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Requiem

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I remember seeing Mayhem in 2000? at a small bar/club in the suburbs of Chicago.  They were touring for Grand Declaration of War.  Maniac had broken his arm on the tour so he had a cast on it.  I remember they getting there way to early and not being able to drink because I wasn't 21 yet.  It was an 18 and over gig, but 21 to drink.  I couldn't tell you the songs they played at this point, but it was an awesome time.  Someone asked Hellhammer how he played so fast and without skipping a beat he said "coke."  Not sure how much truth was in that statement, but everyone around was cracking up. 

GDOW will always hold a special place in my heart.  It was the first Mayhem album I purchased.  That and DMDS would be my favorites.  As much as I tried to get into Esoteric Warfare, I just couldn't.  But I do love Ordo Ad Chao as well. 

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8 hours ago, JonLuick said:

I remember seeing Mayhem in 2000? at a small bar/club in the suburbs of Chicago.  They were touring for Grand Declaration of War.  Maniac had broken his arm on the tour so he had a cast on it.  I remember they getting there way to early and not being able to drink because I wasn't 21 yet.  It was an 18 and over gig, but 21 to drink.  I couldn't tell you the songs they played at this point, but it was an awesome time.  Someone asked Hellhammer how he played so fast and without skipping a beat he said "coke."  Not sure how much truth was in that statement, but everyone around was cracking up. 

GDOW will always hold a special place in my heart.  It was the first Mayhem album I purchased.  That and DMDS would be my favorites.  As much as I tried to get into Esoteric Warfare, I just couldn't.  But I do love Ordo Ad Chao as well. 

That’s a pretty cool story. Hellhammer’s response was pretty funny, and the one thing that would have made it funnier is if the guy who asked the question yelled “One bottle of coke please!” to the bartender. Anyways, I agree that De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas is a good album. I haven’t checked out Grand Declaration of War yet, but I might need to check that out in the next few weeks.

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8 hours ago, MetalheadFromBama said:

That’s a pretty cool story. Hellhammer’s response was pretty funny, and the one thing that would have made it funnier is if the guy who asked the question yelled “One bottle of coke please!” to the bartender. Anyways, I agree that De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas is a good album. I haven’t checked out Grand Declaration of War yet, but I might need to check that out in the next few weeks.

If only you were there to make that zinger! It would have blown their minds! 

It seems like a lot of people have fond memories of the 'Grand Declaration of War' tour. That's still my greatest Mayhem memory. Special times. 

 

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  • 2 months later...
On 10/10/2018 at 1:33 AM, Balor said:

Do they still play any of the tracks off of that album at their shows?

Not that I can recall in the last few times I’ve seen them. It was a real Maniac/Blasphemer album so I’m not sure what the passion would be for it from the current lineup who are mostly content to knock out tracks from ‘Deathcrush’ and ‘De Mysteriis’ exclusively. 

It was also special because it was one of the first proper yet intimate shows I’ve seen and the band were larger than life. Nowadays I’m less easy to impress...

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19 hours ago, Requiem said:

Not that I can recall in the last few times I’ve seen them. It was a real Maniac/Blasphemer album so I’m not sure what the passion would be for it from the current lineup who are mostly content to knock out tracks from ‘Deathcrush’ and ‘De Mysteriis’ exclusively. 

That makes sense, but is still sort of disappointing.  I understand that the songs were the product of a specific lineup, but they are still part of the collective identity of the band.  Plus, I would be interested in seeing Atilla's interpretation of the vocals on Grand Declaration of War.

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  • 4 months later...

If You want waste some time - Here i Have my first black metal vocal cover of Freezing Moon.(From The Darkest past Version) Audacity/Usb Microphone/my room, no studio and a lot of Mj beers and fun. Quality is....bad? Raw :D?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xODT8SkEsQA&feature=youtu.be

BTW, is my first post here...so Hello All. :)

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18 hours ago, RopniakPogardy said:

If You want waste some time - Here i Have my first black metal vocal cover of Freezing Moon.(From The Darkest past Version) Audacity/Usb Microphone/my room, no studio and a lot of Mj beers and fun. Quality is....bad? Raw :D?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xODT8SkEsQA&feature=youtu.be

BTW, is my first post here...so Hello All. :)

Do you have any views on Mayhem and their work that you'd like to share for discussion? 

