Artist: Mayhem
Label: Necropolis Records
Release Date: 5/22/00
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Title: Grand Declaration of War Artist: Mayhem Label: Necropolis Records Release Date: 5/22/00 |
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Abyss's Review:
Mayhem are considered by most to be the first Black Metal band. Now, while many feel the need to argue this, let's just take it as a given for now. Satanism and murder surrounded the band in the beginning, and contributed greatly to the evil ambience that would eventually surround (and eventually evaporate) this genre. So, these guys should be at the forefront of the scene, coming out with the most important blackness to date.
Apparently the most updated and vital blackness is missing a lot of the over-the-top aggression that was once it's calling card. If you don't like driving rhythm sections, you're in luck! There aren't any. If those wicked high-pitched screams bothered you, then fret no more! They're gone too. Actually, there is very little on this disc that resembles the old school black metal that these Norwegians helped define. Not that the blackness has been driven away completely, but it never gets a chance to take hold. By the time you remember that this is a metal band, the mood shifts to a beat that sounds like the little drummer boy, or an early eighties old-school rap beat (I didn't see the Human Beat Box credited on the album- probably because he's dead, but I digress). And the vocals! If he's not whispering, he's sounding like David Byrne from Talking Heads sermonizing in a Pentecostal church. I keep waiting for him to throw an "Amen!" or "Testify!" after one of the lines.
"It's just really bad, or I just really don't get it." I guess the less said on this the better. It's just really bad, or I just really don't get it. But, let's face it, I get a lot, so it's most likely just a crappy album. If this is the direction that black metal is going (many think this is the antithesis to selling out) I won't hang on for long.
Death's Review:
Wow. Talk about your experimental black metal. From the opening moments and slow build of the opener, "Grand Declaration of War," the new Mayhem sounds nothing like what you might otherwise expect from the forefathers of black metal. Well, let me not exaggerate. It sounds almost nothing like what you would expect. There are still the occasional black metal screams, interspersed with the sheer intensity of the hyper speed-picking and overall guitar sound. But when you first hear the spoken word strangeness in "In the Lies Where Upon You Lay" you will quickly realize that this is not your older brother's black metal. This is the Mayhem of a new regime.
"Sometimes this record is more Nine Inch Nails or even Depeche Mode than Emperor or Cradle of Filth." I suppose I applaud the experimentation. Unfortunately, on Grand Declaration of War, the experimentation comes across as more Cold Lake than Tuonela. For starters, the spoken word stuff just has to go. Does anyone here disagree with me? I'm sure someone does, but most of you will surely not appreciate this element. Admittedly, Grand Declaration is more metal than a quick read of this review so far would suggest. Parts of "View from Nihil," for example, are pretty cool and very metal. The drumming is especially effective here, with an insane double-bass presence and some interesting beats. But the production is so misguided (featuring a horribly tinny and, at times, synthesized or severely modified drum sound) that it mostly ruins the drumming anyway. Sometimes this record is more Nine Inch Nails or even Depeche Mode than Emperor or Cradle of Filth. It makes the Kovenant's Marilyn Manson trip feel like it absolutely shreds.
Overall, I'm not really feeling it.
Rating Revised for Metal Judgment Anniversary
Hel's Review:
Let me be upfront with you. I know zero about old Mayhem. I read most of Lords of Chaos, so I know that stuff, and I know they were significant in the development of black metal, but I don't have any personal history here. So if you are reading this in hopes of some insightful comparison of this album to the prior works of Mayhem, you are to be disappointed. All I can tell you are my thoughts on its modern day impact. And it's just my opinion, I could be wrong.
I have to give this record props for diversity. They run the gambit from more traditional black metal to industrial. During at least one song, I couldn't shake the feeling that this was what Kovenant was going for on their latest album. I think in this case, the band is able to relay fantastic mood and ambiance. In general, the music suits the band name well. It's mayhem, man. There are so many different sounds and styles incorporated here, the result could be nothing else.
"It's mayhem, man. There are so many different sounds and styles incorporated here, the result could be nothing else." My biggest problem with this album is that the sum of this diversity seems to be nonsense. The vocals frequently sound like a carnival midway hawker, and frankly, it's hard to take that seriously. Add in the techno aspects that I despised in the aforementioned Kovenant release, and you've got me losing interest fast. I'm always happy with a death metal growl, and this is no exception. The rest, I can do without. Especially the hawker.
I think it's a pretty well established fact that I tend to weigh my overall opinion of an album pretty heavily on the voice of the singer. Certainly, this isn't fair, but such is life. Perhaps if there had been fewer elements that turned me off, I may have liked the entire album better. As is, I found the music interesting and there certainly may be more quality there than I'm giving credit to. But the more I listened, the more annoying the vocals became. In the end, I have to conclude that the Mayhem faithful may very well love it. I'm just not there with them.
Rating Revised for Metal Judgment Anniversary
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