Mayhem "Daemon (Limited Edition)"

Daemon is the sixth full-length studio album by Norwegian black metal band Mayhem. Their major label debut, it was released by Century Media Records on 25 October 2019 in digital formats while a manufacturing problem delayed the physical release until 8 November 2019.

The band went into the studio not long after the De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas Alive anniversary tour in which the band played the iconic debut album in its entirety for various dates around the world. Many critics suggested the tour was highly influential to the sound of Daemon with many comparing it to that album. The album was also released on the back of the Lords of Chaos semi-biopic movie, giving the band a boost in popularity and interest.

During promotional interviews for the album, Necrobutcher claimed he was "On [his] way to kill Euronymous but Varg beat [him] to it", and also claimed that the Norwegian Police were aware of Vikernes' plot to kill Euronymous, stating: "But little did I know that the Norwegian police already knew that Count Grishnackh [Varg] was going down also to kill him. Because they bugged his phone, and he actually talked about this killing before he went to Bergen so the cops already knew that he was coming, so they probably were thinking to themselves, ‘We didn’t nail this guy for the church burnings, so let’s nail him for murder, and get rid of this f–king guy in Oslo the same time.’ So that’s basically what happened." He provided no evidence for this accusation against the Norwegian Police.

The bonus disc for the album features a cover of "Disgusting Semla" from former vocalist Dead's pre-Mayhem band Morbid.

Track listing

1. "The Dying False King" Teloch Teloch 3:45
2. "Agenda Ignis" Teloch Teloch 4:34
3. "Bad Blood" Necrobutcher Ghul 4:58
4. "Malum" Hellhammer Ghul 5:05
5. "Falsified and Hated" Teloch Teloch 5:48
6. "Aeon Daemonium" Teloch Teloch 6:03
7. "Worthless Abominations Destroyed" Teloch Teloch 3:48
8. "Daemon Spawn" Teloch Teloch 6:02
9. "Of Worms and Ruins" Ghul Ghul 3:48
10. "Invoke the Oath" Attila Csihar Teloch 5:33

Total length: 47:21

Limited Edition CD bonus tracks

1. "Everlasting Dying Flame" 5:53
2. "Black Glass Communion" 4:25

Recording information:

Drums and vocals recorded at NBS Audio Studio (a.k.a. Necromorbus Studio), Söderfors, Sweden.

Ghul's guitars recorded in the Netherlands.

Teloch's guitars recorded at SleikBallaMi Studio, Oslo, Norway.

Bass recorded at Lupercal Studio, Oslo, Norway.

Mastered at The Panic Room.

Mayhem "Grand Declaration Of War (2018 Reissue, Remastered, Digipack)"

Grand Declaration of War is the second full-length studio album by the Norwegian black metal band Mayhem, released by Season of Mist and Necropolis Records on 6 June 2000. A re-release of the album came out in December 2018, with Jaime Gomez Arellano overseeing the production.

The album's title and some of the lyrics are taken from the writings of the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, particularly his books Twilight of the Idols—Nietzsche called Twilight of the Idols "a grand declaration of war" („eine grosse Kriegserklärung“).

In his book Mean Deviation: Four Decades of Progressive Heavy Metal, Jeff Wagner wrote that Grand Declaration of War features "a variety of vocal shadings to match the multi-layered music", between "A Time to Die", described by Wagner as "one minute and forty-eight seconds of black calculus", "A Bloodsword and a Colder Sun" offering "squishy electronic groove, so close to trip-hop that it instantly became the album's most controversial track" and the "mesmerizing ten-minute sprawling landscape of doom" "Completion in Science of Agony". The album's "sonic clarity" was "a complete 180-degree turn" from the band's early "scuzzy 'necro' approach". Parts of the black metal scene had hoped Mayhem would not reform after the murder of the original guitarist Øystein "Euronymous" Aarseth as "that would not be right", or at least were "rather sceptical when it was known that [sic] MAYHEM should go on even without Dead or Euronymous". Many longtime Mayhem fans despised Blasphemer because "he wasn't Aarseth". Jeff Wagner calls Grand Declaration of War "Mayhem's own Into the Pandemonium, an album that had perverted and turned inside out the black metal genre as Celtic Frost's [Into the] Pandemonium had done to thrash metal". Alex Henderson of Allmusic stated that the band "has outdone itself with the epic Grand Declaration of War, which could arguably be described as black metal's equivalent of Queensryche's Operation: Mindcrime".

A remastered version of the album was released in December 2018; the original 'cold', 'sterile' production was swapped out for a more raw sound with the bass and drums made more prominent in the mix.

Tracklist:

All lyrics are written by Maniac; all music is composed by Blasphemer.

