Rune Eriksen
A Norwegian guitarist who shaped the second wave of black metal with Mayhem, injecting technical precision and dark melody into the genre's raw fury.
Born 1975 (age 51)·Norwegian guitarist·Birthday: January 13·Generation X
Biography
When Rune Eriksen, under the name Blasphemer, joined Mayhem in 1994, he stepped into a band shrouded in tragedy and infamy. His task was monumental: to help define its future sound after the death of Euronymous. Eriksen became the chief architect of Mayhem's music for over a decade, steering them away from pure chaos toward a more structured, technically demanding, and melodically bleak direction. His songwriting on albums like 'Grand Declaration of War' and 'Ordo ad Chao' was ambitious and divisive, incorporating avant-garde elements that expanded black metal's vocabulary. After departing Mayhem, he refused to be pigeonholed, exploring different shades of extreme metal with projects like the thrash-oriented Aura Noir, the multinational supergroup Vltimas, and his personal outlet RUÏM. Eriksen is a musician's musician in the extreme metal world, respected for his compositional skill and unwavering dedication to his dark artistic vision.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Rune was born in 1975, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Rune Was Born
The biggest hits of 1975
#1 Movie
Jaws
Best Picture
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
#1 TV Show
All in the Family
Rune's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1975Born
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1980Started school
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1988Became a teenager
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1991Could drive
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
1993Could vote
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
1996Turned 21
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2005Turned 30
Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans; YouTube launches
Gas: $2.30/galHome: $167,500Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"We Belong Together" — Mariah CareyBest Picture: Crash
2015Turned 40
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
2025Turned 50
AI agents go mainstream
Gas: $3.10/galHome: $385,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"APT." — Rose & Bruno Mars
2026Age 51 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as the lead guitarist and primary songwriter for the influential black metal band Mayhem from 1994 to 2008.
- Co-wrote and performed on Mayhem's controversial and experimental album 'Grand Declaration of War' in 2000.
- Founded the solo black metal project RUÏM in 2020 to explore personal musical concepts.
- Is a member of the acclaimed thrash metal band Aura Noir and the international supergroup Vltimas.
Did You Know?
His stage name, Blasphemer, is taken from a song by the German thrash metal band Sodom.
He was a member of the Bathory tribute band Twilight of the Gods, which later evolved into an original project.
Eriksen is left-handed but plays guitar right-handed.
“The music must be a storm that leaves nothing untouched.”