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Mayhem is a tricky one for me. On the one hand De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas is the pinnacle of Black Metal so far as I'm concerned. On the other hand I really don't get much from most of their other offerings. They did something special with DMDS and rightly deserve to be praised for it. That being said I feel they are also among the most overhyped/overappreciated bands in metal period. I wonder if I'd feel that way had they only done Deathcrush, DMDS, and Grand Declaration Of War.

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  • 2 weeks later...

The remixed and remastered version of 'Grand Declaration of War' has now been released. Here's my review: 

Requiem Reviews the Remixed, Remastered and Re-released Version of 'Grand Declaration of War'

Why the big deal, you might be thinking? Because despite it not quite being the 20th anniversary of Mayhem's genius second full-length album 'Grand Declaration of War', it was somehow decided that a full REMIX - not just a remaster - was required for some reason. Let's compare it to the original and make a few comments. 

Firstly, alarm bells were raised for me when I discovered that Jaime Gomez Arellano was the man behind the huge overhaul this album was to receive. Alarm bells for two reasons.

1. Gomez recently produced and mixed Paradise Lost's 'Medusa' (and their album previous, 'The Plague Within'.) The problem with this should be obvious to anyone who has heard those albums. Gomez is a champion of the organic and warm tones in metal, which is completely at odds with the icy cold and even thin production of the original version of 'GDoW'. Why would someone who likes down-to-earth, robust sounds, want to tinker with an album based on tight sterility, and even electronics on some elements? 

2. 'Medusa' is a terrible album. It's a great example of generic doom that denies the hair raising melodies of Paradise Lost and replaces them with the phat riffs of the more boring end of Cathedral. This obviously isn't Gomez's fault entirely, as Greg Mackintosh wrote those borefest riffs, but Gomez damped them down in retro doom-fuzz. In fairness, his work on 'The Plague Within' was infinitely better. 

Now, for the album. 

As I've stated, 'Grand Declaration of War' was a tight, almost sterile, revolution for black metal. As the follow-up to probably the greatest black metal album of all time, they went the complete opposite direction in terms of sound, structure and style. Maniac and Blasphemer, with the godly skills of Hellhammer, produced one of the most revolutionary albums black metal has ever seen. 

Jaime Gomez decided that it needed some damping down. There is, (un)fortunately, his personal account of the process in the liner notes of the re-release booklet, where he talks about his methodology with each instrument. Let's look at what he says (and I'm not really quoting out of context as his accounts are short): 

Drums: Too sterile on the original, so every hit, including ever single tom hit, was sound-replaced with something warmer. Gomez's word for the original drums is "clicky". The drums on the new version are much more standard. He, and at one point Hellhammer, sat down and scrolled through digital drum sounds to find what they wanted. 

Bass: He's brought the almost non-existent bass up a lot higher. This isn't terrible, but it changes the atmosphere quite substantially. It adds that 'warmth' he's talking about, which is a problem. 

Guitar: Gomez found them "thin and crispy" on the original so he gave them - you guessed it - more "body" and "warmth". Those are direct quotes from the 'Mez. What - the - fuck. 

Vocals: This part is hilarious, because Gomez admits that Maniac told Blasphemer, who told Gomez, that he didn't want the vocals changed at all, with Gomez saying that he totally "respects that". Then he admits that the original album effects were "pretty hard to replicate". I'm not sure why anything would need replication. Anyway, he's fucked with them in a lot of ways and the differences are significant. There is emphasised distortion on some parts, and there is decidedly less reverb on final words. The vocals are very much tampered with. 

How does all this mesh? 