1. "Untitled" (hidden in pregap before track 1 on original CD; simply the final track reversed) 2:11
2. "A Grand Declaration of War" 4:14
3. "In the Lies Where upon You Lay" 5:59
4. "A Time to Die" 1:48
5. "View from Nihil (Part I of II)" 3:04
6. "View from Nihil (Part II of II)" 1:16
7. "A Bloodsword and a Colder Sun (Part I of II)" 0:33
8. "A Bloodsword and a Colder Sun (Part II of II)" 4:27
9. "Crystallized Pain in Deconstruction" 4:09
10. "Completion in Science of Agony (Part I of II)" 9:44
11. "To Daimonion (Part I of III)" 3:25
12. "To Daimonion (Part II of III)" 4:52
13. "To Daimonion (Part III of III)" 0:07
14. "Completion in Science of Agony (Part II of II)" 2:14

Total length: 45:58

Issued in a 4-panel Digipak, with 12-booklet and clear disc tray.

Hype sticker over the shrink wrap:

'Completely remixed and remastered from the original master tapes!

One of Black Metal's most controversial albums

"Grand Declaration of War is a record that stands alone in the grand scheme of Black Metal as a scene. But it's a very cool record, which deserves some thought, attention and an open mind."

Angry Metal Guy'.

Recording information:

Originally recorded at Fagerborg Studio and Top Room Studio from Nov 1999 to Jan 2000.

Remixed and remastered at Orgone Studio in 2018.

Mayhem "Wolf's Lair Abyss"

Wolf's Lair Abyss is an EP by the Norwegian black metal band Mayhem.

According to the band's website, it is the first part of Grand Declaration of War. The main riff of the last track, "Symbols of Bloodswords", is used in "A Grand Declaration of War" and "View from Nihil (Part II)".

This EP was the first Mayhem release without guitarist Euronymous, who was murdered in 1993. The new line-up's material displayed across the songs is notably far more technical than that of earlier incarnations of the band; apart from the intro, each track contains at least two separate sections and is played at high tempo with consistent blast beats.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Mayhem.

1. "The Vortex Void of Inhumanity (Intro)" 2:21
2. "I Am Thy Labyrinth" 5:26
3. "Fall of Seraphs" 6:02
4. "Ancient Skin" 5:28
5. "Symbols of Bloodswords" 5:24

Released in Digipak containing a booklet that folds out into 24x36 cm paper with a picture on one side and hand-written lyrics on the other side.

"Symbols of Bloodswords" is considered as Part 1 of "Grand Declaration of War" by the band, since that album is divided into Part 2 and Part 3.

The first press (DADC Austria) is said to be limited to 1000 copies, but a repress also exists on Sony DADC.

Recording information:

Recorded at Studio Studio and Far Out Studio in 1997.

Mixed at Jester Studio.

Mastered at Strype Audio.

Produced by Krystoffer Rygg

Engineered, mixed and mastered by Mayhem

Mayhem "De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas"

De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas is the first studio album by the 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 release was delayed until May 1994. De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas is widely considered one of the most influential black metal albums of all time. It is the band's only studio album to feature Aarseth and Varg "Count Grishnackh" Vikernes.

Mayhem began writing songs for the album in late 1987 or early 1988, depending on the source. Vocalist Dead started to write the lyrics when he joined the band in 1988. In 1990 studio versions of the songs "The Freezing Moon" and "Carnage" were recorded, appearing on the CBR Records compilation album Projections of a Stained Mind. Mayhem's drummer, Jan Axel "Hellhammer" Blomberg, claimed that the lyrics of "Freezing Moon" were "meant to make people commit suicide". Dead said in a 1989 interview by Marduk guitarist Morgan "Evil" Håkansson, published in Slayer fanzine, that by then he had written the lyrics for "Funeral Fog", "Freezing Moon", "Buried by Time and Dust" and "Pagan Fears". Finished versions of these songs appeared on the album Live in Leipzig, a concert recording from November 1990 which was released in 1993.

By 1991, Dead and Euronymous were living in a house in the woods near Kråkstad, which was used by the band to rehearse. On 8 April 1991, while alone in the house, Dead slit his wrists and throat and then shot himself in the forehead with a shotgun. He left a brief suicide note, which apologized for having used the gun indoors and began with "Excuse the blood". His body was found by Euronymous. Before calling the police, he allegedly went to a nearby shop and bought a disposable camera with which he photographed the body, after re-arranging some items. One of these photographs was later used as the cover of a bootleg live album titled The Dawn of the Black Hearts.

