At the forefront of Black Metal from its very beginnings, Maniac is
one of the extreme metal genre's most recognisable figures, whose controversial
live performances have made him a figurehead in the world's media. Having
left Mayhem, where he was restricted to writing lyrics and performing
vocals, Maniac went on to form SKITLIV in 2004, as a means of expressing
his views on humanity and its inevitable destruction. The legendary
front man has never been someone who cares about public opinion, or
about staying within the rigid confines that define Black Metal; and
whilst essentially still firmly rooted in the genre, SKITLIV's music
has matured and evolved into something much darker, and more brooding,
than anything Maniac has produced before.
Maniac appears on guest vocals for the track 'Forakt' on Deadwood's
2nd album for Cold Spring, "Ramblack", in August 2008.
2010 saw the release of the limited picture
disc 10" vinyl 'Bloodletting' (with exclusive artwork from David Tibet / Current 93) and the debut album from Sehnsucht (Maniac, Vivian Slaughter / Gallhammer, Ingvar Magnusson / Skitliv and Andrew Liles / Nurse With Wound).
