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MAYHEM
Liturgy Of Death

Century Media (2026)
Rating: 8.5/10

To fully understand and appreciate the truly mesmeric quality of the legendary Mayhem one must ignore the cold mists of their past. While the Norwegian band’s classic 1994 opus De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas remains embedded in folklore, the Mayhem of today, and the last few decades, is an entirely different beast to contend with.

Focus on the now and you’ll come to terms with how good Liturgy Of Death is. This is a record that obviously brims with the same evil confidence of yore, but technically it is light years above and beyond the foggy vapours of the Norwegian inner circle which resulted in unholy fires and death. Mayhem are Attila Csihar (vocals), Ghul (guitar), Teloch (guitar), Necrobutcher (bass) and Hellhammer (drums); a stable formation for well over a decade and one which once again provides quite the immersive adventure.

What I really like about Mayhem is that their albums, especially since Attila’s return in the mid-2000s, require several listens before you even begin to scratch the surface of their dizzying arcane caverns. On my eighth spin of this latest opus I’m still marvelling at the hidden whirlwinds beyond the already suffocating and thorny nooks. Scowling from the most barbaric of depths, Attila bellows, croons, snarls and snaps like a possessed preacher. Beyond mere theatrical presence, Attila commands and demands as around him his fellow cult members ply their trade; Hellhammer and Necrobutcher flailing and grinding in sinister tandem as black riffs swirl and nefarious solos snake around the rumble of bass.

The result is a smorgasbord of devilish dissonance and smothering gloom summed up by the emphatic chimes of epic closer ‘The Sentence Of Absolution’. It simmers initially with a black majesty, smouldering as toxic gaseous ooze before its tentacles unfold and you’re dragged into the abyss of colossal grandeur. Mayhem has never constructed such a monolith and it’s the perfect way to finish the first Mayhem album in over six long years.

Elsewhere, the record is littered with tight, lung-scraping hate campaigns fuelled by the belligerence of bass and drums which act as summoning chants of primordial majesty. ‘Aeon’s End’ jabs with unorthodox aplomb; all axe work presenting itself as thorny and alien. Hellhammer is a law unto himself, projecting himself through his own circling tirades on ‘Propitious Death’; his demonic waves loudly going about their brutal business before the gargantuan guitar work lifts the track into further turbulent zenith.

It’s strange that some “fans” still yearn for those vintage days, but if you are seeking such blistering pleasures then ‘Funeral Of Existence’ should suffice, although everything offered here still boasts that unnerving, ice cold glare. ‘Ephemeral Eternity’ opens the album with a tumble of percussion and that ever recognisable glint of suspense and dread. Mayhem remains masters of menace, enticing you into their web of intrigue before snapping at your flesh like a horde of bloodthirsty demons. It’s also truly staggering how every song unravels as an expansive platform; there’s a cold yet dense atmosphere to each turbulent vortex, the constant tirades merging with icier trickles alongside the general atmosphere of despair and all consuming wickedness.

The obscurity may have left the indelible aura of this band, but the esoteric mystery remains, embedded like some ancient sordid artefacts of utmost power.

Neil Arnold

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