Mayhem

Grand Declaration Of War

A Knowledgeable Review

Review Score:

(10/10)
The problem with the above reviews, is that the reviewers seem to only "get" bits and pieces of this masterpiece. "Grand Declaration of War" is exactly what it says, a grand declaration of war. Hellhammer and co. have decided to light the fire underneath the black metal movement, and perhaps attempt to turn it back into the feared and creative force it once was years ago. The beauty of this album is that it is something entirely original in a world where staleness often seems to be the byword. Maniac delivers a dual vocal attack here, utilizing a bold and arrogant-sounding clean voice, and then conversely, vicious spiteful spewings that are some the most evil sounding vocals I've ever heard. The music itself is also quite unpredictable. Mayhem still sounds like Mayhem, but the songs are arranged in such a way they sound like a completely different band at the same time. For most people, it'll probably take a few listens to get used to, but I latched onto this cd right away, and barely listened to anything else for the first week I had it. If you're open-minded and intelligent, you'll love this album right away. But if you're expecting "De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas", you're bound to be a bit disappointed at first. But just give it a few listens anyway. It's bound to grow on you. By the way, Hellhammer's drumming has gotten at least 10 times better in the past 7 years. He is one of my top three favorite drummers (the other two being Pete Sandoval and Trym Torson).

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