Sven Erik Kristiansen

Sven Erik Kristiansen (born 4 February 1969) is a Norwegian musician, best known as the former vocalist in the black metal band Mayhem under the stage name Maniac.

Loudwire called Kristiansen "an incarnation of authenticity."

Career

Kristiansen joined Mayhem in 1986 after the departure of the band's original vocalist Messiah, and left in 1987. He was then replaced by Kittil, who was later replaced by Dead, who committed suicide in April 1991. When Hellhammer decided to revive Mayhem in 1994 after the deaths of both Euronymous and Dead, and the imprisonment of Count Grishnakh, he invited Kristiansen to return as the band's vocalist.

Kristiansen left Mayhem in 2004 through mutual consent due to his drinking problem and lack of time off. In 2016, Kristiansen briefly rejoined Mayhem onstage during a performance at the Inferno Festival in Oslo.

Artistry According to Loudwire, Kristiansen's vocal stylings alternate between what can be described as "inhuman vocalizations," and simply spoken word patterns. According to the site, his showmanship as a black metal frontman is characterized by "intellectualism and the ability to musically convey the nuances of insanity." However, in a later interview he stated when the band realized that the cutting had become a phenomenon people came to watch, he quit doing it. He has stated that since he became a father, he has become more conscious of what he exposes himself to and is less destructive.

Kristiansen is a self-admitted alcoholic. According to him, the turning point for becoming sober was finding himself hanging by one arm out of a fourth floor window with no recollection of how he got there.

Discography

With Mayhem Studio albums Grand Declaration of War (2000) Chimera (2004) Studio EPs

Deathcrush (1987) Wolf's Lair Abyss (1997)

Live albums

Mediolanum Capta Est (1999) Live In Marseille (2001)

Compilation albums

European Legions (2001)

With Skitliv Studio albums Skandinavisk misantropi (2009) Studio EPs

Amfetamin (MCD) (2008)