To record the new album, Euronymous recruited Attila Csihar (from the Hungarian band Tormentor) as vocalist and Vikernes (who performed solo as Burzum) as bassist. This lineup – Euronymous, Hellhammer, Csihar and Vikernes – recorded the album during late 1992 and early 1993 at the Grieg Hall in Bergen. According to Attila Csihar, the whole album was recorded in three days. The album itself contained no information on lineup and credits. Necrobutcher, who had left the band before the recording sessions, claimed to have written half of the songs for the album. He stated that he and Dead wrote "Freezing Moon" and Euronymous only contributed one riff to that song. Snorre "Blackthorn" Ruch (who performed solo as Thorns) wrote some of the riffs for the album and finished some of Dead's song lyrics, according to himself and Hellhammer. The main riff of the Thorns song "Into the Promised Land" (also called "Lovely Children") became the main riff of "From the Dark Past". According to Vikernes, Euronymous was responsible for most of the guitar riffs, but he claimed that Hellhammer, Necrobutcher and himself contributed some riffs, too.

On 10 August 1993, Vikernes and Blackthorn traveled to Euronymous's apartment in Oslo, where Vikernes stabbed Euronymous to death. He was arrested and sentenced to 21 years in prison, while Blackthorn was sentenced to 8 years for being an accomplice.

During Vikernes's trial, police said that they had found explosives and ammunition in Vikernes's home. Euronymous and Vikernes had allegedly plotted to blow up Nidaros Cathedral, which appears on the album cover, to coincide with the album's release. Vikernes denied this allegation in a 2009 interview, saying, "I was getting [the explosives and ammunition] in order to defend Norway if we were attacked any time. During the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union could have decided to attack us."

After Euronymous's funeral, Hellhammer and Necrobutcher worked on releasing the album. Euronymous's parents asked Hellhammer to remove the bass tracks recorded by Vikernes. Hellhammer refused, saying, "I thought it was appropriate that the murderer and victim were on the same record. I put word out that I was re-recording the bass parts, but I never did".

The album was eventually released in May 1994, around the time that Vikernes was sentenced. It featured the last lyrics written by Dead before his suicide, and the last songs recorded by Euronymous before his murder.

In 2009, Mayhem released rough mixes of five songs from the De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas recording session as the EP Life Eternal.

The title De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas is a Latin phrase meaning "(About) The Mysteries of the Lord Satan", with "Dom" being an abbreviation of "Domini", often used as an honorific prefix for ecclesiastics of the Catholic Church. The album cover is a monochrome photo of the east side of Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim, Norway.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Mayhem.

1. "Funeral Fog" 5:47
2. "Freezing Moon" 6:23
3. "Cursed in Eternity" 5:10
4. "Pagan Fears" 6:20
5. "Life Eternal" 6:57
6. "From the Dark Past" 5:26
7. "Buried by Time and Dust" 3:34
8. "De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas" 6:21

Total length: 45:58

Produced together with Voices of Wonder.

The original Deathlike Silence pressing lacks a barcode and lyrics, its 4-panel booklet simply just contains a fold-out cover with pictures of Hellhammer and Euronymous, credits, copyright and contact info.

Front cover is a drawing of a monochrome photo taken from east side of Nidaros cathedral located in Trondheim, Norway. Colouring of the building on the front cover is blue (according to the book in the 25-year 5-LP box, the 2nd press CD had lyrics but the cover artist got no credits. Starting from the 3rd CD-press onward, the name of the cover artist for lyrics pages only - Jørgen Lid Widing - is written in the booklet in a completely different font - courtesy by Voices of Wonder).

All the CD's contain on the back cover: "A Tribute to Euronymous 15/04/1968 - 10/08/1993" with a promo photo of only Euronymous and Hellhammer. Attila Csihar, Varg Vikernes and Snorre W. Ruch's contributions are not mentioned anywhere. The CD itself features a very dark photo showing the faces of Euronymous and Hellhammer, and a third face which is believed to be Attila (although this has never been confirmed by the band).

Euronymous' murder by Vikernes (who plays bass on the album) occurred right before the initial release of the album. Accordingly, the family of Euronymous requested Hellhammer to remove all of Vikernes' bass tracks. Hellhammer promised that he would replace bass lines with his own, but he didn't know how to play bass, so the album was left with Vikernes' bass lines intact, albeit lowered significantly in the mix compared to the other instruments.

Contrary to popular belief, Snorre did not record guitars on this album, although he and Euronymous often exchanged musical ideas and so Euronymous included several riffs written by him on the record.

The lyrics of "Life Eternal" were originally written by Dead as a gift to Bull Metal, who played in Typhon, Masacre and Neurosis; but nevertheless those lyrics were used in De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas by the band. Also as a posthumous tribute to Dead and Euronymous, Bull Metal used the same lyrics for "Life Eternal" in their 1996 Typhon album Unholy Trilogy, although with different music.

A bootlegged rehearsal of this album called From the Darkest Past was distributed sometime in the early 90's, featuring instrumental tracks recorded on May 16th 1992.

Recording information:

Recorded at The Grieg Memorial Hall (Norwegian: Grieghallen) Studios (Bergen, Norway) between 1992 and 1993.