Dayal Patterson is a journalist and writer, author of several books on Black Metal, including "Black Metal: Evolution of the Cult.

You’ve interviewed a handful of Mayhem members past and present. Did you discuss Dead? I’ve always been curious as to how Mayhem feels about Dead’s legacy as it stands today.

Dayal: Yes, Dead is discussed quite thoroughly, through interviews with Necrobutcher, who I guess was probably his best friend by the end, and also Maniac and Manheim. I think all members of Mayhem are aware of the profound impact Dead had and of course, that impact is felt in so many of today’s bands. Along with Euronymous and Varg and a few others, he may be considered one of the most important figures in Black Metal history. That said, it must be addressed that he was not a good man, and some of the mythologising of him today, particularly by younger acolytes, perhaps overlooks that. I’ve tried to take a balanced approach to this matter.

What kind of impressions did you get about these bands’ overall opinion of today’s Black Metal scene?

Dayal: Interesting question. I think most long-time Black Metal participants recognise that this is a very good time for the genre in terms of its popularity and the infrastructure that is now in place, which makes it much easier to tour, release albums, promote your work and so on. At the same time, I think the most exciting and vital years were unquestionably the late 1980s to the early 2000s – that’s not just me being an old man claiming ‘things were better in my day’, ‘objectively’, Black Metal was most exciting when it was still underground and developing rapidly, and when everyone was totally dedicated to it. In the last ten years, Black Metal has reached a massively expanded audience, which isn’t a bad thing as it allows more ambitious events and releases, but the fact that there are now ‘casual Black Metal fans’, and people that listen to (and even make) this music without taking it seriously obviously changes the dynamics somewhat.

That’s how things go of course. I am a huge fan of late 1970s and early 1980s UK punk: Obviously, I’m way too young to have been there at the time, but I love the music, and still see the bands live, but it was through watching documentaries and, most of all, reading interviews and books that I came to really understand the context of the whole thing. That’s what I hope to do with my books. You can read these books and get a real understanding of what it all means and where it came from even if you got into Black Metal after the fact. I mean I wasn’t there when it all kicked off either, everyone has to come into it as a newcomer at some point. But if you discovered Black Metal in the last decade you’re getting a slightly distorted and shallow picture unless you dig a little deeper. The immediacy of today’s internet-driven society isn’t necessarily totally in keeping with the nature of this genre after all.

Link to the FULL interview: https://thisisblackmetal.com/interview-dayal-patterson/

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Dayal Patterson on interviewing Mayhem's members about Dead's legacy, state of modern Black Metal & the way the genre's fanbase expanded dramatically.