Deathlike Silence Productions

Deathlike Silence Productions was a Norwegian independent record label established in Oslo in 1987 by Øystein Aarseth, better known as Euronymous, the guitarist of Mayhem. The label initially operated under the name Posercorpse Music before adopting the Deathlike Silence name, which was taken from the title of a song by the German thrash metal band Sodom. Its base of operations was Helvete, the Oslo record shop and gathering place associated with Aarseth and the early Norwegian black metal milieu. DSP was created to release and promote extreme metal that Aarseth considered musically and aesthetically significant. Although its catalogue was small, the label became closely identified with the development and international circulation of early Norwegian black metal. Its releases included recordings by Mayhem, Burzum, Abruptum and Enslaved, as well as work by the Swedish band Merciless and the Japanese band Sigh. The catalogue therefore combined Norwegian acts with a limited number of international artists, reflecting Aarseth's ambition to build a broader underground network rather than a conventional domestic label. Among the label's best-known releases were Burzum's self-titled debut and Aske, Mayhem's Deathcrush and De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas, Abruptum's early albums, Sigh's Scorn Defeat and Enslaved's Vikingligr Veldi. These records are frequently discussed in connection with the formative period of black metal, although their historical importance developed over time rather than through the scale of DSP's commercial infrastructure. DSP functioned as a highly specialized independent imprint, with its influence arising from the distinctiveness of its artists and the later reputation of the scene surrounding them. Aarseth sought to extend the label's reach beyond Norway. By 1990, he had discussed establishing a Swedish branch with Morgan Håkansson of Marduk. The label also considered possible releases or signings involving artists from Greece, Colombia and Peru, including Rotting Christ, Masacre and Hadez. These plans indicate that DSP was intended to serve as an international extreme-metal platform, but many were not completed. The label's operations were disrupted by Aarseth's murder in 1993. Releases associated with DSP continued into 1994, including posthumously issued or completed projects, but the imprint did not develop into a continuing label. Voices of Wonder subsequently took over DSP after Aarseth's death. Deathlike Silence Productions is therefore remembered less as a long-running business than as a short-lived, influential catalogue and a historical institution within the early Norwegian black metal scene.

Deathlike Silence Productions emerged from Oslo's underground extreme-metal culture in 1987. It was founded by Øystein Aarseth, known within the metal scene as Euronymous, and originally operated under the name Posercorpse Music. The later name Deathlike Silence Productions was derived from Sodom's song "Deathlike Silence," which appeared on the band's 1986 album Obsessed by Cruelty. The label was independent and highly specialized, concentrating primarily on black metal rather than attempting to operate as a broad-based commercial music company. The label's physical and cultural headquarters was Helvete, Aarseth's Oslo record shop. Helvete served as a meeting place for musicians and enthusiasts associated with the early Norwegian black metal scene, while DSP provided a formal channel through which some of that scene's recordings could be issued. The relationship between the shop, the label and the surrounding community helped give DSP an identity that was more scene-oriented than corporate. Its importance rested on curation, underground credibility and the character of its releases rather than on a large staff, extensive distribution system or substantial catalogue. DSP initially focused on Norwegian artists, but its activities soon acquired an international dimension. The 1990 release of Merciless's The Awakening connected the imprint with Sweden. Aarseth also sought to establish a Swedish branch with Morgan Håkansson of Marduk. Later catalogue activity included the Japanese artist Sigh, while the label considered potential relationships with Rotting Christ of Greece, Masacre of Colombia and Hadez of Peru. These plans were only partly realized, but they show that Aarseth imagined DSP as a network for extreme metal across national borders. The catalogue associated with the label became its central historical contribution. Burzum's self-titled album and Aske, Mayhem's Deathcrush and De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas, Abruptum's early work, Sigh's Scorn Defeat and Enslaved's Vikingligr Veldi all appeared under the DSP imprint or in the label's listed release sequence. Darkthrone also threatened to issue its second album, A Blaze in the Northern Sky, through DSP after Peaceville Records objected to the band's change in musical direction, although that release was not ultimately part of the listed DSP catalogue. The planned release of Monumentum's debut, In Absentia Christi, likewise did not become a normal part of the label's continuing operations. Aarseth's murder in 1993 brought the label's active period to an end. Some releases were issued in 1993 and 1994, including catalogue items connected with Mayhem, Abruptum, Burzum and Enslaved, but DSP did not continue as a stable independent operation. Voices of Wonder took over the label after Aarseth's death. In retrospect, Deathlike Silence Productions is regarded as a short-lived but influential imprint whose limited catalogue helped document and disseminate an important phase of black metal's development.

