Deathlike Silence Productions

Deathlike Silence Productions was an Oslo, Norway based independent record label founded in the late 1980s that focused primarily on black metal. It was the first independent label to do so. The label was founded by Øystein Aarseth, also known as Euronymous, who operated the label until his murder in 1993. The name was derived from the Sodom song "Deathlike Silence" (from their 1986 release Obsessed by Cruelty). At first, the label only signed Norwegian acts, but as early as 1990 Aarseth had desired to establish a Swedish branch with Morgan Håkansson of Marduk, and towards its final years its scope was also broadened to other countries such as Japan. Aarseth was considering signing Rotting Christ, Masacre (Colombia) and Hadez (Peru) before his death. Before the label's demise it was planned to release Monumentum's debut album In Absentia Christi. Darkthrone had threatened to release their second album A Blaze in the Northern Sky through Deathlike Silence when Peaceville Records wouldn't due to their sudden change in genre.