Scribed by Sandre the Giant
If you’ve made it this far into the Killchain’s journey, I don’t really need to explain either the story or the influence of Norway’s most famous black metal sons and their most iconic work. So, this should be a short piece then eh? ‘De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas’ is thirty years old now, and that should deserve some recognition as it still stands as one of the genre’s most peerless and recognisable foundation stones. Mayhem the band were also pure fucking mayhem in real life too.
Varg Vikernes, Euronymous, Hellhammer, Necrobutcher, Dead, Attila Csihar. Names all synonymous with Norwegian black metal and all worked on this record. That alone would draw the eye, but the world around this album was much more interesting. You all know the tale at this point: one time black metal icon and current Nazi idiot Varg Vikernes stabs Mayhem guitarist and co-founder Euronymous in 1993, creating the legend of Mayhem that had begun with the suicide of former vocalist Dead in 1991. Early 90s Norway seems like it was a wild place. Varg gets sent to jail and the album comes out eventually in May 1994, birthing a legend. The story has been told much more extensively in other places, and by people much more knowledgeable than me, but that’s the gist. The true power of this record may be tied to its violent conception and reputation of its creators, but the reality is that it was born of some visionary musicians.
Whatever you think of Varg (and what you should think is that he is a fascist mug), his contribution to the record on bass, and allegedly songwriting, is obviously key. Euronymous has laid down some fearsome riffs, the uniquely unnerving vocal performance from then unknown Hungarian Csihar has launched him into an iconic status at this point and there are even lyrics from Dead himself, as well as more songwriting credits to Necrobutcher (who had left Mayhem after Dead’s suicide) and a brilliant performance from Hellhammer on drums. Classic after classic pours from your speakers, from ‘Funeral Fog’ to ‘Pagan Fears’ and my favourite Mayhem song ever, ‘Freezing Moon’, on a record that still outperforms almost every copycat black metal album it inspired.
It is a struggle to get everything that is important about this album down in just one piece. But at its core, ‘De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas’ is one of metal’s most important records, not just black metal, and the history of music cannot be told without it, its creation and its legacy. Timeless.
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The Killchain 