The bassist of Mayhem looks back on the longevity of the iconic Black Metal group and looks ahead to the future.
“Having faith in yourself is the number one rule”
Jørn “Necrobutcher” Stubberud, bassist for the legendary black metal band Mayhem, spoke to Metal-Roos on the impressive longevity of the group, which is celebrating its 40th career. The anniversary tour, which began in 2024, will continue in Australia from January.
“In reality, the year [au cours de laquelle nous avons célébré notre] birthday wasn’t long enough. So when we come to Australia in January [pour célébrer les 40 ans du groupe]we will technically have 41 years of career,” jokes the musician.
When asked if he imagined, when the group was created in 1984, that Mayhem would still exist four decades later, Necrobutcher remained pragmatic: “Actually, the answer is probably yes. I know many say ‘you would never have believed that at 16’, but it was. I had such faith in this project, I said to myself: ‘That’s it, we’re going to get there.’ We had to believe in it, and that’s what allowed us to survive. The first rule is to have faith in yourself.”
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Uncompromising perfectionism
For Necrobutcher, one of the secrets of this longevity is the constant demands that the group imposes on itself: “We constantly put pressure on ourselves to improve. We are perfectionists and never truly satisfied. Sometimes, even if no one notices a small mistake during a concert, it can annoy us for months. This attention to detail is essential to last so many years.”
A new album in preparation for 2025?
Asked about the possibility of new Music, Necrobutcher confirms that the group is in full creative ferment: “Teloch and Charles presented almost 20 demos. Some are really excellent. We will start working seriously on it after the Australian tour, probably in March 2025. The ideal would be to enter the studio the same year for a release in 2025 or 2026.”
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