Artist: Mayhem
Album: De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas
Released: 1994
Type: Full-length
Origin: Norway
Genre: Black Metal
Lyrical themes: Satanism, Death, Gore, Misanthropy,
War, Darkness, Philosophy
Mayhem is a Norwegian black metal band
formed in 1984 in Oslo.
They were one of the founders of the Norwegian black metal scene and
their music has strongly influenced the black metal genre. Mayhem's early
career was highly controversial, primarily due to their notorious live
performances, the 1991 suicide of vocalist Per Yngve Ohlin ("Dead")
and the 1993 murder of guitarist Øystein Aarseth ("Euronymous")
by former member Varg Vikernes ("Count Grishnackh"), of Burzum.
De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas is the first full-length
studio album by Mayhem and is widely considered one of the most
influential black metal albums of all time. According to a long feature by Metal
Hammer, "Two decades after it was recorded, it continues to top ‘best
album’ lists by longtime fans of the genre, while at the same time providing
primary inspiration for new bands whose members were not even born when it was
recorded. There are many who would say it is the single most important album in
black metal’s broad and ever-growing catalogue, and very few who would argue
that it is not, at the very least, a strong contender for that accolade." Metal
Injection described it as "one of the most essential black metal albums of
all time", writing that "In one record, the listener is exposed to
all the power, glory and contradictions inherent in Norwegian black metal, thus
making it a fascinating artifact from the dark past, and an essential piece of
black metal listening." De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas was
included on IGN's
list of "10 Great Black Metal Albums". Metal Hammer named it one
of the 20 best black metal albums of the 90s. Loudwire named
it the 8th best extreme metal album of all time, writing that "The riffs
are unforgettable and the atmosphere is caustic and suffocating with Attila
Csihar’s twisted, throaty cries sending it all to Hell. They also argued that
the album has a "stranglehold" on "black metal's legacy." Treble
Magazine named it one of the 10 essential black metal albums, writing that
"The circumstances surrounding the album were certainly grim, and even for
how influential Vikernes is on the genre for his work as Burzum, he will never
not be the guy who murdered Euronymous (not to mention a hate mongering
racist), but De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas is nonetheless a key
recording in black metal’s evolution."
While
Mayhem's previous vocalist had been Swedish, Csihar was from Hungary. His
style was somewhat atypical for Nordic black metal then, and provoked a mixed
reception from fans; for example, Metalreviews.com gave him the nickname
"Attila 'Fingernails' Csihar" (although a subsequent review by the
website praised his later Ordo Ad
Chao-era performances). The song "Freezing Moon" was included
on Kerrang!'s 25 Extreme Metal Anthems and various songs from
this album have been covered live and in studio by such bands as Dissection (Jon
Nödtveidt and Ole Öhman also
performed the song with Euronymous in 1991), Immortal, Dark
Funeral, Carpathian Forest, Gorgoroth, Behemoth, Vader, Enslaved, Cradle
of Filth and Darkmoon. "Funeral Fog" was covered by Emperor with
Csihar on vocals.
De Mysteriis Dom
Sathanas was
released in May 1994, around the time that Vikernes was sentenced. It featured
the last lyrics written by Dead before his suicide, and the last songs recorded
by Euronymous before his murder. Euronymous's parents asked Hellhammer to remove
the bass tracks recorded by Vikernes, but Hellhammer said, "I thought it
was appropriate that the murderer and victim were on the same record. I put
word out that I was re-recording the bass parts, but I never did".
The
title De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas is a Latin phrase
meaning "About the Mystery of the Lord Satan", although the correct
Latin would be "De Mysteriis Domini Satanae". The album cover is
a monochrome photo
of the east side of Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim,
Norway.
Track
List
1. Funeral Fog 05:47
2. Freezing Moon 06:23
3. Cursed in Eternity 05:10
4. Pagan Fears 06:21
5. Life Eternal 06:57
6. From the Dark Past 05:27
7. Buried by Time and Dust 03:34
8. De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas 06:22
Total 46:01
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