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Reviews for Mayhem - Chimera:

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For a long time Mayhem has given us some okay, but not great, releases. With CHIMERA they are about to change that fact, because hearing this new album has such a great sound that it almost is able to be as classic as “De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas”. The sound of Chimera is fast and brutal in an old type of Mayhem. So I recommend this album to everyone who likes Mayhem... and black metal! HAIL Mayhem!

9 out of 10

Review by: Demonheart

Wow !! Mayhem had stated that this album would go back to basics and be more brutal. They SURE deliver ! The production is amazing (which means that fans of the "old-true" black metal might not like it). But for the brutal part, Hellhammer's tight and fast drumming is insane. The sound of every part of his drums is crystal clear. Gone are the clean vocals and synth from "A Grand Declaration Of War", so if you still have faith in Mayhem, give this album a listen.

Review by: Chopz

hmmm this cd is more back to base but it's not like De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas but i think it's beter then gdow and there are doing better the sound is good and i think it's a little dark and evil but not enough i hope the new album is even beter!

Review by: sir.antichrist

At first listening this seemed like a mediocore release, but it isn't so bad after all. The songs are played in high speed with the drums leading, Hellhammer delivered a nice job on this album. The riffs are heavy and straight to the point and a cozy bass sound (:P), but the drums are what keep this album going really. Now for the bad news, the vocals; they sound absolutely horrible. Imo, maniac sounds like he got some breathing problems, astmatic maybe??
Overall I would give it an 7.5/10, it's not bad, but certainly not a mysteriis or deathcrush part II.

Review by: Sgurd

Simply the second best Mayhem release(next to De myst..).I recommend every Mayhem-fan to buy it.

Review by: nekrobeast

Wow!!! Leaving the experimental period behind Mayhem are back stronger than ever. The new album "Chimera" is an exploding masterpiece of Black Metal.
Starting to blow you away with the opening song "Whore" Mayhem take you to a journey (or horrortrip?) into the depths of their music.
A positive development is that Maniac's screaming sounds more agressive than at "The Grand Declaration Of War" and Hellhammer's drumsound is more natural (great drumwork!!!).
Well, my overall impression of that album:
The worthy follower of "De Myteriis Dom Sathanas"!

Review by: trommelbaer

holy god i almost shit my pants when i heard this! It took me a while to get used to AGDoW, and i thought this album would suck as well! But man oh man was i fucking wrong! Songs like Whore, My Death and every single other one fucking slay! This is no AGDoW, pick it up and hear it foryourself!
10/10

Review by: fosvart

OK, this is no Masterpiece like the legendary "De Mysteriis dom Sathanas". I think, the Genius of this legendary Mayhem-CD can't be beaten.
But to my surprise it's again a REAL Black Metal Album! Those horrible "Grand Decleration of War"-Eperience-Shit-times are over. How nice!!!
On this CD you hear Mayhem back to the "Wolf Lair Abyss"-times, which isn't too bad, is it?
Chimera is maybe a little bit more modern-sounding.
Fans of "Grand Decleration..."-Album maybe hate it, all others love it.
8/10

Review by: warhellhammer

this album really kill,the production is great,just like the songs.the songs are dark,raw,fast,sometimes technical.blasphemer is a great composer and a really good guitar player,hellhammer(of course)play like a machinegun,necrobutcher is my favourite blackmetal bass player,and maniac scream like a demon!!!buy this album or die!!!

Review by: glacier

Altough this cd is a better than Grand Declaration Of War and Wolf Lair Abyss, it surely isn't as good as the old Mayhem. I think that this will be the last 'good' release of Mayhem....

Review by: fuckface

This is a BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING ALLBUM.

'Best album after de mysteriis' , nice shot Norwegian ass-lickers. You thought it would be better than 'a grand'?
Chimera doesn't come even close.

DEATH TO NEW MAYHEM,TREND FAGS AND MOONFROST, may you infect each other with aids.

Review by: herr piss

Awesome! Pure, Evil Black Metal! So Mayhem is still the Best...It's not completely the old Mayhem but still Great!

9,5/10 (no 10/10 'cause it can't beat De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas or Deathcrush)

Review by: Bok

Nice...but maniac's voice is not that strong...

Review by: vampyric

Mayhem managed to salvage their (almost forgotten) talent into this wicked concoction -- and quite unexpectedly, considering their stagnant period (what, 10 years?) of endless live- and re-releases.

Relates to "Mysteriis..." and "Deathcrush," with plenty of demoniacal originality. Awesome album: 9/10!

Review by: Nephren-Ka

Well..it kicks ass..at least mine.
10/10

Review by: Vampyric

Well, better than De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas? I will not compare them, since they are different as fuck. I got addicted to this album as I never thought, all the music flow perfectly. I love Blasphemer's compositions, and Maniac's voice fits so fucking well.....
In addition to this, drums and bass are very well played.
Guess Maniac's voice and lyrics are the most criticized things in the whole album, I didn't really understand why, cause if there is someone who knows how to be versatile in grim vocals...maniac's the one; I also like his lyrics a lot.

