Mayhem – Liturgy of Death

Written by on 04-07-2026 at 10:00.

Mayhem is, even in 2026, still a gigantic name within black metal. We can think whatever we want about the Norwegian outfit (and “we” certainly do, judging by the books and even a Hollywood film that have appeared about the band’s turbulent history), but the public interest remains enormous. When I was a teenager and was captivated by the iconic debut album De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas (from as far back as 1994), I could never have imagined that 32 years later this band would be standing in an almost sold-out TivoliVredenburg (Utrecht, the Netherlands) to promote a new album. Only their sixth, because although wagons of dubiously sounding live albums have been released, the number of studio albums from the Oslo group has always been somewhat modest. On the other hand, the records always sound very complete and it is clear that time, attention and energy have been invested in them.

Mayhem’s sixth is called Liturgy of Death and it is once again deliciously packed with various musical layers (without becoming too complicated: Mayhem has not suddenly turned into an experimental prog band), thanks to the writing and guitar duo of Ghul and Morten Bergeton Iversen (formerly Teloch), the intense pounding of Hellhammer, and the lead-heavy bass of Necrobutcher. Rising above it all is Atilla with his utterly unique style of singing. It grunts, it sings, it creaks and squeals – whatever the Hungarian does – but above all it perfectly fits the theme of the album, which revolves around all facets of the Great Black Hole from which there is no escape: death.

The madness begins after an ominous intro section and launches straight into opener Ephemeral Eternity, in which Ulver’s Garm also contributes some vocals. Hellhammer quickly throws all his limbs into action, the guitarists steer the Mayhem ship across a sea of glorious black metal, and Atilla drags and smears his voice across the whole thing. With Despair, Mayhem literally heads toward hopelessness. “All lives fade,” wails Atilla as if offering a final farewell before throwing himself into the abyss. The track is an absolute highlight of this album, and the quality remains high with the subsequent Weep for Nothing, in which an enraged Atilla is accompanied by a wonderfully crisp riff before bursting into maniacal laughter.

Aeon’s End is somewhat less intense but expands beautifully and features magnificent guitar work. Funeral of Existence initially gives you the feeling that Mayhem is keeping things a bit more restrained, until suddenly entire shovels of intensity are pulled back from the stockpile. And then that tempo… good lord, what a tempo. Four of the five band members are older than I am, but I would drop out immediately if I had to do anything at such speeds.

With Realm of Endless Misery the band happily continues the trick, while Atilla now adds a deep, pitch-black grunt from his arsenal. The track sticks a little less than the songs so far, though. Propitious Death is not exactly a highlight either, but Hellhammer deliciously showcases his talents here, which makes up for a lot. In the first seconds of The Sentence of Absolution I detect an air-raid siren, and at that point it simply cannot go wrong anymore. One more time the band pulls out all the stops, and Atilla even manages to grunt intelligibly. It serves as a prelude to a spectacular finale in which Mayhem, almost as if in a trance, plays everything to pieces.

Liturgy of Death is a masterpiece that sits heavy on the stomach and will not appeal to everyone (although, judging by the crowds that flocked to the show in Utrecht, it will probalby be fine), but for the average black-metal fan it will go down like a Viking sword into the body of a Christian dog. As always, the band demands a lot from the listener, and it is certainly no shame to stare into space for a moment after listening to the album and take a deep breath, because it is all intense and overwhelming. But unbelievably delicious nonetheless. Deep respect for still being so relevant after a career spanning so many years.

Score:

85/100

Label:

Century Media, 2026

Tracklisting:

  1. Ephemeral Eternity
  2. Despair
  3. Weep for Nothing
  4. Aeon’s End
  5. Funeral of Existence
  6. Realm of Endless Misery
  7. Propitious Death
  8. The Sentence of Absolution

Line-up:

  • Atilla – Vocals
  • Morten Bergeton Iversen – Guitar
  • Ghul – Guitar
  • Necrobutcher – Bass guitar
  • Hellhammer -Drums

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