Posercorpse Music

Posercorpse Music was Mayhem’s own label and the platform for the band’s 1987 Deathcrush mini-album. Its small-scale release—1,000 copies, which sold out fairly soon—helped establish Mayhem’s growing place in the underground, even as the band remained poor and its output was released slowly.

Identity and Role

The available account identifies Posercorpse Music as Mayhem’s own label, rather than describing it as a larger commercial company or an independent operation serving a broad roster. Its clearest documented function was to issue the band’s early recordings. In this setting, the label was part of Mayhem’s effort to make and circulate its music within a small underground whose identity depended not only on sound but also on the attitudes and choices of its prominent musicians.

The Deathcrush Release

In 1987, Mayhem released Deathcrush as a mini-album on Posercorpse Music. The vinyl appeared in an edition of 1,000 copies and sold out fairly soon. That response was modest in scale but consequential for the band: it demonstrated a small yet increasing position of importance in the underground and helped Mayhem build a name among serious fans.

Production and Constraints

The release came amid persistent financial hardship. Although Deathcrush sold briskly, Mayhem and its members remained dirt poor. The account also describes Øystein Aarseth as excruciatingly slow in releasing material, attributing the delay either to financial problems or to his insistence on maintaining total control over the band’s productions. Posercorpse Music’s documented release history therefore sits at the intersection of scarce resources and Aarseth’s close control, rather than a high-volume production system.

Place in the Underground

Posercorpse Music’s significance in the account rests chiefly on what it enabled Mayhem to put into circulation. The limited Deathcrush pressing helped convert the band’s reputation for extremity into a tangible recording that drew serious listeners, while its quick sellout signaled demand within the underground. The label’s role is presented through this specific release, not through evidence of a wider catalogue or later organizational development.