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Mayhem - Esoteric Warfare

Published July 03 2014


*
=Staff's pick

Watchers*
PsyWar*
Trinity
Pandaemon
MILAB
VI.Sec.*
Throne Of Time
Corpse Of Care
Posthuman
Aion Suntelia


Genre Black Metal
Attila Csihar
Vocals
Tracks 10
Teloch
Guitar
Running time 47 Min.
-
Guitar
Label Season Of Mist
Necrobutcher
Bass
Release 06 June 2014
Hellhammer
Drums
Country Norway
-
Keyboard
Producer Attila Csihar, Teloch
Similar artists Gorgoroth, Satyricon

Esoteric Warfare is the long-awaited new album from one of the black metal scene's most legendary bands, Mayhem. Seven years have passed since the release of Ordo Ad Chao, a completely unique album which pushed the boundaries of the genre. Esoteric Warfare is a safer and less ground-breaking album that I initially was rather intrigued by but as time has passed I mainly feel rather indifferent towards it.

Beginning with the sound, the production is rather clean and accessible. The first seconds of Watchers actually remind me of the guitar sound from Satyricon's latest album - the song Phoenix from it in particular. In a way, some similarities from Ordo Ad Chao remain in the production and although it's not taken to such extremes this time around, there is still a kind of dull sound - as if there's a wall of water, nudge nudge, between the music and the listener.

Most of the album is written by Teloch who's only been in the band since 2011 and while he does have experience from acts such as Nidingr, 1349 and Gorgoroth, there's just something missing in the songs. Basically, the album are fragmented into two parts as Teloch wrote the first four songs with Mayhem in mind and the last six from a more independent perspective. This fragmentation is quite tangible with the first four songs sounding rather typical and the rest being very experimental. Sadly, the songs are just not that good. Why such a new member has been given such enormous creative space is beyond me.

Of course, it's always a joy to hear new material from one of the world's best black metal vocalists. And of course, Hellhammer is a very skilled drummer but there is more to black metal drumming than pure skill, which he has shown in previous albums. His surgically precise drumming on Esoteric Warfare, where every hit is absolutely on mark by the millisecond, would fit better on an industrial metal album than here.

One thing that I appreciate is how a song such as PsyWar - which didn't impress me at all when released as a single - works a lot better in the context of an album. Still, it's not a fantastic song and the fact that it stands out as one of the strongest of the album says something about the overall quality. Ultimately, I think Esoteric Warfare is an album that promises more than it keeps. It's has its qualities but after waiting for seven years, it's a disappointment and I don't think it will stand the test of time or be remembered as a great Mayhem album.

Performance
Originality
Production
Vocals
Songwriting

6

5

6

9

5

 
Summary



5 chalices of 10 - Bjorn


Related links:

www.thetruemayhem.com
www.facebook.com/mayhemofficial