Mayhem
Wolf's Lair Abyss

The murder of Euronymous and the subsequent arrest of his killer, Count Grishnackh, dealt a significant blow to the Norwegian black scene. The disappearance of these two leading figures seemed to have opened the eyes of their numerous followers. Church burnings now appeared as childish as they were useless. The convincing words of Euronymous suddenly appeared utopian and contradictory. Moreover, pressure from law enforcement had thwarted any attempts to resurrect the Inner Circle from the onset.

Given the circumstances, many bands found themselves needing to reassess. Particularly those closely tied to the late leader of Mayhem. Groups like Enslaved, Abruptum, and Sigh were under contract with his label, Deathlike Silence.

Obviously, Euronymous's death had unraveled everything.

No one, of course, considered a possible resurrection of Mayhem. The very idea of the band without Euronymous sounded like blasphemy. Yet, even before "De Mysteriis Dom. Sathanas" was released, someone was already thinking about reorganizing the group. That person was Jan Axel Blomberg, alias Hellhammer. As an internal member of the band, he didn’t share the legendary aura that inflamed fans. He considered Mayhem as a "simple" metal band. He couldn’t comprehend that the band’s musical journey could be abruptly interrupted like that. Furthermore, Mayhem had survived the death of an icon like Dead. He didn’t see the post-Euronymous period as a lost battle from the start.

The first person he turned to for this project was Snorre Ruch. Known as Blackthorn, he had played in Thorns and was an accomplice to Count Grishnackh in Euronymous's murder. The choice was more than natural given that the guitarist had participated in the recording sessions of "De Mysteriis Dom. Sathanas". Unfortunately, his sentence turned out to be longer than expected, so Hellhammer had to look elsewhere.

He then decided to try with former members of the group. The need to revive the band became more pressing as time passed. Moreover, he was tired of seeing bootlegs popping up like mushrooms and wanted to regain control of the situation. Necrobutcher was the first to agree. The bassist had left after Dead’s death, but evidently, time hadn’t erased his passion. Maniac also didn’t deny his contribution. Although he had always been considered a session man, it’s known that his contribution extended to the compositional level as well.

With the bassist and singer found, a guitarist was needed. It was the most delicate role, held firmly for years by Euronymous. The choice fell on Rune Erikson, known as Blasphemer, already part of Aura Noir. Hellhammer knew him, they had played together a few times. Rune seemed the ideal type given his musical abilities and his life philosophy.
Mayhem was finally ready to restart.

1997 was the year of the great return. Amid general anticipation, the EP "Wolf's Lair Abyss" was released. Naturally, the reactions were mixed. Certainly, many years of waiting had elevated expectations, and the release wasn’t met with tremendous enthusiasm. Many shook their heads, comparing the "new Mayhem" with those of Dead and Euronymous. It almost seemed that "Wolf's Lair Abyss" was labeled in advance as an operation aimed at capitalizing on the deeds of the two illustrious deceased.

Now let's move on to the purely musical commentary of this work.

The EP contains five tracks. In the future, they will be considered as the first part of a work in three acts, with the last two present in "Grand Declaration of War" of 2000. "Wolf's Lair Abyss" opens with the introduction "The Vortex Void Of Inhumanity". Among many electronic sounds, a trumpet playing a fanfare can be heard in the distance. Maniac's narrating voice makes its way through the sound vortex. Drum rolls open the first real song: "I Am Thy Labyrinth". It is a song wicked to the core, albeit not exceptional from a compositional standpoint. Many find it lacking; however, in my opinion, it provides that rawness that is not harmful to such aggressive music. The first part of the song is very fast, with Hellhammer beating frenziedly. Compositionally, the style is not very different from the faster tracks of "De Mysteriis Dom. Sathanas". Note how Maniac proves to be more versatile compared to the “Deathcrush” days. "Fall Of Seraphs" begins as a creeping mid-tempo. Blasphemer’s guitar seems to trace spiral marks on the listeners' skin. At any moment, the song becomes fast, whirling, and the band maneuvers through easy riff changes, guided by Hellhammer’s remarkable work. The third part is opened by an explosion and a riff worthy of "De Mysteriis Dom. Sathanas". I wouldn’t be surprised if for this EP some old riffs from Euronymous or Blackthorn were recycled. "Ancient Skin" presents a lower recording quality compared to the two previous songs. The tempo is very fast and tight. The band's sound is compact like a war machine. The sequence of chords is so simple that it makes this track a pure example of Norwegian black metal. The harmonic passages by Blasphemer and Necrobutcher halfway through are very evocative, while Maniac’s overdubs make the whole thing very sick and strange. Minimalist melodic lines follow one another that could recall DarkThrone of its heyday. "Ancient Skin" is a musical episode of great intensity, direct and straightforward. "Symbols Of Blood Swords" has a peculiar start given by Maniac's clean vocals. Blasphemer plays long notes with his guitar, while Necrobutcher and Hellhammer seem to be possessed. Suddenly, quite unexpectedly, there is a brief break with a complex rhythm, followed by a section with an anthology riff. Maniac vomits long notes of hate. The execution speed decreases, giving way to an increasingly slow and atmospheric, ominous finale, where the opening notes of the title track of the next album can be heard.

A few final considerations. If "Wolf’s Lair Abyss" hadn’t been a Mayhem work, it would have been appreciated much more. In my opinion, it is unjustly undervalued. Such a moniker, with its cursed history and the suggestions it evokes, will always lead to comparisons with the past. Hellhammer paid little attention to the fact that Mayhem has always been a group whose charm has surpassed its actual artistic value. Consequently, even if his "new" band had recorded the technically most valid album of the entire black scene, some would have accused Mayhem of no longer conveying those sensations, that intensity of when Euronymous was alive. It’s a predictable but fundamental psychological process.

(I've cut as much as possible, but it has come out long anyway...)