Flying Sheep Head Hits Concertgoer At MAYHEM Gig, Band Get Charged

March 10, 2003

A flying sheep's head hit a concertgoer and fractured his skull at a concert of black metal band MAYHEM, according to the Associated Press.

The band, one of the forerunners of Norway's black metal music scene, were carving up a dead sheep as part of their stage act when the animal's head flew off lead singer Maniac's knife and struck Per Kristian Hagen, 25.

The show was Thursday (March 6) in Bergen, 302 miles west of the capital, Oslo.

"My relationship to sheep is a bit ambivalent now. I like them, but not when they come flying through the air," Hagen told The Associated Press Monday from his hospital room. "I have a headache now." He is expected to recover.

Hagen, a MAYHEM fan, filed involuntary assault and battery charges against the band. The charges carry a maximum sentence of six months in prison.

MAYHEM member Rune Eriksen, whose stage name is Blasphemer, said the incident was unfortunate.

"The whole thing was an accident, but maybe it would be an idea for another show," he said.

Eriksen promised Hagen a free ticket to the group's next performance.

Police detective Carl-Petter Leganger told the AP an investigation has started, but "nothing suggests this was a conscious act."

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