Deathlike Silence Productions
Deathlike Silence Productions
Title: Deathlike Silence Productions (DSP)
Previous title: Posercorpse Music
Title origin: Sodom song "Deathlike Silence" from 1986 album "Obsessed by Cruelty"
Motto: No fun, No core, No mosh, No trends
Location: "Helvete", Schweigaards gate 56 (Oslo, Norway)
Years operative: 1987-1994
Owner: Øystein "Euronymous" Aarseth (1987-1993)
Successor and distributor: Voices of Wonder (Voices Music & Entertainment)
Previous title: Posercorpse Music
Title origin: Sodom song "Deathlike Silence" from 1986 album "Obsessed by Cruelty"
Motto: No fun, No core, No mosh, No trends
Location: "Helvete", Schweigaards gate 56 (Oslo, Norway)
Years operative: 1987-1994
Owner: Øystein "Euronymous" Aarseth (1987-1993)
Successor and distributor: Voices of Wonder (Voices Music & Entertainment)
Burzum albums on Deathlike Silence Productions
 Burzum 1992 |
 Aske (mini-LP) 1993 |
Burzum, the solo project of Norwegian musician Varg Vikernes, released two key albums on Deathlike Silence Productions (DSP).
Album "Burzum" (1992)
The debut full-length album came out in May 1992 and is regarded as a classic of the second wave of Black Metal. It features raw, aggressive tracks like "Feeble Screams from Forests Unknown" and "Ea, Lord of the Depths" with typical screeched vocals, blast beats, and atmospheric synth inserts, plus the slow "Black Spell of Destruction".
EP "Aske" (1993)
This mini-album was released on March 1, 1993, alongside the reissue of "A Lost Forgotten Sad Spirit" track. It contains three tracks, including "Stemmen Fra Tårnet" (The Voice from the Tower) and "Dominus Sathanas" (Master Satan), with a cover depicting the burned Fantoft church (arson linked to Vikernes); early editions included a matching lighter.
Significance of Releases
Both albums were recorded at Grieghallen studio with a minimalist "raw" production that defined Norwegian Black Metal in the 1990s; after Deathlike Silence Productions shut down in 1994, they were reissued on Misanthropy Records.
Album "Burzum" (1992)
The debut full-length album came out in May 1992 and is regarded as a classic of the second wave of Black Metal. It features raw, aggressive tracks like "Feeble Screams from Forests Unknown" and "Ea, Lord of the Depths" with typical screeched vocals, blast beats, and atmospheric synth inserts, plus the slow "Black Spell of Destruction".
EP "Aske" (1993)
This mini-album was released on March 1, 1993, alongside the reissue of "A Lost Forgotten Sad Spirit" track. It contains three tracks, including "Stemmen Fra Tårnet" (The Voice from the Tower) and "Dominus Sathanas" (Master Satan), with a cover depicting the burned Fantoft church (arson linked to Vikernes); early editions included a matching lighter.
Significance of Releases
Both albums were recorded at Grieghallen studio with a minimalist "raw" production that defined Norwegian Black Metal in the 1990s; after Deathlike Silence Productions shut down in 1994, they were reissued on Misanthropy Records.
Deathlike Silence Productions (DSP) was a pivotal Norwegian independent record label focused on Black Metal, founded in Oslo in 1987 by Øystein Aarseth, better known as Euronymous, the guitarist of Mayhem. The label became synonymous with the raw, underground ethos of the "true Norwegian Black Metal" scene, releasing extreme and unpolished recordings before ceasing operations in 1994 following Euronymous's murder. Its title derived from the Sodom song "Deathlike Silence" on their 1986 album "Obsessed by Cruelty".
