Review by Felix on October 14, 2026.

Mayhem’s career is a rollercoaster with dizzying heights and bottomless depths. It is, of course, inevitable that, on the journey from one extreme to the other, one will occasionally pass through the middle ground. Armed with this fundamental insight, I approach Daemon, the band’s long-player from 2019. Somehow it is too good to be ignored, and simultaneously it does not deliver new highlights in abundance. However, if we want to speak about highlights, the frenetic speed of 'Falsified And Hated' (with some cool electronic gimmicks, by the way), 'Worthless Abominations Destroyed' and 'Of Worms And Ruins' do not fail to release a lot of energy. Maybe very critical minds dismiss these tracks as rather flat, and I agree that one can discuss whether a pure speed orgy is able to convey the special, multi-layered magic of Mayhem. Anyway, from my point of view these songs stand out…

...on an album which wades through many marshes. It goes without saying that one cannot march quickly through such a surrounding, and so many slow-to-mid-tempo parts are delivered. Maybe the band was seeking the perfect mood, and I admit that slower parts offer more room for the creation of a spooky atmosphere. But the bar is set very high in this discipline, and even Attila, the best black metal singer worldwide, cannot lead the band to the most uncomfortable corners of the listener’s mind. Too many sections remain more or less expressionless due to guitar lines that lack impact and, sorry for that, due to Attila himself. Doubtlessly, his rumbling, weird, malevolent, powerful, and occasionally triumphant and clean performance is very good. Nevertheless, I know at least two outputs where his contribution sounds supernaturally excellent. But okay, maybe my expectations were just too high.

“The Dying False King” opens the album and, in a way, the title is exemplary for large parts of the work. On the one hand, it creates a proper whirlwind; on the other hand, the storm blows over my head without causing much of an effect. Okay, already the opener reveals that the sound engineers did not forget to give the bass guitar an adequate place in the soundscape, but this is not the most critical success factor for a black metal album, if I am not mistaken. Given this entry (and the following “Agenda Ignis” does not hit the bull’s eye as well), we have to wait for a real demonic pleasure until the “Bad Blood” flows. Arranged with many tempo and mood changes, the song can be characterised by good substance. Even the solo part adds value to it.

I have already mentioned a detail of the production, and so I guess it's time to lose some words about the mix as a whole. What stands out about the sound of “Daemon” is its density and gloom. Its profound depth can also be mentioned, and the appropriate balance between the individual components is particularly evident in some sublime parts, for example in the verses of “Malum”, where especially double bass, guitars and vocals go hand in hand. So far, so good, but one question remains. How authentic is this album? In view of decades of confusion the legendary band went through, it is permissible to express a little skepticism in this regard. But when all is said and done, “Daemon” does not sound like the result of five men who want to make a quick buck. And now, after the release of “Liturgy of Death”, we can almost be sure that Mayhem does the things they do with passion and conviction (again). Therefore, I can recommend Daemon. I bought it as a bargain offer, but it might actually be worth the full price for some of you.

Rating: 7.6 out of 10

Review by Death8699 on December 20, 2019.

This is the first Mayhem release that I've truly liked other than De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas. Only a select few from this band that I enjoy, their latest Daemon is a gem. It captures that eerie feel to it like the old but is a little bit less grim. Being that Euronymous is dead doesn't matter on here, it's like a carrying off from where De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas left. The whole album is good. The music, production and vocals are just purely likeable especially if you like dark black metal. Some bands are even more depressing to listen to and don't listen to this on a dark day of yours unless you want to be more depressed.

Attila and Hellhammer are the backbone to this band/album. The guitars are good as well. The riffs are pretty original like the old Mayhem and this is why the album is so monumental. It truly is a staple in their discography. Daemon is everything that I'd hoped it to be. Dark, depressing, eerie, original and grim. I actually just went ahead and bought the CD first without prior knowledge of how it would sound, in faith that it'd be everything I'd hoped for. And it was and is. The production is superb, and the music just grapples it all.

