Attila Gábor Csihar (; born 29 March 1971), also sometimes known as Void, is a Hungarian
extreme metal
Extreme metal is a loosely defined umbrella term for a number of related heavy metal music subgenres that have developed since the early 1980s. It has been defined as a "cluster of metal subgenres characterized by sonic, verbal, and visual tran ...
vocalist, best known for his vocal work in Norwegian
black metal
Black metal is an extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include Tempo#Beats per minute, fast tempos, a Screaming (music)#Black metal, shrieking vocal style, heavily distorted Electric guitar, guitars played with tr ...
band
Mayhem and American
drone metal band
Sunn O)))
Sunn O))) (pronounced "sun") is an American drone metal band formed in 1998 in Seattle, Washington (state), Washington. The band is known for its distinctive visual style and slow, heavy sound, which blends diverse genres including doom metal, ...
. Author
Ian Christe describes his vocals as "
operatic
Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...
".
Biography

His music career began in 1985 with the Hungarian metal band
Tormentor, which reached cult status in
black metal
Black metal is an extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include Tempo#Beats per minute, fast tempos, a Screaming (music)#Black metal, shrieking vocal style, heavily distorted Electric guitar, guitars played with tr ...
circles with their first album, ''Anno Domini'' (1988). Tormentor performed 50-100 live shows between 1986 and 1990 and became one of the most infamous bands in Hungary. After Tormentor he started his dark electro industrial band
Plasma Pool (1990–1994). On the strength of his work in Tormentor, he was invited to perform vocals on the ''
De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas
''De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas'' is the debut studio album by Norwegian black metal band Mayhem. Songwriting began in 1987, but due to the suicide of vocalist Per "Dead" Ohlin and the murder of guitarist Øystein "Euronymous" Aarseth, the album's ...
'' album by Norwegian black metal band
Mayhem after lead singer
Dead
Death is the end of life; the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain a living organism. Death eventually and inevitably occurs in all organisms. The remains of a former organism normally begin to decompose sho ...
committed suicide. His groundbreaking new way of singing added a special character to Mayhem's sound.
Ultimately Csihar did not perform any live concerts with the band until his second tenure in 2004.

After Mayhem, Csihar continued to work in various bands, such as Plasma Pool,
Aborym, and Korog; he also performed as Caiaphas in the
rock opera
A rock opera is a collection of rock music songs with lyrics that relate to a common story. Rock operas are typically released as concept albums and are not scripted for acting, which distinguishes them from operas, although several have been ad ...
''
Jesus Christ Superstar
''Jesus Christ Superstar'' is a sung-through rock opera with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice. Loosely based on the Life of Jesus in the New Testament, Gospels' accounts of Passion of Jesus, the Passion, the work interprets ...
'' in Hungary. He stated during an interview for Hungarian
Metal Hammer
''Metal Hammer'' is a heavy metal music magazine and website founded in 1983, published in the United Kingdom by Future, with other language editions published by different companies available in numerous other countries. ''Metal Hammer'' featu ...
that he felt honoured to sing "''
This Jesus Must Die''". He performed in
Keep of Kalessin
Keep of Kalessin is a Norwegian extreme metal band from Trondheim, formed in 1993. The group's early lineup consisted of Ghash on vocals, Obsidian C. (the group founder) on guitars and keyboards, Warach on bass, and Vyl on drums. They released t ...
as well on their returning EP ''Reclaim'' together with drummer Frost from
Satyricon
The ''Satyricon'', ''Satyricon'' ''liber'' (''The Book of Satyrlike Adventures''), or ''Satyrica'', is a Latin work of fiction believed to have been written by Gaius Petronius in the late 1st century AD, though the manuscript tradition identifi ...
.
He is a "shadow" member of the American doom/drone metal band
Sunn O)))
Sunn O))) (pronounced "sun") is an American drone metal band formed in 1998 in Seattle, Washington (state), Washington. The band is known for its distinctive visual style and slow, heavy sound, which blends diverse genres including doom metal, ...
. His first live performance with the band happened on 24 March 2003 at Stadtwerkstatt in Linz, Austria. His first recorded collaboration with the band was in 2004 when he sang in the Sanskrit language on the tracks "''Decay2
ihil's Maw'" and "''Decay (The Symptoms of Kali Yuga)''" on their album ''
White2''. Csihar has performed on five full-length albums with the group, including the acclaimed successful ''
Monoliths & Dimensions'', and performed live with the band hundreds of times around the world.
