MAYHEM: Chimera Vinyl LP

Post-De Mysteriis Mayhem was always going to be a contested space. Chimera doesn't care about your opinion.

Released in 2004 with Maniac on vocals and Blasphemer pushing the guitar work into genuinely unpredictable territory, Chimera is the most abrasive entry in Mayhem's catalogue, which is saying something. Where Grand Declaration of War alienated purists with its spoken word and avant-garde structure, Chimera strips it back to something uglier and more visceral without retreating to nostalgia. It's not beloved the way De Mysteriis is, and that's exactly why it's interesting. Norwegian black metal moving forward on its own terms, indifferent to consensus. Peaceville have kept it in print, which means it's accessible, but it still feels like a record for people who actually dig into the discography rather than stop at the classics.

Vinyl LP. Originally released 2004. Various reissues exist including Peaceville pressings. Norwegian black metal.

Fans of: Thorns, DHG, Dodheimsgard, Aborym