Album
Type : (Vinyl Single)
Date
Released : 25/4/2014
Label
: Season of Mist
Psywar Vinyl
Single, track listing :
1). Psywar
2). From Beyond The Event Horizon (Non – Album Track)
Bio :
It has been
seven long years since MAYHEM
released their fourth and last full-length "Ordo ad Chao". Founded as
early as in 1984 in Oslo, Norway by the late and legendary frontman Øystein
Aarseth aka Euronymous, bassist Jørn "Necrobutcher" Stubberud, and
Kjetil "Manheim" Haraldsson on drums, the band took its name from the
VENOM song "Mayhem with Mercy". Continuing and renewing the Black
Metal style heralded by the English trio, MAYHEM soon became the instigators of the so called second wave
and were at the heart of every controversy surrounding that genre.
The suicide of
misanthropic frontman Per Yngve "Dead" Ohlin. The murder of
Euronymous by guest bass player "Count Grishnakh" alias the notorious
Varg Vikernes. Church burnings, drugs and prison sentences, MAYHEM were always at the centre of
the storm. Yet not even death could stop the Norwegians, who released one
musical milestone after the other. The incredible rawness of the
"Deathcrush" EP (1987) was followed by the still iconic and genre
defining "De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas" (1994), which featured devilish
drummer Jan Axel "Hellhammer" Blomberg, who had joined in 1988. The
vocalist on this album was the Hungarian Attila Csihar of TORMENTOR fame, who
returned later in 2004 to take over from his meantime heir, the enigmatic
original singer Sven-Erik "Maniac" Kristiansen.
The latter was
featured on the "Wolf's Lair Abyss" EP (1997), which was written
mostly by highly talented guitarist Rune "Blasphemer" Eriksen, who
scored a massive success with the highly controversial "Grand Declaration
Of War" (2000). Those were followed by the more classic
"Chimera" (2004) and a masterpiece of utter darkness called
"Ordo Ad Chao" (2007) with Attila singing again, which inspired many
bands to follow in its tracks. MAYHEM
had always witnessed many line-up changes due to the circumstances described
above. Therefore even the loss of Blasphemer, who decided to focus on his other
band AVA INFERI in 2008, did not stop the band. Activities mainly revolved
around live shows, until the right balance was found again with the recruitment
of Morten "Teloch" Iversen.
The guitarist
had already made a name for himself with NIDINGR, which is highly regarded
amongst black metal enthusiasts yet remained mostly an underground phenomenon.
Now his first compositional work with MAYHEM
is unleashed and demonstrates how perfectly Teloch has captured the essence and
spirit of the Norwegian legend by linking the band back to its roots, while at
the same time taking a step forward into the spearhead position of the genre
instead of dwelling in nostalgia. The A-side, "Psywar" comes with a
different mastering than the album version. The B-side is a rare track taken
from the much rumoured Budapest Recording Sessions, which the band decided to
scratch. Tremble world, MAYHEM
are back with a vengeance
The Band :
Attila Csihar | Vocals
Teloch | Guitars
Necrobutcher | Bass
Hellhammer | Drums
Review
:
Mayhem,
a controversial and very well known presence in the black metal scene, return.
Attila is back on vocals (Maniac has long since left), with the rhythm section of
Hellhammer on drums with Necrobutcher on bass present. Blasphemer is long gone from the band, and
Euronymous really couldn't be on here either. So, Charles Hedger and Teloch now
make up the axe attack of the band. I haven't heard anything from the band
since "Chimera" (now longer
ago than I would like to think about) so was very interested to hear this
taster prior to the new album later this year.
Psywar is fast and
furious- old school black metal in production and approach. Hellhammer remains
one of the best black metal drummers out there and the effect of the track is
as nasty and necro as I wanted it to be. Slow moving melodies picked out fast
on the guitar remain the order of the day and the song has a spooky vibe to it,
totally in keeping with their earlier work.
From
Beyond The Event Horizon rounds out the single with a more progressive
offering- slow to start and then builds up effectively towards an all out
assault.
If
you have an interest in Mayhem then get hold of this- if you are a full time
fan, then you will want it, if you just dabble with black metal then learn from
the greats and stick this on your turntable. Music to mutilate a severed pig's
head to, for sure.
Words by : Richard Maw