The songs are obviously great. The album still rules. But instead of the sterile and violent beast that was the original album, we have an adulterated version of a follow-up more in tune with 'De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas' as if Gomez was trying to create a bit more of a bridge between those two albums. The original album is a DECLARATION OF WAR, not just on humanity and its dead end global culture, but on BLACK METAL ITSELF. They were calling bullshit on a thousand copycat bands and going cold, electronic, progressive and sideways. 

The drums in particular are just ruined. They sound ridiculous. They have neither the boom of 'DMDS' nor the military rifle crack of the original 'GDoW'. They sit in that pocket of standard major label drums sounds for doom bands. They excite no one. 

Artwork and booklet: 

Faultless. The new cover is amazing, and the booklet is gorgeous, with full lyrics and Gomez's account of his folly in black and white for all time. Gomez you dingleberry. 

Overall. 

Fucking waste of time artistically, but a curiosity for collectors, like me. I won't be listening to this very often over the years, but I'm glad I have it for my collection and it's an ok experiment. It just hasn't improved the album in any way. In fact, the reverse is the case. This is a lesser version of imagination and vision, and like so many others, when you tinker with it you only discover the inimitable genius of the original. 

I suspect Gomez realised this halfway through the project, but by then it was too late. Or else he's enjoying his flat and warm sounding 'Grand Declaration of Mediocrity' and, if that's the case, he never understood it in the first place.

At 36 years of age, he was - at most - 17 when 'Grand Declaration of War' was released. I was 20. I wonder when it was that he first heard the album, because I doubt it was in the year 2000, when it was meant to be heard. 

 

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On 3/22/2019 at 1:33 AM, Requiem said:

The remixed and remastered version of 'Grand Declaration of War' has now been released. Here's my review: 

Requiem Reviews the Remixed, Remastered and Re-released Version of 'Grand Declaration of War'

Why the big deal, you might be thinking? Because despite it not quite being the 20th anniversary of Mayhem's genius second full-length album 'Grand Declaration of War', it was somehow decided that a full REMIX - not just a remaster - was required for some reason. Let's compare it to the original and make a few comments. 

Firstly, alarm bells were raised for me when I discovered that Jaime Gomez Arellano was the man behind the huge overhaul this album was to receive. Alarm bells for two reasons.

1. Gomez recently produced and mixed Paradise Lost's 'Medusa' (and their album previous, 'The Plague Within'.) The problem with this should be obvious to anyone who has heard those albums. Gomez is a champion of the organic and warm tones in metal, which is completely at odds with the icy cold and even thin production of the original version of 'GDoW'. Why would someone who likes down-to-earth, robust sounds, want to tinker with an album based on tight sterility, and even electronics on some elements? 

2. 'Medusa' is a terrible album. It's a great example of generic doom that denies the hair raising melodies of Paradise Lost and replaces them with the phat riffs of the more boring end of Cathedral. This obviously isn't Gomez's fault entirely, as Greg Mackintosh wrote those borefest riffs, but Gomez damped them down in retro doom-fuzz. In fairness, his work on 'The Plague Within' was infinitely better. 

Now, for the album. 

As I've stated, 'Grand Declaration of War' was a tight, almost sterile, revolution for black metal. As the follow-up to probably the greatest black metal album of all time, they went the complete opposite direction in terms of sound, structure and style. Maniac and Blasphemer, with the godly skills of Hellhammer, produced one of the most revolutionary albums black metal has ever seen. 

Jaime Gomez decided that it needed some damping down. There is, (un)fortunately, his personal account of the process in the liner notes of the re-release booklet, where he talks about his methodology with each instrument. Let's look at what he says (and I'm not really quoting out of context as his accounts are short): 

Drums: Too sterile on the original, so every hit, including ever single tom hit, was sound-replaced with something warmer. Gomez's word for the original drums is "clicky". The drums on the new version are much more standard. He, and at one point Hellhammer, sat down and scrolled through digital drum sounds to find what they wanted. 

