Album Review: Mayhem - Daemon

It would be disingenuous to expect Mayhem’s sixth full-length to achieve the classic sound of De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas, but the band also hasn’t sounded this natural in a long time. The production is very well balanced, sidestepping the industrial precision of 2014’s Esoteric Warfare but avoiding the lo-fi claustrophobia of 2007’s Ordo Ad Chao. The guitars are earthy, the drumming sounds organic, and the bass maintains a sturdy presence throughout with the occasional shining segment.

Even with a more orthodox style at work, any project with Attila Csihar on vocals is bound to make the most of his predictable unpredictability. The bulk of his delivery consists of his signature growling bellow but there’s plenty of room for throat singing, distant operatic warbling, and contorted roars. The instrumental layers may be rather straightforward in comparison, but the guitars do a great job of serving up theatrical buildups and intricate riffs.

Said riffs aren’t quite on the ear catching level of the classics, but the songwriting serves up plenty of memorable numbers. “The Dying False King” wastes no time in setting up the blasting onslaughts to follow but “Falsified and Hated” makes for the best example thanks to its off-kilter sound effects. A more atmospheric direction is set up with “Malum” and “Aeon Daemonium” that reaches its full height with the symphonic swells of “Daemon Spawn” and “Invoke the Oath.”

Overall, Daemon isn’t quite the second coming of classic Mayhem but it’s their best album since at least 2004’s Chimera. The album would’ve benefitted from a shorter runtime and the ingredients are all pretty much meat and potatoes, but the performances are lively, and the songwriting is dynamic enough to keep from feeling stale. The black metal world has more revolutionary things going on elsewhere but it’s nice to stop by and see the band still holding up nicely.

Highlights:

“Malum”

“Falsified and Hated”

“Aeon Daemonium”
“Daemon Spawn”
“Invoke the Oath”

Final Grade: B+