Album Review: Mayhem – Liturgy Of Death (Century Media)

With four decades of darkness behind them, Norway’s extreme metal ground breakers Mayhem continue to be as relevant as ever. Their brand-new studio album, ‘Liturgy of Death’ is out on February 6th, 2026, via Century Media Records.

Blacker than the darkest night, Mayhem return with a new tome steeped in evil, featuring eight horror-laden efforts that could easily be the soundtrack to a hellish descent into madness and suffering. Not only sounding as potent as they did back when their legacy was being cemented but sounding more focused than ever. Mayhem live, breathe, and spit out unending blackened noise, and Liturgy of Death lives up to their mantra explicitly.

The line-up, having been solidified since 2012, have refined their black metal sound to a devilish point. Where guitarists Ghul and Teloch deliver a continuous stream of ferocious riffing, bassist Necrobutcher continues to be the spine that holds the entire heavy frame together, drummer Hellhammer creates crashing and smashing noise with furious intent, and vocalist Attila Csihar roars, screams, and shouts like it’s the early 90s. They really are such a force and when on this kind of form, few black metal band can match them as far as intensity goes.

It always feels like Mayhem’s legacy threatens to engulf what they do today, where inevitably, conversations about the band turn to their storied past. The early days of Mayhem will forever overshadow what they’ve done since then. Which is such a shame, as the modern output of the band is far more desirable, even if it lacks groundbreaking elements.

Still, they are a band like no other within the black metal sphere and this is an album that delivers unrelenting blackened savagery, malevolent danger, pervasive menacing atmosphere, and so much more across extensive efforts. So extensive in fact that there is an undeniable amount of desensitisation that seeps in as the album goes on. It does remain interesting, but this level of persistent blackness takes its toll.

There’s a lot of reasons to like this album, regardless of a person’s proclivity for black metal, and some of that comes from the expanded metal palette that Mayhem has. Decades of doing this has resulted in a tighter, more experienced, and more expressive band. Willing to experiment and push creative boundaries, without distancing themselves from the blackened world they inhabit. This album is particularly notable for its tempo shifts, heavy use of atmosphere, melody twists, and epic vocal moments. Most of which work, giving the album a richer feel, while others don’t, making the album feel disjointed.

It’s certainly a journey of a release, and certainly an experience that can’t be summed up in one or two listens alone. They continue to be an entity like no other, and regardless of if you love them or loathe them, their importance and relevancy continues to shine brightly in blackened times.

Mayhem – Liturgy of Death Track Listing:

1. Ephemerial Eternity (feat. Garm, Ulver)
2. Despair
3. Weep For Nothing
4. Aeon’s End
5. Funeral of Existence
6. Realm of Endless Misery
7. Propitious Death
8. The Sentence of Absolution

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