Bass: He's brought the almost non-existent bass up a lot higher. This isn't terrible, but it changes the atmosphere quite substantially. It adds that 'warmth' he's talking about, which is a problem. 

Guitar: Gomez found them "thin and crispy" on the original so he gave them - you guessed it - more "body" and "warmth". Those are direct quotes from the 'Mez. What - the - fuck. 

Vocals: This part is hilarious, because Gomez admits that Maniac told Blasphemer, who told Gomez, that he didn't want the vocals changed at all, with Gomez saying that he totally "respects that". Then he admits that the original album effects were "pretty hard to replicate". I'm not sure why anything would need replication. Anyway, he's fucked with them in a lot of ways and the differences are significant. There is emphasised distortion on some parts, and there is decidedly less reverb on final words. The vocals are very much tampered with. 

How does all this mesh? 

The songs are obviously great. The album still rules. But instead of the sterile and violent beast that was the original album, we have an adulterated version of a follow-up more in tune with 'De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas' as if Gomez was trying to create a bit more of a bridge between those two albums. The original album is a DECLARATION OF WAR, not just on humanity and its dead end global culture, but on BLACK METAL ITSELF. They were calling bullshit on a thousand copycat bands and going cold, electronic, progressive and sideways. 

The drums in particular are just ruined. They sound ridiculous. They have neither the boom of 'DMDS' nor the military rifle crack of the original 'GDoW'. They sit in that pocket of standard major label drums sounds for doom bands. They excite no one. 

Artwork and booklet: 

Faultless. The new cover is amazing, and the booklet is gorgeous, with full lyrics and Gomez's account of his folly in black and white for all time. Gomez you dingleberry. 

Overall. 

Fucking waste of time artistically, but a curiosity for collectors, like me. I won't be listening to this very often over the years, but I'm glad I have it for my collection and it's an ok experiment. It just hasn't improved the album in any way. In fact, the reverse is the case. This is a lesser version of imagination and vision, and like so many others, when you tinker with it you only discover the inimitable genius of the original. 

I suspect Gomez realised this halfway through the project, but by then it was too late. Or else he's enjoying his flat and warm sounding 'Grand Declaration of Mediocrity' and, if that's the case, he never understood it in the first place.

At 36 years of age, he was - at most - 17 when 'Grand Declaration of War' was released. I was 20. I wonder when it was that he first heard the album, because I doubt it was in the year 2000, when it was meant to be heard. 

 

I was not too impressed when I heard the promotional tracks for this remix.  I think GDoW was (and is) so unique that it just should not be messed with.

As a side note, is the ~7 minute track of essentially total silence still there?

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On 3/25/2019 at 3:13 AM, Balor said:

I was not too impressed when I heard the promotional tracks for this remix.  I think GDoW was (and is) so unique that it just should not be messed with.

As a side note, is the ~7 minute track of essentially total silence still there?

Sorry I didn’t reply earlier Balzy. 

I really can’t remember. The hidden musical track at the end is there, but I can’t remember if the silence is also there. I’ll check it out. 

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On 3/30/2019 at 3:53 AM, Requiem said:

Sorry I didn’t reply earlier Balzy. 

I really can’t remember. The hidden musical track at the end is there, but I can’t remember if the silence is also there. I’ll check it out. 

The track listing on my copy of the album has always confused me (starting with "Part II" - really?).  I get that the album was essentially a continuation off of "Wolf's Lair Abyss," but that does not stop it from looking totally convoluted.  

Overall, though, the general confusion and weirdness of the album is what makes me love it so much.

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On 3/22/2019 at 9:33 AM, Requiem said:

'Grand Declaration of Mediocrity'

Right. I hadn't even heard about this until now ... but it doesn't sound promising. Like you, I am befuddled at the getgo. Why change the sound? That album was brilliant ... and has remained so. It was like they had eaten Fear Factory for breakfast or something, it was not at all what I had expected from Mayhem, the first time I heard GDoW. Chimera brought them back into more familiar territory, but although that is an album that has its merits too, I play GDoW more often, which is what it all comes down to, isn't it?