I'd say download it first on Spotify, especially because it comes with bonus tracks. The CD itself in full-length is about 49+ minutes. It's good the whole way through. I love Attila's original vocals still. It's so wicked. And the guitars are done with precision. The songwriting on here is great and the leads are awesome as well. Not letting up here, this band is the best when it comes to delivering great black metal. I'd say it's probably one of their best releases ever. It's a bold statement but it's what I'm hearing every time I listen to this album! Everyone in the music community should support this band!

They really tear it up on here and despite the mood you're in I'm sure you'll like this. Every track is good. The intensity is there as is the unique vocals. The riffs are genuinely good. Probably a better riff-writer than Euronymous himself. But they're picking up where that album left off! Nothing can duplicate the early days but as long as they stay true to their roots, enjoy every minute of this one! They really know how to entertain with solemn music likeable to the select few. Own it!

Rating: 9.5 out of 10

Review by Chris Pratl on October 25, 2019.

Mayhem has been a relative fixture in the news outlets in recent months. The emergence of that ridiculously pedestrian film I won't even bother to name, as well as talk of an anniversary edition of the band's signature album, De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas have all but shadowed the release of the latest effort, Daemon, but, nevertheless, here it is in all of its glory.

Well, right off the bat, the opening track, “The Dying False King”, immediately sounds like the aforementioned De Mysteriis record – so much so that I found it to be rather ho-hum out of the gate. A couple of songs in, “Bad Blood” sounds pretty damn tangible. It has the viable earmarks of tempestuous speed and just enough dark to dim your sensory bulb, not to mention a damn solid bass line throughout. One thing to say about the current Mayhem – the production is much higher on this record than previous ones. There are hints of old Mayhem throughout, and these are fine; my issue is where songs seem to follow very familiar patterns, as in “Malum,” which absolutely reeks of sparse parts of “Pagan Fears” and “Deathcrush.” I've no real problem with a band touching on past glories, and from the release of the first track, “Worthless Abominations Destroyed,” I was left less than impressed in that regard. So does the rest of the album right the ship?

Let's find out . . .

So, all in all, this is “typical” Mayhem in that it presents well in familiarity and style, but it seems to follow all too closely a pattern of familiarity in spots that both lulls and leaves me wondering what is missing. Granted, some of the songs on here, if not most, are really good tracks in themselves, i.e. “Falsified and Hated,” which is pure Mayhem in tone, but lends itself out to an expansive, relative area of exploration that seems to find its needed niche. I have always liked Attila's vocals, despite the many pro-Dead people who call Attila a fraud, a charlatan, a fill-in, etc. In my opinion, the vocals he did in 1993 were some of the most evil vocals ever recorded on an album, and people might be more caught up in the romance of Dead's early and tragic departure than the musical logistics at hand. That aside, Attila doesn't disappoint, and that's where positive familiarity comes into play. The growling, whispering, and breathy verbiage sets the perfect tone for the band, and despite the minimal lacking areas of the record, he's the one constant to be counted on without fail.

This album is not a loss by any means; it's a nice cup of same-old that doesn't really expand in areas it really could have, yet retains a vibe sorely missing in the absolute feces calling itself black metal today. It's really like a familiar old blanket that feels good when you find it on the bottom of the closet floor and wrap yourself in its memories. This obsession with shoegaze black metal, post-cereal-black metal, or whatever ridiculous sub-genre you wish to lump around these bands today has all but polluted the medium. These ill-crafted memes and immature giggle-fests over cats and food pictured within photos of the black metal elite are just inane. I'm one that doesn't take the black metal genre too seriously, but I also don’t see it as the clown-and-balloon act the millennials have sought to refine it as today. This is the type of record that sets the movie fan base aside from the true fan base, and tracks like “Aeon Dameonium,” “Invoke the Oath” or “Bad Blood” will, no doubt, weed out the silly and entertain the truly interested among us. I am happy to see that it's very typically Mayhem, but that it didn't rely solely on the past-is-alive sentiment too often. I think Daemon will grow on me over time.

It's certainly no "Death Magnetic" cut-and-paste job. It's solid throughout.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Review by Felix on June 3, 2019.

