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Satanism for Dummies

Black metal has become one of the most controversial sub genres in music. But there is one man that has so many ties to the genre and such an influence on the music that merely talking about him and the band he was a part of is a crash course into the history of black metal music itself. This black cat was Thomas Arsë otherwise known as Destructor, he was co-founder of the Aster City band known as Satanism for Dummies. A notorious group that had an influence on the scene as a whole. And he perfectly encapsulated some of the absolute insanity some of these black metal icons took part in. His extreme antics, nihilistic nature, and abrasive persona made him stand out like a sore thumb in a genre that was already intense to begin with. All of these elements would eventually combine in a shocking conclusion when Destructor was killed by his own bandmate. But we have a thousand other crazy things to talk about before we get to that point.

Arsë rebelled against the norms of his small city at an early age and he was inspired by many other metal bands. At twenty-two, Destructor, desperate to rebel and do something similar, would start his own band. This band was called Satanism for Dummies. Bassist and bull, Ivan Fuller Bullsett, also known as Moloch. Ivan had red eyes, wore red pants with orange flames on the shins. And Arsë who would later change his name to Destructor. Destructor had yellow eyes, would wear white face paint and an inverted cross on his head, a black tank-top with a Baphomet logo, and black pants.

On the first demo, Destructor was the lead vocalist but after it was released, they decided to search for some session vocalists to improve their sound. The two they found were a deer Richard Smalls otherwise known as False Prophet and a black goat with red-eyes, Lucien Kristen otherwise known as Baphomet. Smalls quit to focus on other endeavors while Baphomet stayed a few years and was their lead vocalist. They recorded their first EP, this seven track project definitely had darker undertones than most metal records at the time but it was only a glimpse at the shocking music Satanism for Dummies were capable of making. The record sold a thousand copies in Aster City. Still despite their sound being dark and controversial, they hadn't pushed the envelope enough and still hadn't developed into the full-on black metal band they were to become. Significant changes would be made to Satanism for Dummies' lineup. Ivan Fuller left and was replaced by a black-furred Afghan hound named Jan Van Bonner otherwise known as The Death Knight. Baphomet, who had established himself as a competent vocalist, would also leave the band, and his replacement would help change the direction of Satanism for Dummies and black metal forever.

An introverted seventeen year old cat started a band. This man was known as Dennie Nathan Mitenz, better known by his pseudonym Raging Dead. Raging Dead had long blonde hair, yellow eyes, white fur on the bottom part of his face down to his neck and white fur on his paws. Dead replaced Baphomet as the lead vocalist of Satanism for Dummies. It didn't take long for the bandmates to realize how strange Dead truly was. Regardless of how morbid and strange he was, his talent and intensity as a vocalist was undeniable and his dark image was a large part of transforming or at very least, emphasizing Satanism for Dummies' aesthetic and sound. Their image became darker. Raging Dead was obsessed with the idea of death and because of this, he would harm himself on stage and around his friends. His bandmates and friends did not like this and were understandably concerned but Destructor was fascinated by Dead and his antics and encouraged this behavior to continue. According to the people who knew both Dead and Destructor, they got on each other's nerves quite a bit, there were stories that they would torment each other, fight with each other, and even a bizarre claim that Dead had stabbed Destructor while they lived together. It got to the stage where Destructor was egging Dead on to take his own life, an idea that he would unfortunately follow through with.

Dead, Destructor, and The Death Knight were living in a rural house that was in the woods. Destructor and Dead were getting on each other's nerves, and this home was becoming a difficult environment to live in. The Death Knight said that Dead just sat in his room and became more and more depressed. On the 8th of April, Dead was left inside the house and decided to take his own life, leaving behind a bizarre note that read, "Excuse the blood." He was only twenty-two years of age. Destructor was the first one to come home and find him and his reaction was bizarre. As stated earlier, he was obsessed with how dark and morbid Dead was and to come home and find out that he had taken his own life was actually a pleasant surprise. So much so that before calling the authorities, he went to a local shop and purchased a disposable camera that he used to take pictures of Dead's body. He also used some bones for a necklace. The next day he called Moloch and informed him of Dead's death. Destructor used a photo of Dead's dead body as the cover art for the next album, Moloch would leave because of this which meant that half of Satanism for Dummies were now gone but Destructor had other plans and if anything, he was only getting started. In his eyes, the death of Dennie was a positive turning point for both Satanism for Dummies and black metal. Destructor opened up a record store in the summer.

An eighteen year old pony known as Ambrose Duke, Duke, being one of the best young musicians in the scene, was a perfect fit for the band. He joined as a bassist. Destructor tried to convert everyone to Satanism. Destructor's public image became a confusing one with some seeing him as a god while others saw him as an egomaniac on a power trip. Many members of the black metal community started to criticize his way of thinking, one of these critics was Duke.

Duke said he was responsible for the burning of a church and killed a man in the town of Darkwoods. Almost a dozen churches were burned in San Andreas and in many cases, the culprit was still a mystery. Also on top of this, a man actually was murdered in Darkwoods. Duke was quickly arrested under suspicion of committing these crimes along with other members of the black metal community. Duke was eventually released in March and at this stage, he was essentially done with Destructor. They already had a dispute about money a year prior and this was the tip of the iceberg.

Duke stabbed Destructor to death.