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Listening through now. Sounds ok to me but then again I’m not wedded to the original. Having said that, I’m not sure why this needed to be done. The drums are noticeably lacking bite and the sound a little flat compared with the original. I prefer the original but this isn’t horrific. It does seem a bit unnecessary.

 

 

 

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Regarding the track listing/concept of GDoW, it's a three part concept album, with part one being Wolf's Lair Abyss. The first part represents the past, the second part (first half of GDoW) represents the present, and the last part (second half of GDoW) represents the future. Sit down and listen to all three parts and read the lyrics, it's very interesting if cryptic.

I haven't heard this new mix, but from what you say, it sounds god-awful, and 100% unasked for, and 100% unwanted. My question is, does it include the hidden negative time song at beginning of the album ? I don't know if everyone is aware of this, but, on the original release, if you put the CD in your player, hit play, and held down reverse, there was a song before track one. It is the same as the hidden track at the end, but played in reverse.

I just read this whole thread for the first time, and I have to address something that came up earlier: Snorre of thorns. First, I had always heard that he actually played on the DMDS album, not just wrote for it. Second, (and this is just my opinion) the Thorns "Grymmyrk" demo, which you guys just shrug off, is one of my favorite recordings of anything ever. If I could only listen to one song for the rest of my life, it would be "Home" on Grymyrk. Because there are no vocals or drums, people will tell you that Grymyrk is just a bunch of riffs thrown together, and that is simply not true. The riffs are arranged and structured as songs, it should only take one listen for this to be apparent.  The no vocals or drums thing just serves to make the demo more psychedelic/trippy/disorienting.

What I love about Snorre is his bizarre riffing style. Almost no one sounds like him. Vikernes and Arseth both have some similarity to Snorre's style, but other than that, I don't think any other guitarists come even close to Snorre's style. The full length is excellent, just not quite as good as Grymyrk. It was said that this album sounds just like Satyricon's Rebel Extravaganza. I haven't heard RE, and while I assume it may have a similar sound, I find it extremely hard to believe that it has the bizarre psychedelic riffs that Snorre is known for, considering nothing else I've heard by (the mediocre) Satyricon has had riffs that are remotely like Snorre's. 

In conclusion, I LOVE Snorre/Thorns, and don't think anyone else plays his style. IMHO, the three best living guitarist are Snorre, Vikernes, and David Gilmour.

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On 4/2/2019 at 6:55 AM, Parker said:

Regarding the track listing/concept of GDoW, it's a three part concept album, with part one being Wolf's Lair Abyss. The first part represents the past, the second part (first half of GDoW) represents the present, and the last part (second half of GDoW) represents the future. Sit down and listen to all three parts and read the lyrics, it's very interesting if cryptic.

I haven't heard this new mix, but from what you say, it sounds god-awful, and 100% unasked for, and 100% unwanted. My question is, does it include the hidden negative time song at beginning of the album ? I don't know if everyone is aware of this, but, on the original release, if you put the CD in your player, hit play, and held down reverse, there was a song before track one. It is the same as the hidden track at the end, but played in reverse.

I just read this whole thread for the first time, and I have to address something that came up earlier: Snorre of thorns. First, I had always heard that he actually played on the DMDS album, not just wrote for it. Second, (and this is just my opinion) the Thorns "Grymmyrk" demo, which you guys just shrug off, is one of my favorite recordings of anything ever. If I could only listen to one song for the rest of my life, it would be "Home" on Grymyrk. Because there are no vocals or drums, people will tell you that Grymyrk is just a bunch of riffs thrown together, and that is simply not true. The riffs are arranged and structured as songs, it should only take one listen for this to be apparent.  The no vocals or drums thing just serves to make the demo more psychedelic/trippy/disorienting.