Founding and Early Years
Deathlike Silence Productions began as Posercorpse Music (word "Posercorpse" taken from Mayhem "Deathcrush" 1987 album song "Necrolust") in 1987 but soon rebranded under Euronymous's vision, operating from the "Helvete" record shop in Oslo, which served as the epicenter of the Norwegian Black Metal scene. Initially centered on Norwegian acts, the label expanded ambitions by 1990, with plans for a Swedish branch involving Marduk's Morgan Håkansson and releases from Japanese bands like Sigh . "Helvete" doubled as a hub for the infamous "Inner circle" of musicians linked to church arsons, violence, and anti-Christian rhetoric, amplifying DSP's notoriety.
Releases and Key Bands
The label issued only nine official full-length albums under the "Anti-Mosh" catalog prefix, rejecting commercial polish in favor of raw aggression-from Swedish death/thrash of Merciless to Viking Black Metal by Enslaved. Highlights included landmark releases by Mayhem and Burzum, with some finalized posthumously.
Voices of Wonder (Voices Music & Entertainment) handled distribution post-Euronymous, enabling delayed releases like Mayhem's "De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas".
Ties to Black Metal Scene
Deathlike Silence Productions epitomized the second wave of Black Metal, championing lo-fi production against mainstream sounds and backing acts like Burzum (Varg Vikernes) and Mayhem. Euronymous scouted internationally-Merciless from Sweden, Sigh from Japan—and eyed deals with Rotting Christ, Masacre, and Hadez, halted by his death. The label embodied satanic, chaotic ideology, fueling the scene's mythology through "Inner circle" scandals.
Collapse and Legacy
Operations collapsed after Varg Vikernes murdered Euronymous on August 10, 1993, triggering arrests and church arson probes. Voices of Wonder managed remaining output, including Enslaved's "Vikingligr Veldi", while Darkthrone nearly joined after Peaceville's rejection. Deathlike Silence Productions's influence endures in Mayhem and Burzum reunions, tribute sites, and underground metal, inspiring labels like Full Moon Productions as a pioneer of extremity.
Founding and Early Years
Deathlike Silence Productions began as Posercorpse Music (word "Posercorpse" taken from Mayhem "Deathcrush" 1987 album song "Necrolust") in 1987 but soon rebranded under Euronymous's vision, operating from the "Helvete" record shop in Oslo, which served as the epicenter of the Norwegian Black Metal scene. Initially centered on Norwegian acts, the label expanded ambitions by 1990, with plans for a Swedish branch involving Marduk's Morgan Håkansson and releases from Japanese bands like Sigh . "Helvete" doubled as a hub for the infamous "Inner circle" of musicians linked to church arsons, violence, and anti-Christian rhetoric, amplifying DSP's notoriety.
Releases and Key Bands
The label issued only nine official full-length albums under the "Anti-Mosh" catalog prefix, rejecting commercial polish in favor of raw aggression-from Swedish death/thrash of Merciless to Viking Black Metal by Enslaved. Highlights included landmark releases by Mayhem and Burzum, with some finalized posthumously.
Voices of Wonder (Voices Music & Entertainment) handled distribution post-Euronymous, enabling delayed releases like Mayhem's "De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas".
Ties to Black Metal Scene
Deathlike Silence Productions epitomized the second wave of Black Metal, championing lo-fi production against mainstream sounds and backing acts like Burzum (Varg Vikernes) and Mayhem. Euronymous scouted internationally-Merciless from Sweden, Sigh from Japan—and eyed deals with Rotting Christ, Masacre, and Hadez, halted by his death. The label embodied satanic, chaotic ideology, fueling the scene's mythology through "Inner circle" scandals.
Collapse and Legacy
Operations collapsed after Varg Vikernes murdered Euronymous on August 10, 1993, triggering arrests and church arson probes. Voices of Wonder managed remaining output, including Enslaved's "Vikingligr Veldi", while Darkthrone nearly joined after Peaceville's rejection. Deathlike Silence Productions's influence endures in Mayhem and Burzum reunions, tribute sites, and underground metal, inspiring labels like Full Moon Productions as a pioneer of extremity.