Chimera

Mayhem was one of the first black metal bands from Norway to make a significant impact within their homeland both musically and historically. They are largely responsible for what is now known as Norwegian Black Metal, spawning such acts as Emperor, Darkthrone, Immortal, Enslaved and many others. The band was formed around 1985. From day one Mayhem lived out the very meaning of the word from which they used as their identity. Some members took their obsession with evil and darkness to the extreme in the early 1990's. Mayhem were more known for their violent, nonmusical history with murder, a suicide, an act of cannibalism, and a variety of satanic, anti-Christian activity such as church burnings. Despite these events, they did not seem to slow Mayhem's recording process and creation of a black metal catalog close to 16 official releases: ("Pure Fucking Armageddon", "Deathcrush", "Live In Leipzig", "De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas", "Out From The Dark", "Freezing Moon", "Wolfs Lair Abyss", "Ancient Skin/Necrolust", "Split w/Zyklon-B", "Mediolanum Capta Est", "Grand Declaration Of War", "European Legions", "Live In Marseille", "U.S. Legions", "Split w/Meads Of Asphodel", and "The Studio Experience"). "Chimera" is an excellent effort in an attempt to reclaim the Black Metal Throne! Mayhem once again travels into the dark landscapes and emerges with their most ambitious record yet. “Chimera” is a total return to the blackness that made them. It's more back to basics and much more brutal than "Grand Declaration Of War". Mayhem uses a lot of complex elements creating something quite chaotic. They mix more Technical Death Metal with Melodic Black Metal. There's a lot of melody to be found in the background and it is probably their best produced record to date. Hellhammer's drumming is as over the top as ever. Blasphemer's guitar playing is almost Voivodish at times yet comprehensible. Maniac's vocals are as cryptic as ever and Necrobutcher's bass helps provide a dark atmosphere. Overall, "Chimera" should appeal to fans of Black Metal albums like Emperor's "In The Nightside Eclipse" or "Below The Lights" by Enslaved.