Mayhem - De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas

To conceive black metal more extreme than the previous generation of simple and savage proto-black, as played on Deathcrush, Mayhem build crude and at first seemingly incoherent songs that later develop an aesthetic of primitive, ugly, mechanical riffs shaped from basic musical thesis, to create sinister and dark atmospheres on De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas.

The studied evolution of songs from collection of riffs to expressive, narrative structures with individual centering principles, however, is where Mayhem create their masterpiece and underline their fundamental concept of violent black metal beauty, and power in the acknowledgement of death.

Stylistically, trying to figure out the album's influences is a nightmare, since it sounds extremely original, especially for the early 1990s. Featuring no less than three 'main' songwriters - Euronymous (Funeral Fog, Freezing Moon), Varg Vikernes (Pagan Fears, Life Eternal) and Blackthorns (From the Dark Past, De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas) - the result lives up to the high hopes and to the artistic ambitions of each three composers.

De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas is widely regarded as one of the best black metal releases of all time.

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