Mayhem – Liturgy of Death
Release Date: 6th February 2026
Label: Century Media
Bandcamp
Genre: Black Metal, Atmospheric Black Metal, Norwegian Black Metal.
FFO: Darkthrone, Immortal, Marduk, Gorgoroth, Burzum, Emperor, Watain, Taake.
Review By: Rick Farley
It’s not very often that the lore of a band stands so infamously storied and divided as it does for Norway’s Mayhem, the indisputable true kvlt fathers of Norwegian black metal. Their raw, darkly aggressive sound and the use of corpse paint ignited a firestorm of conflict, copycats, arson, and death. We are all aware of most of these stories by now, so there’s no real need to get into any of that. Regardless of where you stand pertaining to one of black metals most notorious and polarizing bands of all time, Mayhem will always be a band that’s forever etched in history. For better or worse, not only did they pioneer Norwegian black metal as we know it today, but they did so with a true rebellion not seen in music for quite some time.
As it stands currently though, there legacy is celebrated and undermined equally. As many metalheads that love Mayhem, there are also as many black metal purists who have aspersed at the commercialization of their history and their current status in the mainstream.
My thoughts on this are simply, they can’t possibly live up to their infamy at this stage so many years later, so why should anyone expect anything more than a legacy black metal band releasing new material in 2026. The past is past, and whether completely true or partially mythical, what matters at this moment is, does Mayhem still bring the chaos? In short, the answer is yes.
Liturgy of Death being released via Century Media February 6th, 2026, is the bands 8th studio album amongst a discography of several live albums, compilations, EPs, and demos over the course of forty years. Consisting of founding member, bassist Necrobutcher, long-running drummer Hellhammer (still one of metals best) and vocalist Atilla Csihar joined by guitarist Teloch in 2011 and Ghul in 2012, the band is a well-oiled killing machine at this point in their careers. Intense dread, sinister atmosphere, punishing drums, and sheer black metal menace are all present on this record and will assuredly leave its mark on any listener, given the chance of course.
Liturgy of Death kicks off with Ephemerial Eternity. An apocalyptic soundscape clatters noisily before shifting into an ominous, doomy airiness of moody guitars and spooky synths. Hellhammer leads with a short, powerful fill before the gut punching blast beats and punishing double bass begin. Ugly, swirling guitars and Atilla’s guttural shrieks contort throughout the atmospheric track creating a shifting tension between horrifying and ethereal. This is a slow melodic burn that sounds utterly vile to its very end with several ferocious passages that punish the listener with overwhelming strength.
Weep for Nothing is the perfect example of how Mayhem shaped the sound of second wave black metal. Angular dissonant guitars, cold, dark, haunting, and delightfully nasty. This is classic black metal at its finest. The guitars from Teloch and Ghul twist in veinlike patterns, their jagged and loose but still extremely concise. Necrobutchers bass is full sounding and lurks beneath the spider web of riffs like a hellish creature waiting to burst through to the surface.
Liturgy of Death closes strong with The Sentence of Absolution, an atmospheric look straight into the void of hell. There’s a malevolent presence that is fully fleshed out on this track. It’s unnerving, shifting its dissonance, to wicked melodies and sickening riffs. The jarring sections meld with each other almost forcefully without sounding stitched together but rather becomes a disturbing end to a journey that touches every extreme. Frightening.
This is an incredibly well put together record from one of black metals finest. The production is top-notch, sounding full and rich but with gobs of black metal grime. Not much more really needs to be said besides, this is Mayhem!
(4 / 5)
