SEASON OF MIST
MAYHEM
Finally, the official MAYHEM album release date is the 28th of April. "Grand declaration of War" is nothing like you ever heard before. Remember the early 90's? When "De Miisteris dom Satanas" was released, everybody was shocked at 1st by the vocals, and by the overall atmosphere of the album and it took most people quite some time to grasp the album. Nowadays it is considered as one, or even the masterpiece, of Black Metal…Same thing for "Grand Declaration of War". If you expected MAYHEM to copy their selves and to sound like all their copycats around the world, you got it all wrong. Once again they are here to set new standards, musically and production wise…
The European tour will only take place in September, but you check out MAYHEM at the following festivals : Artefact in France, Dynamo in Holland, Wave Gothic Treffen in Germany + more TBC.
A new signing on Season of Mist : GRIFFIN. Hailing from Norway, GRIFFIN are the new band of the ex Bloodthorn lead guitarist, Kai. GRIFFIN can most of the time be described as a mix of Anathema and Devin Townsend, while a few "nostalgia songs" are just a 100% NWOBHM! Kai left Bloodthorn after recording their latest album, "Onwards Into Battle". Unfortunately, Bloodthorn's "Onwards Into Battle" was a bit of a disappointment, as it never had the press and the sales of its predecessor.
Hereafter Bloodthorn ran from line up problem to line up problem, resulting in 4 members (out of 7), playing on "Onwards Into Battle", leaving or being kicked out the band during the last half year (drummer, lead guitarist, female singer, and keyboard player). Due to the changes in line up Season of Mist decided to end the contract with Bloodthorn. However, we still have contact with several musicians (Kai, resigning with us with his new band GRIFFIN), but also with Christina, the ex female singer, who has a solo project going on…
NOCTURNUS 1st live appearance in years is scheduled this month in March, at the March meltdown festival in the US. Later on they will play in a tribute / support concert to Chuck Shuldiner in their home town Tampa, Florida, with the like of Crimson Glory, Kamelot, Malevolent Creation…
SYRINX is our first contribution to the realm of Heavy Metal. Musically, aiming to compare with technical bands within the style like Watchtower or Dream Theater, the result is very convincing and far more original than most Melodic Heavy Metal bands around. Who thought Heavy Metal was stuck to the 80's and couldn't evolve? To be released in September!
The War Vol III : CULTUS SANGUINE VS SETH, will be released before the summer after a long delay due to artwork problems.
LP collectors : we licensed several Season of Mist titles to dedicated fellow companies, and you'll soon see on Vinyl Collector / Hammerheart a LP version of both AGRESSOR and NOCTURNUS, and on Nocturnal Music an …AND OCEANS DCD box including both their albums!
MAYHEM Grand Declaration of War
MAYHEM was formed in 1984 by Euronymous (guitars / vocals), Manheim (drums) and Necrobutcher (bass / vocals). It took them two years for the first demo Pure Fucking Armageddon to be released. Although the perception of the demo was rather negative, MAYHEM recorded Deathcrush in 1987 and released the recordings as a limited edition LP on their own label Posercorps and later again on their own label Deathlike Silence Productions. The vocals on Deathcrush were now done by the new member Maniac. The extremity of this release created a cult status in the metal underground; many now appreciated MAYHEM's raw brutality.
Shortly after the release of Deathcrush, Maniac and Manheim left the band. Vocalist Dead (MORBID) and current drummer Hellhammer were then brought into MAYHEM. Dead's influences guided MAYHEM deep down the dark paths, conceptually and ideologically speaking. His voice set a new standard for extreme metal. However, only two studio tracks were recorded featuring Dead, both for compilation CD's. Beside that, he appears on Live In Leipzig, together with Necrobutcher, Euronymous and Hellhammer. The recordings of this album were taken during MAYHEM's tour in Germany. After this tour Dead committed suicide. Hereafter Necrobutcher decided to leave the band.
The tour and era marked the beginning of the Norwegian Black Metal scene as it is known today, influencing bands such as EMPEROR, DARKTHRONE, IMMORTAL, ENSLAVED and many others.
Euronymous and Hellhammer were now the only two members left, ready to record the debut album De Mysteriis Dom Santhanas, but without singer and bass player. For the recordings of the album Count Grishnack (BURZUM) played bass and Antilla took care of the vocals. Beside that, Blackthorn (THORNS) stepped in as a second guitarist during this time. Both he and Grishnack added new dimensions of atmosphere to the already cold and calculated MAYHEM sound. De Mysteriis Dom Santhanas was released in 1993.
After the murder of Euronymous and the subsequent arrest of Grishnack, Hellhammer decided to continue MAYHEM. Both Necrobutcher and Maniac rejoined the band, and Blasphemer was chosen as the new guitarist. After several years of silence, a follow up of the studio album was finally released. In 1997 the MCD Wolf's Lair Abyss hit the market. The MCD was the answer to Deathcrush; brutal, raw and evil, while De Mysteriis Dom Santhanas was an innovative album that set new standards in the world of metal. And this is exactly what Grand Declaration of War will do as well !
In 1999 the second live CD was released, Mediolanum Capta Est.
Grand Declaration of War
Back in 1993, the release of De Mysteriis Dom Santhanas created quite a shock, for most people it took a while to get acquainted with the atmosphere, the inhuman vocals, etc. While now it's considered as one of, or even the masterpiece of the Black Metal genre. De Mysteriis Dom Santhanas was one thing for sure : ahead of its time. The result of a long and painful gestation.
Now in 2000 we can write the more things change, the more they stay the same. Who expected MAYHEM to do as they did (and what now is being done) can't be more wrong. The band sets new standards again : music wise, but also production wise, this while remaining faithful to their musical style.
The album's first part (named Part II) takes off where Wolf's Lair Abyss ended. The same riff is used, evolving into a more technical and insane way. The destruction concludes within the fourth track. Hereafter the recreation takes off, beginning without instruments, like a void, like the emptiness of a battlefield without any warriors left. From the ruins, the recreation will start. MAYHEM's concept might be applied to the Black Metal genre as well : Part II can well be the ultimate piece of the genre, while from the ashes a new genre is created.
LINE UP
Maniac - vocals
Necrobutcher - bass
Hellhammer - drums
Blasphemer - guitars
TRACK LISTING
PART II
a grand declaration of war
in the lies where upon you lay
a time to die
view from nihil
PART III
il principe
i) a bloodsword and a colder sun
ii) crystalized pain in deconstruction
iii) completion in science of agony
iv) to daimonion
FACTS
· Main priority release at Season of Mist;
· Cover stories in several leading magazines (Terrorizer UK, Scream Magazine Norway, GrindZone Italy, etc.) worldwide;
· Interviews in all important magazines worldwide;
· Full page / full colour advertisements in all important magazines worldwide;
· Playing at Artefact Festival, Strasbourg (FR) the 2nd of June, Dynamo Open Air, Nijmegen (NL), the 3rd of June;
· Upcoming European (September 2000) and American tour, Asian tour and Australian tour.
Season of Mist
24, rue Brandis
13005 Marseille
France
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fax: 0033 491 800037
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