Whore - 10
Dark Night Of The Soul - 10
Rape Humanity With Pride - 10
My Death - 10
You Must Fall - 9
Slaughter Of Dreams - 9
Impious Devious Leper Lord - 10
Chimera - 10

Overall: 9.7

Review by: Vampyric

Fucking excellent album,has all the right ingredients for a BM album,its seething with venom and brutality,it sounds like a huge griding machine that could crush the universe and all its contents...songs like Rape Humanity and My Death just sound so massive...i dont know what everyone rants n raves about De Mysteriis for,sure its a good album espesially for its day,but this release destroys its on all levels(i think anyway)I loook forward to the next Mayhem album,cause after this one im hooked

9 out of 10

P.s if you like dark electronic music check "Dead Cities" by Future Sound of London its sharp dark n nasty

Review by: rico

well, this album is good, the sound of this Mayhem was defined in their AGDoW, but, let´s face it, this is nothing new or significant, yes, they made a nice trip in the melodic realms of black metal (Whore & You Must Fall)but this is impressive only for the new black metal trendies have you ever heard Impaled Nazarene anyway????? Ugra Karma perhaps?????
Of course this album seems to be the follower of their decent Der Misteriis, but after AGDoW ANYTHING is great, I really apreciate the experimental efforts on AGDoW, but I really prefer Arcturus, that band´s supposed to do that kind of Black Metal, if we can call it that way.
Chimera isn´t that great, you people are so desperate for a new good release that you are really forgeting something: BLACK METAL IS DEAD, as dead as Euronymous or Dead. So, get the old albums, they are nice and worthier than this...Chimera.

5.0 of 10.0

only five songs are good if you dare to listen to this, even if you try to enjoy it.

Review by: xibalba

This creation of the damned is one of the best buried black metal split with the new snore-sound(intelligent black metal).Fucking great and fucking mysterii..."Mortem Animalium"

Review by: Hyperion

Good production, and nice vocal work by Maniac. "Rape Humanity With Pride" was the only real hilight of the entire CD, but it is such a good song it gets this CD(That would be a 7) an 8.

Review by: ChainsawGutsFuck666

This is better than "Wolf's Lair Abyss" and It's probably the most accomplished effort since the band re-grouped.

It is worth a listen, but don't expect anything like "Deathcrush" or "De Mysteriis...", the sound is quite up-to-date here.

Review by: Hardboiled

Stupid fucks that say "Mayhem is dead , hail eoru" I only agree with hail Euro but Chimera is a fucken masterpiece i t's very complex.

Review by: waskara

With Chimera, Mayhem returned to their more primitive style of black metal. I loved GDoW, but I longed for that old-school style. And Mayhem brought me that wish with this cd. It's not the same as their older stuff, but I think that's a good thing. Bands that never change their sound don't usually get very far, and I'm pretty sure if Mayhem broke up for good I would lose all faith in metal. Black metal isn't dead, it's just been improved upon. This is excellent Mayhem-esque metal with a bit more polished production. Maniac's vocals are better than on previous releases, although I still prefer Dead's screaming. Hellhammer is godly as usual. Overall, an excellent release and return to form, but nothing new is really explored here.

Review by: False Messiah

Mayhem. When people discuss this band, their infamous and colorful history usually comes up before anything else. After all, it's hard to match tales of suicide, murder, cannibalism, and church burnings. Truth be told, the aura of legend surrounding this band often threatens to eclipse their musical output, spotty as it may be. Everything aside, most diehard Mayhem fans see anything done after "De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas" as essentially worthless, simply because most of the band's original lineup are either dead or in prison. But, if you're willing to put aside any ideas of what this band SHOULD sound like, you'll find "Chimera" to be a rewarding listen. Maniac is the only vocalist who can hold his own with the band and successfully step outside the long shadow cast by Dead, in terms of sheer viciousness and spite. His vocals drip with a hatred and contempt rare in metal music today. Lyrically, the band has moved away from the Satanic ruminations of their early work and into more themes of misanthropy, war, and religious hypocrisy and persecution. The whole band sounds tight, and Necrobutcher even has a chance to shine on a few tracks. Blasphemer is a much more capable guitarist than Euronymous, although if this is a good or bad thing is entirely dependant on your perspective. Some real standouts here include "My Death", with its droning, gloomy riffs and spooky Latin incantation at the end, as well as "Impious Devious Leper Lord", with its snaking basslines and tortured vocalizations by Maniac. The closing title track goes through phases of both speed and more mid-tempo structures, and Maniac sounds at his most hateful on this song. It finishes off with chugging, rapidly strummed power chords and clean notes being picked in the backdrop, conjuring images of leaving behind a grim path of death and destruction. Overall, if you're open minded enough, this album is worth a listen.

Review by: JesusChristOnEcstasy

Killer album better than gdow chimera sounds old school good fast drumming haunting sound by blasphmer just love it i like they have not just made a De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas part 2

Review by: doomsday666hell

Listen to everyone. You are NEVER going to get the old Mayhem back. In fact, only those who record in the old school style will sound true. The fact is, BM has moved on and although this record is ok on the whole, there are some outstanding songs. Rape Humanity is brilliant!

I loved the harder songs on AGDoW, View from Nihil gets my rage pumping that i want to smash things and A Time To Die is just as brutal in the shortest space of time. It compares to none of the previous albums! De Mysteriis stands totally on it's own and W.L.A. is fucking awesome in its own right too.

You have to judge this as harsher than AGDoW luckily for us and take it for just that! Maniac's vocals are a little weaker but that's just because of the structure of the album. I would've liked to hear him more clearer and louder over the music as he sounds truly demented!

Overall, not bad but not their best by a long shot! 7/10

Review by: Der Vergawaltiger

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