Back in 1989, it was a great adventure to discover World Downfall. In a time when the initial thrash metal movement began to lose its power rapidly, it felt good to be confronted with another way of radical music - and, to be honest, it was more radical than almost every thrash formation. Suddenly and without warning, Terrorizer fired a massive shot into the hungry crowd of extreme metal maniacs. With a previously almost unknown intransigence, they ripped any type of harmonies to pieces. Even 30 years after its release, the album has a devastating effect and its only mistake is that it was simply too good. Immediately after its final tones had vanished, it was quite clear that this was a once-in-a-lifetime work. Too bad that Terrorizer broke the silence after 17 years. This was no good idea, but fortunately another story. So, let's concentrate on this masterpiece which was produced by Dave Vincent and engineered by the very competent Scott Burns. He had already been involved in great albums such as Death's "Leprosy", Whiplash's "Ticket to Mayhem" and Sepultura's "Schizophrenia" and Terrorizer profited from his experience.

World Downfall sounds coarse and vicious, rebellious and nasty. Its homogeneous appearance makes it strong. The decision to publish 16 songs that reflect the uttermost defiance against the usual parameters of the music business is one thing - to execute these pieces in such an excellent way is something different. Gifted with the technical skills, Terrorizer do not create chaotic tracks per se. They work with high precision - but exactly this precision in details opens the door to a sometimes confusing and more or less chaotic overall impression. Especially the A side is bewildering, because some songs seem to flow into each other while one merciless riff hunts the other. The slightly dull sound adds a dark color to the compositions, but the riffs themselves also spread sinister intentions. Needless to say, that Oscar Garcia also rages against everybody and everything. His f**ked up voice exactly matches the musical statements. The monolithic material meets a monolithic line-up and among other things this duplicity makes the album so exciting.

But the band has even more to offer. Each and every track burst out of the boxes with a maximum of spontaneity, energy and savagery. Indeed, there is a barbaric component in the music that teaches the listener the meaning of archaic cruelty, albeit Garcia's hostile growling deals with modern conflicts. "Nations falling to defeat" is not just the first line of the opener, these words also mark the beginning of the lyrics of "Strategic Warheads" and perhaps this lyrical curiosity shows the f**k-yourself-attitude of the line-up. Either way, Terrorizer know the rules of grindcore and spread left-wing dogmas. "The rich get rich, the poor stay poor, working hard, all for nothing" - these simple statements sound rather stupid, but they work excellently in the context of this album. The typhoon of negativity is irresistible, and the band lives up to its name. The instrumental parts leave a trail of devastation and it goes without saying that the barking of Garcia does not provide relief. Of course, very intelligent minds can blame the full-length for its monotony, but I beg to differ. The material scores with its genre-typical uniformity, this is my interpretation. 

The anarchic rigor of the album is the perfect breeding ground for immortal anthems. The maximally intensive triple strike of "Human Prey", "Corporation Pull-In" and "Strategic Warheads" marks the orgasmic climax of the album, but the remaining material ignites a conflagration as well. The mighty and malicious guitar work with its minimum of variation and the almost robotic yet devastating double bass create an infernal cocktail and songs like "After World Obliteration", "Need to Live" or the title track express the pure disgust about lying politicians, puppets of the military industry and society in general. No egomaniacal guitar solos disturb the denunciation of more or less each and every convention. The clearly structured eruptions of hatred appear as an unstoppable avalanche that buries everything beneath it. Pete Sandoval's drumming ensures - where necessary - that no one leaves alive. His blast beats, his force and his precision - in short: his entire performance is absolutely outstanding.

"Dead Shall Rise" is the title of another highlight on World Downfall, a song with a superhuman dynamic and a fiery core of destructive power. Was its name the impulse for Jesse Pintado (R.I.P.) to revitalize the band in 2005? It remains a matter of speculation. What we know for sure is that World Downfall cannot be beaten. Not by any configuration under the banner of Terrorizer, not by any other formation. It's a stand-alone document of its time, second to none and an awe-inspiring monument. Do yourself a favor and experience this album. The perfect combination of grindcore and death metal awaits you. 30 years old and not a bit tired: Congratulations!

Rating: 10 out of 10