Band:	Mayhem
Album:	De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas
Style:	Black metal
Release date:	May 24, 1994
Guest review by:	Jagermeister

01. Funeral Fog
02. Freezing Moon
03. Cursed In Eternity
04. Pagan Fears
05. Life Eternal
06. From The Dark Past
07. Buried By Time And Dust
08. De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas

Whenever one thinks of the term "black metal," they almost instantly think of Mayhem and their magnum opus, De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas. Why is that?

Why is this album referred to as the ultimate black metal record and what makes it so iconic, timeless and enduring? Some might argue that the main reason is the unbelievable stories that surround the making of this piece of art. I mean, how often does it happen that the bassist brutally murders the lead guitarist, and the two of them still end up on the same record? This story almost overshadows the fact that the original vocalist, "Dead," has already shot himself by the time of the release of this record, and is replaced by Attila Csihar on vocals. I'd say that the final lineup is pretty damn solid. It is like a supergroup of black metal musicians of that time.

Øystein Aarseth, better known as Euronymous, provides some of the most cold-hearted and sinister riffs on this record, and his murderer Varg Vikernes does not do a bad job on the bass guitar either. The combination of the two evil masterminds is accompanied by the phenomenal drumming of Jan Axel Blomberg, a.k.a. Hellhammer, who is known to be one of the greatest professionals in the black metal scene. Attila Csihar's performance on De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas has been a subject of debate among the fans since the time of its release. Maybe
it is because of the fact that die-hard Mayhem fanatics cannot bear the thought of their beloved Per Ohlin being absent, but it cannot be left unnoticed that Attila does an excellent job. He clearly does his best, and I'd say his torture-like vocals fit the music just perfectly. Besides, Per "Dead" Ohlin is still alive on the record due to the fact that majority of the lyrics is done by him, and the lyrics are excellent. But then again, what less could we expect from Dead?

De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas is, basically, forty-six minutes of pure, raw, aggressive black metal that is somehow able to create an unbelievably surreal atmosphere. It captures all the stories and legends surrounding the Norwegian black metal scene and engraves them all on this masterpiece of an album though the amazing musicianship done by these creative geniuses. The legacy of Mayhem will live on forever, and this album is the main reason it will.