In 2004, Csihar rejoined Mayhem after the departure of
Maniac, the band's previous vocalist. Their 2007 album, ''
Ordo ad Chao
''Ordo Ad Chao'' is the fourth full-length album by the Norwegian black metal
Black metal is an extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include Tempo#Beats per minute, fast tempos, a Screaming (music)#Black metal, ...
'', won the
Spellemannprisen
The Spellemannprisen (also referred to as the Norwegian Grammy Awards) is a Norwegian music award ceremony presented by International Federation of the Phonographic Industry#Local associations, IFPI Norge and :no:FONO, FONO. It was first awarded i ...
(also known as the Norwegian Grammy). Since then the band has embarked upon intense international touring.
In 2008 he also joined another project,
Gravetemple with
Stephen O'Malley of Sunn O))) and
Oren Ambarchi.
Csihar started his solo act in November 2008, called Void ov Voices. His live performances have been in support of artists like
Ulver
Ulver (Norwegian for "wolves") is a Norwegian Experimental electronic music, experimental electronica band founded in 1993, by vocalist Kristoffer Rygg. Their early works, such as debut album ''Bergtatt – Et eeventyr i 5 capitler, Bergtatt'', ...
on their first European tour,
Bohren & der Club of Gore,
Lustmord
Brian Williams is a Welsh musician, sound designer and composer. He has released albums under the name Lustmord starting in the 1980s and through the present.
Williams began as a recording artist within the industrial genre, working with Ch ...
,
Ruin
Ruins () are the remains of a civilization's architecture. The term refers to formerly intact structures that have fallen into a state of partial or total disrepair over time due to a variety of factors, such as lack of maintenance, deliberate ...
and
Diamanda Galas. He performed at "The Grand Reincarnation" Of
Paul Booth's Last Rites Gallery & Tattoo Theatre. He also toured in Japan and performed in Australia for the
Dark Mofo festival in Hobart, Tasmania.
He has collaborated with artists such as
Current 93
Current 93 are an English experimental music group, founded in 1982 by David Tibet. Much of Current 93's early work was similar to late 1970s and early 1980s industrial music: abrasive tape loops, droning synthesizer noises and Tibet's distorte ...
,
Jarboe,
Dissection
Dissection (from Latin ' "to cut to pieces"; also called anatomization) is the dismembering of the body of a deceased animal or plant to study its anatomical structure. Autopsy is used in pathology and forensic medicine to determine the cause of ...
,
Emperor
The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...
,
Taake,
Ulver
Ulver (Norwegian for "wolves") is a Norwegian Experimental electronic music, experimental electronica band founded in 1993, by vocalist Kristoffer Rygg. Their early works, such as debut album ''Bergtatt – Et eeventyr i 5 capitler, Bergtatt'', ...
, and
Banks Violette
Banks Violette (born 1973) is an artist based in Ithaca, New York.
Biography
Violette was born in Ithaca, New York, Ithaca, New York (state), New York and studied at the School of the Visual Arts in New York earning at BFA in 1998, and graduate ...
.
Between 2016 and 2018, Csihar joined
blackened death metal
Blackened death metal (also known as black death metal) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal that fuses elements of black metal and death metal.
The genre emerged in early 1990s when black metal bands began incorporating elements of death me ...
supergroup Sinsaenum. He would perform lead vocals alongside Sean Zatorsky of
Dååth
Dååth is an American death metal band from Atlanta. Their music incorporates styles such as death metal, orchestral music, and progressive metal.
History
Dååth was started by Eyal Levi and Mike Kameron, who had been playing in bands sinc ...
, with ex-
DragonForce bassist and group founder
Frédéric Leclercq and
Loudblast guitarist Stéphane Buriez on guitars, Seth guitarist Heimoth on bass, and former
Slipknot drummer
Joey Jordison
Nathan Jonas "Joey" Jordison (April 26, 1975 – July 26, 2021) was an American musician. He was the original drummer of the nu metal band Slipknot (band), Slipknot, in which he was designated #1, and the guitarist for the horror punk Supergroup ...
on drums. The band released its debut album ''
Echoes of the Tortured'' on 29 July 2016 via earMUSIC.
