Review Summary: Twenty-five years after the release of their legendary first full-length, Mayhem are here to give us once again a lesson in how black metal should be done.
Standing the test of time is no easy task for a band. Lineup changes, shifts in the artistic direction, lack of creativity: the possible obstacles on the way are many, and the risk to fall in the realms of repetitiveness grows stronger with each passing day. This is nothing, however, when compared to the hardships Mayhem had to endure during their thirty years of existence. The death of guitarist, songwriter and founding member Euronymous at the hands of Varg Vikernes (who, for those who forgot, was handling the bass guitar duties during the recording of “De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas”) sure gave an incredible dose of mediatic attention to this Norwegian ensemble, if we want to put it in a cynical way, but on the other hand, the event split forever the black metal scene, threatening the very survival not only of the band, but of the whole black metal movement.
Nonetheless, Mayhem survived, and, through numerous lineup changes and with each following release, they were able to carry on their ferocious and uncompromising brand of extreme music. So, here we are in 2019, and, twenty-five years after the release of their legendary first full-length, Mayhem are here to give us once again a lesson in how black metal should be done. Indeed, after an experimental and often debated phase of their musical evolution, the band opted for a “back to the roots” approach, and the result is Daemon, an album that stands as the direct successor of “De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas”, and represents not only a monumentary opus in the band’s discography, but also a real declaration of intents. As I said above, “Daemon” opts for a direct and uncompromising approach, achieved through a style reminiscent of “De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas”, but not without throwing in tiny but significative bits of innovation, that, matched by an excellent songwriting level, result in a ferocious and thrilling album, thus succeeding in bringing back to life the atmosphere of the true Norwegian black metal scene, while also carefully avoiding to end up being a carbon copy of the band’s first works. Mayhem indeed prove to be amazing songwriters, providing a platter of ten (twelve if you get the bonus tracks edition) different songs, all pervaded by a strong sense of cohesion, while at the same time retaining a well-distinct identity one from the other. Guitarists Ghul and Teloch grace us with a real riff fest, and are able to keep things interesting through an intricate and varied guitar work, matched by an equally amazing performance by the legendary Hellhammer behind the kit.
We have indeed shorter and straight to the point songs, such as the album opener or the first two singles, namely “Worthless Abominations Destroyed” and “Of Worms and Ruins”, and some that are longer and somewhat reminiscent of the more experimental side of the band, for example “Falsified and Hated”, featuring a simplistic but incredibly effective and bone-chilling synth arrangement, or the vaguely post-black sounding “Daemon Spawn” and “Invoke the Oath”. Variation proves to be one of the keys to the success of the album: the songs usually avoid to adopt linear or traditional song structures, and tend to alternate fast sections, accompanied by furious blast beats and ferocious tremolo-picked riffs, to slower and calmer ones, capable of building up an ominous and absolutely evil atmosphere. In these terms, I feel like mentioning once again “Daemon Spawn” and “Invoke the Oath” over the rest of the platter, while the fantastic “Agenda Ignis” and “Bad Blood” fall in more groove-oriented realms, matched by an incredible bass work by Necrobutcher, who is able to provide some absolutely catchy and refined bass lines in the process.
One final mention goes to legendary frontman Attila Csihar, who provides what is definitely the best studio performance of his career. Attila has always been a one-of-a-kind singer, especially among the black metal scene: his unique style consists in alternating agonizing screams to raspy vocals and almost operatic sections, something that could be assimilated to a sort of ritual chant of death. If his vocal performance probably sounded a bit too raw in the debut, here we have him at his absolute best: his screams sound piercing and demonic, his raspy vocals are perfectly controlled, and the intensity, the fullness and the diaphragmatic technique he puts in his operatic ones are nothing short of amazing. An absolutely polyhedral and unique vocalist, capable of shifting from the most ominous scream (or death growl) to the most astonishing operatic register, without losing even an ounce of his malignity. Add now to the aforementioned elements and the fantastic performances of the musicians a perfectly matching production, capable of sounding modern yet at the same time adequately raw and evil, and which complements each and every element of the music: this is Daemon. Mayhem were able to craft the real successor of “De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas”: ”Daemon” is an album that will surely stand the test of time, and which represents one of the strongest additions to the band’s catalogue. Possibly one of the best extreme metal releases of the year, surely one not to miss.
Originally written for "The Metal Observer" (http://www.metal-observer.com/)
