.[6] Euronymous envisioned the label as a dedicated outlet for "true" black metal, defined by its explicit worship of Satan, rejection of Christian influences, and cultivation of extreme, anti-social themes over musical polish or commercial viability.[7] In interviews, he distinguished black metal from death metal by its Satanic devotion rather than mere fixation on death, criticizing bands that diluted these elements for broader appeal or profit-driven labels.[7] This philosophy rejected "posers" and trendy acts, prioritizing raw, ideologically pure releases that fostered an insular scene resistant to mainstream metal's commodification, even as the label faced financial constraints requiring loans for pressing records.[8] The establishment of Deathlike Silence Productions coincided with Euronymous's efforts to consolidate the early black metal community, including through his Oslo record shop Helvete, which opened in 1991 and served as a physical base for label operations and scene gatherings.[9] By selecting artists like Burzum for its debut full-length release in March 1992, the label embodied Euronymous's goal of amplifying Norwegian acts that embodied Satanic rebellion and sonic extremity, laying groundwork for the genre's ideological intensification.[1]Key Activities and Distribution (1987-1992)
Deathlike Silence Productions originated in 1987 as Posercorpse Music, a precursor entity operated collectively by members of Mayhem, which issued the band's debut EP Deathcrush in a pressing of 1,000 copies on vinyl.[10] This initial release featured raw black/thrash metal tracks recorded earlier that year, marking the label's entry into underground extreme metal distribution through limited mail-order and personal networks within the nascent Norwegian scene.[10] The name "Deathlike Silence Productions," adopted formally around 1989 by Mayhem guitarist Øystein Aarseth (Euronymous), derived from the Sodom track of the same title on their 1986 album Obsessed by Cruelty.[3] Under the rebranded DSP banner, the label's primary activities from 1989 to 1992 centered on selective curation and production of recordings aligned with an uncompromising extreme metal ethos, prioritizing small-batch vinyl and early CD formats to foster exclusivity. The inaugural DSP release was Merciless's debut album The Awakening, a Swedish death metal LP issued in early 1990 on vinyl (catalog ANTI-MOSH 001).[3] Distribution remained informal and scene-centric, relying on Euronymous's connections in the "inner circle" of black metal enthusiasts for direct sales, avoiding broader commercial channels to preserve ideological purity.[3] By 1991, operations integrated with the opening of Euronymous's Helvete record shop in Oslo, which functioned as a physical outpost for stocking and vending DSP products alongside imported underground tapes and merchandise.[2] In 1992, DSP accelerated output with Burzum's self-titled debut album—Varg Vikernes's black metal project—first as a CD in March (ANTI-MOSH 002) followed by vinyl in May, emphasizing atmospheric, lo-fi production recorded in 1991.[11] Euronymous announced additional planned releases for April 1992, including a Norwegian black metal LP and another international act, underscoring the label's role in coordinating domestic and select foreign talent amid growing scene tensions.[12] Distribution evolved modestly toward partnerships, with Voices of Wonder Records assuming printing and expanded logistics by late 1992 to handle increasing demand without compromising the label's anti-commercial stance, though core activities stayed rooted in limited runs and direct fan engagement.[3] Overall, DSP's early phase produced fewer than five catalog items, reflecting a deliberate strategy of scarcity to cultivate cult status over mass appeal.[13]Releases and Artists
Core Black Metal Catalog
Deathlike Silence Productions specialized in black metal releases that epitomized the raw, anti-commercial aesthetic of the early Norwegian scene, with a focus on bands like Burzum, Mayhem, and Abruptum. These albums, often issued under the "Anti-Mosh" catalog prefix, featured lo-fi production, Satanic imagery, and themes of darkness and isolation, reflecting Euronymous's curatorial emphasis on extremity over accessibility. The label's output was limited, totaling around nine releases before its closure, but the black metal entries formed its foundational contributions.[3] Burzum's self-titled debut album, released in 1992 as Anti-Mosh 001 on CD and vinyl, marked the label's first black metal full-length, comprising six tracks of primitive, atmospheric black metal composed and performed by Varg Vikernes in a home-recorded style.[3] This was followed by Burzum's Aske EP in 1993 (Anti-Mosh 007), a three-track release recorded after the Fantoft Church arson, emphasizing frozen, minimalist riffs and ambient elements.[3] Later that year, Det som engang var (Anti-Mosh 003) expanded on these foundations with five songs blending melody and aggression, released on CD in 1993.[3] Mayhem's contributions included the 1993 CD reissue of their 1987 EP Deathcrush (Anti-Mosh 002), which captured the band's initial thrash-influenced black metal sound with tracks like "Freezing Moon," originally self-released in limited quantities.[3] Additionally, the live album Live in Leipzig (Anti-Mosh 008), recorded in 1990 and issued in 1993, documented a chaotic performance featuring vocalist Dead, showcasing the band's notorious stage intensity before his suicide in 1991.[3] Other core releases encompassed Abruptum's Obscuritatem (Anti-Mosh 006) in 1993, a Swedish duo's noisy, chaotic black metal/ambient hybrid emphasizing dissonance and ritualistic aura, and Enslaved's Vikingligr veldi in 1994 (Anti-Mosh 004), which fused black metal with Viking and progressive elements across eight tracks, marking the label's final major output.[3] Abruptum's follow-up Evil Genius (Anti-Mosh 009), released posthumously in 1994, continued this experimental vein with raw, hate-filled compositions.[3] These works, pressed in small runs often handled by Voices of Wonder for distribution from late 1992 onward, solidified DSP's role in disseminating the second wave of black metal despite logistical constraints.[3]| Artist | Title | Format | Year | Catalog | Genre Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burzum | Burzum | CD/Vinyl | 1992 | Anti-Mosh 001 | Atmospheric black metal |
| Mayhem | Deathcrush | CD | 1993 | Anti-Mosh 002 | Thrash/black metal EP reissue |
| Burzum | Det som engang var | CD | 1993 | Anti-Mosh 003 | Melodic black metal |
| Abruptum | Obscuritatem | CD | 1993 | Anti-Mosh 006 | Noisy black metal/ambient |
| Burzum | Aske | CD | 1993 | Anti-Mosh 007 | Minimalist black metal EP |
| Mayhem | Live in Leipzig | CD | 1993 | Anti-Mosh 008 | Live black metal |
| Enslaved | Vikingligr veldi | CD | 1994 | Anti-Mosh 004 | Viking/progressive black metal |
| Abruptum | Evil Genius | CD | 1994 | Anti-Mosh 009 | Experimental black metal |