In 2019 he formed an esoteric noise project called Hiedelem with drummer/percussionist
Balázs Pándi (
Merzbow,
Keiji Haino).
In 2019 he participated in the live presentation of the album Canticles of the Holy Scythe by (
Lüüp, among with a chamber orchestra of a total 14 musicians ensemble.
Outside of music, Csihar graduated as an electrical engineer from a technical college, and used to be a private teacher of math and physics.
He worked in film production, most notably on
Tony Scott
Anthony David Leighton Scott (21 June 1944 – 19 August 2012) was a British film director and producer.
He made his theatrical film debut with ''The Hunger (1983 film), The Hunger'' (1983) and went on to direct highly successful action and t ...
's ''
Spy Game
''Spy Game'' is a 2001 action thriller film directed by Tony Scott and written by Michael Frost Beckner and David Arata. The film stars Robert Redford and Brad Pitt as CIA operatives entangled in a covert rescue mission during the final day ...
'', where he was the first assistant of production designer Norris Spencer. In 2018 he was portrayed in the film ''
Lords of Chaos'', which depicted the early 90s Norwegian black metal scene (in particular Mayhem). He was portrayed by his son Arion.
Although Mayhem have often displayed dead animals and blood at their live events, Csihar is a
vegetarian
Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the Eating, consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects as food, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slau ...
in his personal life.
Discography
Tormentor
* ''The Seventh Day of Doom'' (1987)
* ''Anno Domini'' (1988)
* ''Recipe Ferrum!'' (1999)
Mayhem
* ''
De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas
''De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas'' is the debut studio album by Norwegian black metal band Mayhem. Songwriting began in 1987, but due to the suicide of vocalist Per "Dead" Ohlin and the murder of guitarist Øystein "Euronymous" Aarseth, the album's ...
'' (1994)
* ''Mediolanum Capta Est'' (1998, guest performance)
* ''
Ordo Ad Chao
''Ordo Ad Chao'' is the fourth full-length album by the Norwegian black metal
Black metal is an extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include Tempo#Beats per minute, fast tempos, a Screaming (music)#Black metal, ...
'' (2007)
* ''
Esoteric Warfare'' (2014)
* ''
De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas Alive'' (2017)
* ''
Daemon
A demon is a malevolent supernatural being, evil spirit or fiend in religion, occultism, literature, fiction, mythology and folklore.
Demon, daemon or dæmon may also refer to:
Entertainment Fictional entities
* Daemon (G.I. Joe), a character ...
'' (2019)
*Atavistic Black Disorder/Kommando (2021)
Plasma Pool
* ''I'' (1991–1994)
* ''II – Drowning'' (1991–1993)
* ''III – Sinking'' (unreleased album)
Aborym
* ''
Kali Yuga Bizarre'' (1998, guest performance)
* ''
Fire Walk with Us!'' (2000)
* ''
With No Human Intervention'' (2003)
* ''
Generator'' (guest vocals on "Man Bites God", 2006)
Limbonic Art
Limbonic Art is a Norwegian symphonic black metal band from Sandefjord.
History
Limbonic Art was formed in 1993 by Daemon, and was originally a full band featuring 3 other members. Daemon got in touch with Morfeus after the demise of the first li ...
* ''
The Ultimate Death Worship'' (guest vocals on "From the Shades of Hatred", 2001)
Korog
* ''Korog'' (2005)
Attila Csihar
* ''The Beast of Attila Csihar'' (2003, compilation album)
Void of Voices
* ''777'' (2012, live album, Japan Tour exclusive)
Anaal Nathrakh
Anaal Nathrakh are a British extreme metal band formed in 1999 in Birmingham by multi-instrumentalist Mick Kenney and vocalist Dave Hunt (musician), Dave Hunt. They are currently signed to Metal Blade Records. The band's name is Irish language, ...
* ''
When Fire Rains Down from the Sky, Mankind Will Reap As It Has Sown'' (guest vocals on "Atavism", 2003)
* ''
Eschaton'' (guest vocals on "Regression to the Mean", 2006)
Keep of Kalessin
Keep of Kalessin is a Norwegian extreme metal band from Trondheim, formed in 1993. The group's early lineup consisted of Ghash on vocals, Obsidian C. (the group founder) on guitars and keyboards, Warach on bass, and Vyl on drums. They released t ...
* ''
Reclaim'' (2003)
Emperor
The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...
