LIVE REVIEW: Mayhem @ The Electric Ballroom, London

26 years on and at this point unclear how many people were actually on their way to kill Euronymous. MAYHEM is not just a name, it’s a black metal legacy. If the brutal stories weren’t enough to reel the kids of today in, the real testament of this band lies in their unrelentless mission to combine the musical legacy of the past with the boundary pushing material that is on offer in this decade. Surely by now everyone feeling tired of judging MAYHEM by their history are left to ponder the one question that remains; whether their musical material now is of the same substance as it once was. For those braving yet another gut-wrenching night, The Electric Ballroom in London proved the perfect place to find out.

As it has become customary to mention the night starts with the darkness, never ending smoke and of course an always ‘patient’ audience awaiting the acts. What is less often mentioned is the disguised but omnipresent ‘mansplainers’ in the crowd and the invasive smoke machines that create not only a fog of smoke but a thick swathe of sweat that accompanies it and lingers, choking you patiently in the air. All very fitting for a black metal gig some would say. With this exact setting in place, GOST took to the stage.

Fresh off a somewhat extraordinary set of shows alongside MAYHEM this year, GOST are perhaps the one name on the lineup that not all were queuing up for. The now duo possess a sound that is a bizarre blend of black metal and synth-fuelled electronica, and they were the shockers of the night. Whilst this bastardisation is somewhat on the upsurge through the rising popularity of dark synthwave, this band simply felt like a fish out of water on this night; out of context and out of place. Delivering an utterly ear-jarring studio-style performance consisting of eight tracks, the audience, including some very lost looking security guard, were fidgety and unimpressed. Despite their huge waves of bass and an almost distorted mangled sound washing over the room, the set seemed more like a well-rehearsed album recital rather than a live show deserving of the opening slot. Though in theory, this band possesses a daring sound attempting to bridge the styles of the underground, in reality it sadly ends up sounding more like washed out 90s synth-pop than the genre bending giants that we had hoped they’d be on this night.

Rating: 5/10

Kristian Eivind Espedal better known as Gaahl was another tempestuous name on the bill of the night. A powerful frontman and with a colourful GORGOROTH legacy that precedes him, Gaahl has mapped himself in the metal scene not only as a musician but somewhat of a mascot of honesty without compromise. Those living in London will know that aside from seeing him in concert he can also be found sharing his thoughts in one of his blossoming kvlt wine tasting sessions. An occasion for the face paint to come off and the ‘Gaahlism’ to emerge offstage.

Wine flavours aside, if there is one thing that we can count on with GAAHLS WYRD is a trip down memory lane, with Wound Upon Wound being testament to this early on in the set. After opening with the Ghosts Invited from their most recent GastiR – Ghosts Invited album, the band launched into a set that was a mix of songs from their latest release as well as crowd- favourite GORGOROTH and TRELLDOM covers. The show, played in almost complete darkness felt grounded. In an approach that echoed maturity, it was slow-paced but intriguing enough to capture the powerful artistic vision of the band. The now clean vocals performed in an uncomfortably serene manner mixed with the unique percussion and shrill-sounding guitars made for an invoking mix. The band may have taken new musical directions as of late but the black metal foundations were still very much in tact.

Rating: 8/10

Having suffered a completely devastating set a few days prior at Damnation Festival thanks to a plague of sound issues, MAYHEM were once again on stage in a venue that may as well be their London home. With no technical issues at play this time round, the only thing everyone craved was a solid set. Entering the stage in their now cult hooded outfits the chants kicked in, and with the chants flew in Necrobutcher and co. Under a huge surge of roars and an all black leather-wearing crowd, expectations were brewing in the air. Many still hopelessly googling their latest setlist were heard pondering on the main question of the night, how good will this set be this time? Over 30 years into the business MAYHEM have somewhat become a musical lottery for their loyal fans, many forever deeming their live shows to be either earth shattering or a complete fiasco.

Without much more time to ponder, the audience was hit with Falsified and Hated, their latest single from this year, first impressions of this proving a little chaotic and jarring. Everyone seemed to be fighting to be heard. By the second number To Daimonion things got even stranger with Attila’s screams replacing Maniac who originally recorded the vocals. At times, the song almost unrecognisable over the harsh drums and blurred riff changes the sound quality at this point was a jittery disappointing mess. Intense interest and legacies aside, the crowd of the night was divided into two; the fanatical newbies of the true MAYHEM swallowing their every sound and a smaller mass of older folk there to hear the De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas classics live.

After further sadly imperfect performances of their more experimental tracks like Malum and Bad Blood, things took a turn for the better as cuts from their older catalogue made an appearance. Unable to fault even a second of Freezing Moon, Deathcrush and Chainsaw Gutsfuck, everyone was satisfied and all parties alike got what they have come for. Expectations and setlist pickings aside, the main point to be taken away from this night was that everything we get with MAYHEM now is a continuation of their legacy, not a validation of a previous one once had. Whilst comparisons are inevitable, as artists, they have evolved and so has their sound, keeping the essence of MAYHEM alive.

Sure, they may not be the incarnation of the band we fell in love with in the 90s but it’s the one and only one we’ve got left, and despite some turbulent moments in the performance, the veterans made a solid effort to remind us how lucky we are at that. Hold onto to your De Mysteriis… vinyls for now kids, MAYHEM aren’t done just yet.

Rating: 7/10

Check out our photo gallery of the night’s action in London from Karolina Janikunaite here: