Mayhem
Atavistic Black Disorder / Kommando
Century Media
Released: July 9, 2021
In the realm of Black Metal, nobody comes close to the notoriety that is Mayhem – nobody! Enter Atavistic Black Disorder / Kommando.
Since there are already books and films written on the morbid yet fascinating past that shadows Mayhem, and will forever be one of the most insane and notorious stories in music history, there is little use in adding further to the fable. All the murderous stories, church burnings and suicides has been covered, yet those stories will always be a very large part of the future of the band. How could they not be? Beyond that, Mayhem are one of the most iconic of all the groups that make up the genre. Their debut album, De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas, is considered as one of the great Black Metal records of all time, and for good reason.
Nearly four decades later (if you consider when De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas was written – 1987) and Mayhem are still at the head of the genre. With a new EP, Atavistic Black Disorder / Kommando, that clocks in at roughly twenty-four minutes in length. However, there is a twist afoot here. Four of the seven tracks, are cover tracks. The songs of their influences, thus creating a musical odyssey that shows them multifaceted in several ways. For this goal, cover versions of bands like Discharge, Dead Kennedys, Rudimentary Peni and Ramones. Who saw that coming!
In addition to these four cover versions, a brand new track called Voces Ab Alta was recorded to continue the musical journey alongside previously released tracks Black Glass Communion and Everlasting Dying Flame, which were used as bonus tracks for the 2019 album Daemon.
See Also: At The Gates “The Nightmare Of Being” Review
Beginning with Voces Ab Alta, a fierce new piece that encompasses all the elements that make Mayhem who they are, with unmistakable nods to some of their seminal back catalogue. You see, Mayhem were fresh off touring when they recorded Daemon, a tour that was focused on performing their debut record De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas in its entirety. The result was that Daemon held the same feelings and ended up sounding like a wonderful throw back to the early 90s and the heyday of the band. Given that the one new song on this release, Voces Ab Alta, as well as Black Glass Communion and Everlasting Dying Flame, were all recorded during the same sessions that yielded Daemon, you can rest assured that sonically these tracks follow suit. They might well be culled tracks, yet they could well have fit on Daemon.
One of the more interesting areas of Atavistic Black Disorder / Kommando, is that Mayhem saw it fitting to bring past members to add vocals to the cover songs. As such, Messiah features on their cover of Discharge’s In Defense Of Our Future, and Maniac does a pretty convincing impersonation of Jello Biafra on their rendition of the Dead Kennedy’s track, Hellnation. As good as the original material is on this release, its charm is found more in these covers. Hearing a band that has such a chequered and tainted past cut loose on Punk and hardcore classics is pretty amusing and dare I say fun.
Perhaps then, the question becomes is it worth the price for just one new song. And while I can not answer that dilemma for you, I can say that, to me, the answer is an astounding yes. Because the new song in question is a great one, and the four covers are awesome too – especially their rendition of the Ramones classic, Commando. Then again, I am surely biased as that is perhaps my favorite Ramones song from their catalogue anyway. This is by no means a must have release but it is a solid set of songs.
Copies of Mayhem‘s new EP, Atavistic Black Disorder / Kommando, are available through Century Media now.
For Fans Of: Burzum, Immortal, Dark Throne
Track Listing:
01. Voces Ab Alta
02. Black Glass Communion
03. Everlasting Dying Flame
04. In Defense Of Our Future (Discharge cover)
05. Hellnation (Dead Kennedys cover)
06. Only Death (Rudimentary Peni cover)
07. Commando (Ramones cover)
Pros & Cons
- New Mayhem material
- Great cover songs
- Fun
- Lack of original material
