Langhus Station is closely connected with the earliest history of Mayhem, which was formed in the Langhus area in 1984 by Øystein “Euronymous” Aarseth, Jørn “Necrobutcher” Stubberud and Kjetil Manheim. Long before the Norwegian black metal scene became internationally known, the station served as one of the young band’s regular meeting places.

One of Mayhem’s best-known early photographs was taken inside the station’s waiting shelter around 1986. It shows Euronymous and Necrobutcher stretched out across a wooden bench with the Mayhem name painted prominently on the wall behind them. The simple black-and-white image has subsequently become one of the most recognisable photographs from the band’s formative period.

The graffiti was not simply added for the photograph. Necrobutcher later recalled that the band repeatedly painted “Mayhem” beside the railway tracks so passengers arriving at Langhus would know they were entering what the musicians considered Mayhem territory. When the graffiti was painted over, they put it back, and it was eventually left in place.

The station was particularly important because Mayhem’s rehearsal room was located only around 400 metres away, while Necrobutcher lived approximately one kilometre away in Vevelstad. The old station building also contained a post office, where the band rented Post Office Box 75. The address “Mayhem, Box 75, 1405 Langhus” appeared on early releases including “Pure Fucking Armageddon” and “Deathcrush”, and letters, demo tapes and orders began arriving there from the international metal underground.

One particularly important package came from Sweden. Per Yngve “Dead” Ohlin sent Mayhem a copy of Morbid’s “December Moon” demo together with a letter introducing himself. In typical Dead fashion, the package also contained a crucified dead mouse. His contact information was written on the cassette itself, and the correspondence eventually led to him joining Mayhem as vocalist in 1988.

Langhus Station also played a role in the wider development of the Norwegian extreme metal scene. In 1986, a 13-year-old Anders Odden, who would later form Cadaver, met Euronymous there after first hearing Mayhem on local radio. Euronymous subsequently became an important early influence on Odden and introduced him more directly to the underground metal scene.

The original waiting shelter associated with the famous Mayhem photographs still survives at Langhus Station. Decades after Euronymous and Necrobutcher posed on its bench, the location has become one of the recognised historical sites connected with Norwegian black metal and is included as a stop on organised black metal tours from Oslo.

ADDRESS:
Langhusveien 204, 1405 Langhus, Norway

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