Mayhem

Formed in Oslo in 1984, Mayhem from its beginnings was part of the emergence of Norwegian black metal, with a raw, fast and hostile sound that took shape on the demo Pure Fucking Armageddon and then on the Deathcrush EP in 1987. Mayhem's history is marked by several lineup changes and by the deaths of Dead in 1991 and Euronymous in 1993, events that interrupted an initial period concluded by De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas in 1994, a founding album of modern black metal with Attila Csihar on vocals. Reassembled in the mid-1990s around Necrobutcher and Hellhammer, Mayhem then evolved its aesthetics toward more dissonant, progressive and experimental forms on Grand Declaration of War in 2000, then tightened its writing on Chimera in 2004 and Ordo ad Chao in 2007. The current lineup, organized around Necrobutcher, Hellhammer, Attila Csihar, Teloch and Ghul, has alternated since with fidelity to its roots and more abstract explorations, as on Esoteric Warfare in 2014 and Daemon in 2019. In concert, Mayhem maintains a stark, frontal live approach, in line with the extreme tradition from which the band originates, while remaining active on international metal scenes since its reformation.