* ''Scattered Ashes'' (guest vocals on "Funeral Fog", Mayhem cover, 2003)
Sear Bliss
* ''Glory and Perdition'' (additional vocals in "Birth of Eternity" and "Shores of Death", 2003)
Sunn O)))
Sunn O))) (pronounced "sun") is an American drone metal band formed in 1998 in Seattle, Washington (state), Washington. The band is known for its distinctive visual style and slow, heavy sound, which blends diverse genres including doom metal, ...
* ''
White2'' (2004)
* ''
Oracle
An oracle is a person or thing considered to provide insight, wise counsel or prophetic predictions, most notably including precognition of the future, inspired by deities. If done through occultic means, it is a form of divination.
Descript ...
'' (2007)
* ''
Dømkirke
''Dømkirke'' is a live album by American drone metal band Sunn O))) that was recorded at Bergen Cathedral in Bergen, Norway, during the Borealis (festival), Borealis Festival. The album was pressed only on vinyl, but it was later made availabl ...
'' (2008)
* ''
Monoliths & Dimensions'' (2009)
* ''
Terrestrials (album)'' (2014)
* ''
Kannon
Guanyin () is a common Chinese name of the bodhisattva associated with Karuṇā, compassion known as Avalokiteśvara (). Guanyin is short for Guanshiyin, which means " he One WhoPerceives the Sounds of the World". Originally regarded as m ...
'' (2015)
Astarte
Astarte (; , ) is the Greek language, Hellenized form of the Religions of the ancient Near East, Ancient Near Eastern goddess ʿAṯtart. ʿAṯtart was the Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic equivalent of the East Semitic language ...
* ''
Demonized
Demonization or demonisation is the reinterpretation of polytheistic deities as evil, lying demons by other religions, generally by the monotheistic and henotheistic ones. The term has since been expanded to refer to any characterization of indivi ...
'' (guest vocals on "Lycon", 2007)
Burial Chamber Trio
* ''
Burial Chamber Trio'' (2007)
Grave Temple
* ''
The Holy Down'' (2007?)
* ''Ambient/Ruin'' (2008)
* ''Impassable Fears'' (2017)
YcosaHateRon
* ''La Nuit'' (2007)
Stephen O'Malley
* ''6°Fskyquake'' (2008)
Jarboe
* ''Mahakali'' (guest vocals on "The Soul Continues", 2008)
Skitliv
* ''Skandinavisk Misantropi'' (additional vocals on "ScumDrug", 2009)
Nader Sadek
* ''
In the Flesh'' (guest vocals on two tracks, 2010)
Ulver
Ulver (Norwegian for "wolves") is a Norwegian Experimental electronic music, experimental electronica band founded in 1993, by vocalist Kristoffer Rygg. Their early works, such as debut album ''Bergtatt – Et eeventyr i 5 capitler, Bergtatt'', ...
* ''
Wars of the Roses
The Wars of the Roses, known at the time and in following centuries as the Civil Wars, were a series of armed confrontations, machinations, battles and campaigns fought over control of the English throne from 1455 to 1487. The conflict was fo ...
'' (guest vocals on "Providence", 2010)
DivahaR
* ''Divarise'' (guest vocals on "Blindness") 2014
Divahar is an all-female symphonic black metal band from
Yerevan
Yerevan ( , , ; ; sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia, as well as one of the world's List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerev ...
,
Armenia
Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...
that contains Dev on vocals and guitar, Urubani on guitar, Skadi on bass, and Belus on keyboards.
Alien Vampires
*'' Drag You to Hell'' (guest vocals on "The Divinity Of Solitude") 2015
Sinsaenum
* ''
Echoes of the Tortured'' (2016)
* ''Ashes'' (2017)
* ''Repulsion for Humanity'' (2018)
Statiqbloom
*''Beneath the Whelm'' (guest vocals on "The Second Coming") 2020
The Mugshots
*''Children of the Night / The Call'' (guest vocals on "The Call") 2021
References
External links
Attila Csihar at Southern LordOfficial Mayhem website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Csihar, Attila
Mayhem (band) members
21st-century Hungarian male singers
Hungarian rock singers
Living people
1971 births
Black metal singers
Heavy metal singers
Southern Lord Records artists
Sunn O))) members
20th-century Hungarian male singers
Sinsaenum members
Aborym members