Mayhem

Live In Leipzig

Probably one of the last good Norwegian BM releases

Review Score:

(10/10)
One of the most influential bands on the new wave of Scandinavian black metal, this, Mayhem's only "official" live CD (as reissued by Certainly Mediocre Records) features the morbid vocal stylings of now-deceased vocalist Dead. Here, some of Mayhem's most memorable tracks are presented in a horrid, raw format, unfettered by good production and recording cleanliness. These tracks are presented in the format Mayhem truly intended: raw, horrid, and sick. On some of the older "Deathcrush" demos tracks, Dead's sinister vocals destroy the older, silly warblings of Maniac. This also features several tracks from the then-unreleased "Mysteriis Dom Sathanas," which Dead performs exquisitely on, making Attila's stupid opera croonings seem foolish. This *IS* the definitive official Mayhem recording, if you say otherwise, you have no idea about what Mayhem was really all about. It's a shame that Norwegian BM has become so commercial and stale by accepting humanitarian ideals; "Live in Leipzig" is the perfect soundtrack to the years when black metal was a raw, evil, and unadulterated underground phenomenon.

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