• 1994

  Operations end and label is taken over

  [1]Deathlike Silence Productionsen.wikipedia.org

  Voices of Wonder took over DSP after Aarseth's death; the imprint ceased functioning as a continuing independent label.

• 1993

  Major catalogue expansion

  [1]Deathlike Silence Productionsen.wikipedia.org

  DSP released or listed recordings by Mayhem, Abruptum, Burzum and Sigh during the label's final active period.

• 1993

  Death of founder

  [1]Deathlike Silence Productionsen.wikipedia.org

  Euronymous was murdered, disrupting the label's operations.

• 1992

  Burzum debut released

  [1]Deathlike Silence Productionsen.wikipedia.org

  Burzum's self-titled debut appeared as Anti-Mosh 002.

• 1990

  First listed Anti-Mosh release

  [1]Deathlike Silence Productionsen.wikipedia.org

  Merciless's The Awakening was issued as Anti-Mosh 001.

• 1987

  Label established in Oslo

  [1]Deathlike Silence Productionsen.wikipedia.org

  Øystein Aarseth founded the imprint, initially calling it Posercorpse Music.

A highly specialized underground imprint focused on uncompromising black metal and related extreme-metal music, with a strong connection to the early Norwegian scene and a limited but internationally oriented roster.

• Black metal album · 1992

  Burzum — Burzum

  Burzum's self-titled debut was issued by DSP in 1992 as Anti-Mosh 002. It is one of the label's most recognized catalogue entries and helped establish the imprint's association with the early Norwegian black metal movement.

• Black metal release · 1993

  Mayhem — Deathcrush

  Deathcrush was listed as Anti-Mosh 003 and represents DSP's connection to Mayhem, the band with which Euronymous was most closely associated. The release is part of the label's foundational catalogue.

• Black metal album · 1994

  Mayhem — De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas

  De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas was listed as Anti-Mosh 006 in the DSP release sequence. It is among the best-known albums connected with the label and appeared during the period in which the imprint's operations were ending.

• Extreme metal album · 1993

  Sigh — Scorn Defeat

  Scorn Defeat was the label's listed release by Japanese artist Sigh. Its inclusion demonstrates that DSP's intended scope extended beyond the Norwegian and Scandinavian scenes.

• Black metal album · 1994

  Enslaved — Vikingligr Veldi

  Vikingligr Veldi was listed as Anti-Mosh 008 and formed part of DSP's final catalogue sequence. The release connects the label with another important Norwegian black metal act.

• Extreme metal album · 1990

  Merciless — The Awakening

  The Awakening was issued as Anti-Mosh 001 in 1990. It was the first release in the numbered DSP catalogue and an early example of the imprint's interest in artists outside Norway.

• Black metal and extreme metal albums · 1993

  Abruptum releases

  DSP listed Abruptum's Obscuritatem Advoco Amplectére Me and In Umbra Malitiae Ambulabo, in Aeternum in Triumpho Tenebraum among its 1993–1994 catalogue. These releases reinforced the label's focus on highly experimental and extreme underground music.

• 1993

  Continue catalogue activity after the founder's deathOther

  Background

  Aarseth's murder interrupted the label's management while several releases were already planned or in progress.

  Action taken

  DSP-related releases continued into 1994, including catalogue entries for Mayhem and Enslaved, before the label was taken over by Voices of Wonder.

  Aftermath

  The imprint ceased functioning as a continuing independent label and survived primarily through its historical catalogue.

  Source

• 1990

  Pursue international expansionStrategy

  Background

  Although the label initially concentrated on Norwegian acts, Aarseth sought connections with artists and organizers elsewhere in Europe and beyond.

  Action taken

  He discussed a Swedish branch with Morgan Håkansson of Marduk and later worked with or considered artists from Japan, Greece, Colombia and Peru.

  Aftermath

  The international strategy produced selected cross-border releases, but no long-term branch network was established.

  Source

• 1987

  Create a specialist extreme-metal imprintStrategy

  Background

  Aarseth established the label in Oslo to support black metal and related underground music rather than operate as a general music publisher.

  Action taken

  The imprint was launched independently, initially as Posercorpse Music and later under the Deathlike Silence Productions name.

  Aftermath

  DSP developed a small but historically significant catalogue associated with early Norwegian black metal.

  Source

1. 1Deathlike Silence Productionsen.wikipedia.org