By the power of darkness and the might of the black heart, no two Mayhem albums have been or ever will be alike. Over Mayhem's storied and groundbreaking 35-year career, from De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas (1994) to Esoteric Warfare (2014), the Norwegians have continually defied the orthodoxy of the genre they helped create. Initially informed by the greats Hellhammer, Venom, Bathory, and Sodom, the Norwegians eventually imbued their damnable attack with influences from all over the extreme music spectrum, indicated first on the harsh and angular Wolf's Lair Abyss (1997) EP and foremost on the brutal and game-changing Grand Declaration of War (2000). In 2019, Mayhem once again reinvents the new album, Daemon. "Mayhem will always be Mayhem," says guitarist/songwriter Teloch (aka Morten Bergeton Iversen). "If we put the genre game aside a little, no one else sounds like Mayhem. Even when De Mysteriis came out, it wasn't at first considered a black metal album, if my memory serves me right. It is difficult to label this band, metal would be the most suitable, it is not pure black metal in my opinion. I am not sure it ever was actually, despite common opinion. People can call it what they want. If it is black metal for them, then fine. We truly care. But for me, it is important to at least keep some kind of black metal vibe." Founded in 1984 in the picturesque village of Langhus, Norway by late (and visionary) frontman Euronymous (aka Øystein Aarseth), Necrobutcher (aka Jørn Stubberud), and Manheim (aka Kjetil Haraldsson), Mayhem's small town beginnings were auspicious nonetheless; the Mayhem name itself was inspired by the Venom song "Mayhem with Mercy." By 1986, the Norwegians had ventured headlong into the proverbial abyss with the release of their first demo, Pure Fucking Armageddon, a cacophonous throng of metal so extreme it had no name. Sure, the "Fuck" and "Off" sides were indicators of Mayhem's fractured aesthetic but it was their debut EP, Deathcrush (1987), that rang alarm bells that all was not well in Norway. From church burnings, record store bombings, and the suicide of vocalist Per Yngve Ohlin (aka Dead) in 1991 to record labels, the Inner Circle, and death - Euronymous was killed by Varg Vikernes in 1993 - Mayhem's eternal spirit and flesh has not only endured but also evolved into a monster as dangerous to the mind as it is the body. Daemon is that transformation. Mayhem's new album is malice manifested and malevolence personified. "Esoteric Warfare was a strict concept-themed album," says Teloch. "Lyrically, visually, and musically. With Daemon, we tried a different approach and said, 'Fuck the themes!', but it turned out to be a theme album anyway. There will always be some kind of red thread between the albums, even if it might be a really thin one. It is easy to relate almost anything to a theme if you are creative enough."
Amazon
eBay
Rare Vinyl