What I love about Snorre is his bizarre riffing style. Almost no one sounds like him. Vikernes and Arseth both have some similarity to Snorre's style, but other than that, I don't think any other guitarists come even close to Snorre's style. The full length is excellent, just not quite as good as Grymyrk. It was said that this album sounds just like Satyricon's Rebel Extravaganza. I haven't heard RE, and while I assume it may have a similar sound, I find it extremely hard to believe that it has the bizarre psychedelic riffs that Snorre is known for, considering nothing else I've heard by (the mediocre) Satyricon has had riffs that are remotely like Snorre's. 

In conclusion, I LOVE Snorre/Thorns, and don't think anyone else plays his style. IMHO, the three best living guitarist are Snorre, Vikernes, and David Gilmour.

You should check out ‘Rebel Extravaganza’. I don’t really like it as an album and much prefer the Thorns self-titled, but it’s that sonic borrows from ‘RE’. I can’t help but feel that sound wise Satyr had his hands on it too much. ‘RE’ was unfortunately too influential on early 2000s black metal for my liking. So many copy-cats. I still think the Thorns album would have sounded better if it was less produced, less mechanised. Haven’t heard it in years though and I really need to put it on. 

 

On 4/1/2019 at 3:35 AM, MaxFaust said:

Right. I hadn't even heard about this until now ... but it doesn't sound promising. Like you, I am befuddled at the getgo. Why change the sound? That album was brilliant ... and has remained so. It was like they had eaten Fear Factory for breakfast or something, it was not at all what I had expected from Mayhem, the first time I heard GDoW. Chimera brought them back into more familiar territory, but although that is an album that has its merits too, I play GDoW more often, which is what it all comes down to, isn't it?

It’s almost like an excuse to put product out in the market place. Good move too because I bought it and so did True Belief. Beyond that I have no idea.

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I haven't compared the two versions of Grand Declaration, but I'm generally not fond of remastered albums unless the original was very poorly produced. However, I suppose remixing and remastering an album so that it has a very different sound and feel isn't such a bad idea; it's a lot better than doing marginal tweaks and the blasphemous practice of brickwalling of what wasn't previously brickwalled.

I highly recommend Rebel Extravaganza (plenty of excellent riffs) and figure it to also be a good companion album to Thorns' debut. And don't forget that Rebel Extravaganza has a hidden track zero as well!

 

 

 

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1 hour ago, Vampyrique said:

I haven't compared the two versions of Grand Declaration, but I'm generally not fond of remastered albums unless the original was very poorly produced. However, I suppose remixing and remastering an album so that it has a very different sound and feel isn't such a bad idea; it's a lot better than doing marginal tweaks and the blasphemous practice of brickwalling of what wasn't previously brickwalled.

I highly recommend Rebel Extravaganza (plenty of excellent riffs) and figure it to also be a good companion album to Thorns' debut. And don't forget that Rebel Extravaganza has a hidden track zero as well!

 

Didn’t know that about the RE hidden track zero. Ah trends in black metal - even Mayhem aren’t immune. 

The only things needing brickwalling are my (formerly) virgin goth girl feastings. When they knock down Castle Requiem to build apartments they’ll get a shock. 

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On 4/3/2019 at 2:21 AM, Requiem said:

Didn’t know that about the RE hidden track zero. Ah trends in black metal - even Mayhem aren’t immune. 

The only things needing brickwalling are my (formerly) virgin goth girl feastings. When they knock down Castle Requiem to build apartments they’ll get a shock. 

The hidden track is an uncut version of Down South, Up North. 

When they knock down Castle Requiem they'll find out exactly what kind of mastering went on from behind those walls, unheard for centuries...

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

ever listened to some of the songs and wondered what the lyrics ment? there's one about a freezing moon and its like a metaphor i think like suggesting out of body experience following the cold moon? it's like with murdak i often wonder about the song meanings, throne of rats sword of disease i think it's like taking the mickey out of the christians.  im sure they are trying to confuse you lol 

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  • 3 weeks later...

