Mayhem — Ordo Ad Chao

Ordo Ad Chao sees Mayhem with singer Attila Csihar back on board trying to recreate an atmosphere akin to De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas with modern experimental touches and grim cinematic air. So does it soar to heights of De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas ?- sadly not- the key word above anything here is atmosphere- which is as deep as the night, but sadly more often than not it seems they’ve forgotten to write memorable tunes or song structures to support the atmosphere.

Many of songs are indistinguishable from the last, which works ok if you were to take this as a whole but even then it does become tiring in places, when riffs seem to reappear again and again or worse still they recall  Mayhem's past glories. Sure Attila Csihar gurgles, grunts and demented operatic are on top form. As is the rest of the bands performance, with Hellhammer making some interesting off the expected path percussive turns along the way too. With the production been nice & murky and necro bond too.

But there are too few moments you will remember when it thunders to it’s grim end.The only real glimmer of dark hope here are in tracks like the epic nine minute Deconsecrate. That takes you into chugging/echoed memorable dark guitar matter, that's licked by cold/clear black guitar harmonics and feedback air. In time it turns into a rabid speeding beast of a track, before drop into cold clear guitar atmospherics with Attila vocals fed backwards, then once more picks up the pace with grim metallic chug with an very effective minor key piano atmosphere on top. A few of the latter tracks have there moments too, but sadly there often ruined by the lack of song depth or rehashed riff matter.

A rather disappointing entry in Mayhem's  mixed cannon, which is mean and mood enough & been as grim as anything they’ve done in the past - but it’s just  lacking the all important  songs .