I recently got my hands on a very handsomely packaged A5 size copy of an instrumental rough mix recording of 'De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas' that is apparently limited to 100 copies. It's put out by some crew claiming to be Deathlike Silence Productions, which is of course Euronymous' old label, with the product code 'Anti-mosh 010' in a clever nod to the fact that the actual Deathlike Silence released 9 albums prior to its end. 

THe recording here was taken from a tape by Euronymous in 1992 and was apparently passed around to a few people. It features Euronymous, Occultus and Hellhammer pictured in individual shots on the back cover. The front is of a church roof and tower with snow falling. It's a beautiful cover. As mentioned, the tracks are instrumental, so it's a great way to hear the structures and subtleties of the album, even though it's not the full polished mix, and there are bits and pieces of difference to the finished product. 

In other news, I was really surprised to discover that very recently Peaceville Records have released CD versions of the 'Live in Jessheim' show with the Dead line-up (I knew there was a vinyl version but until now there was no official CD) as well as 'Live in Sarpsborg' (which most people know as the 'Dawn of the Black Hearts' show). I was really surprised because there was no fanfare at all about this and I can't even find them listed on the Peaceville website. 

Needless to say, I've ordered these (official!) little gems, which even come with a DVD each. Once they arrive along with a pack of Mayhem MP3s that I've also bought, I'll post a new photo because the collection is starting to get pretty decent. It's time I properly catalogued my collection too, which I'll do over the next week or so. 

 

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On 5/3/2019 at 4:02 AM, Requiem said:

I recently got my hands on a very handsomely packaged A5 size copy of an instrumental rough mix recording of 'De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas' that is apparently limited to 100 copies. It's put out by some crew claiming to be Deathlike Silence Productions, which is of course Euronymous' old label, with the product code 'Anti-mosh 010' in a clever nod to the fact that the actual Deathlike Silence released 9 albums prior to its end. 

THe recording here was taken from a tape by Euronymous in 1992 and was apparently passed around to a few people. It features Euronymous, Occultus and Hellhammer pictured in individual shots on the back cover. The front is of a church roof and tower with snow falling. It's a beautiful cover. As mentioned, the tracks are instrumental, so it's a great way to hear the structures and subtleties of the album, even though it's not the full polished mix, and there are bits and pieces of difference to the finished product. 

In other news, I was really surprised to discover that very recently Peaceville Records have released CD versions of the 'Live in Jessheim' show with the Dead line-up (I knew there was a vinyl version but until now there was no official CD) as well as 'Live in Sarpsborg' (which most people know as the 'Dawn of the Black Hearts' show). I was really surprised because there was no fanfare at all about this and I can't even find them listed on the Peaceville website. 

Needless to say, I've ordered these (official!) little gems, which even come with a DVD each. Once they arrive along with a pack of Mayhem MP3s that I've also bought, I'll post a new photo because the collection is starting to get pretty decent. It's time I properly catalogued my collection too, which I'll do over the next week or so. 

 

I would like to hear that instrumental album, and its cool that it was released in A5 (definitely post a picture, I would be really interested in seeing it).  Has anyone uploaded it to youtube?

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21 hours ago, Balor said:

I would like to hear that instrumental album, and its cool that it was released in A5 (definitely post a picture, I would be really interested in seeing it).  Has anyone uploaded it to youtube?

I certainly hope it hasn't been uploaded to that realm of falseness, youtube. Hail physical copies exclusively. Hail the old spirit. 

There are probably a few versions of it floating around, but this was the first time I've seen it. I found it on ebay - not sure if there are any others but I presume they're out there. 

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18 hours ago, Requiem said:

I certainly hope it hasn't been uploaded to that realm of falseness, youtube. Hail physical copies exclusively. Hail the old spirit.. 

The trve necro kvlt black metal fan does not believe in internet. His news is delivered by raven and all his albums are bootlegs recorded on discs made from the bones of goats he has sacrificed. The booklets printed in his own blood onto the skins of said goats.

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