MAYHEM De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas LP 1994 (2020)

There are albums, and then there are cursed objects. De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas is the latter, a record so soaked in genuine infamy that the music almost plays second fiddle to its own mythology, except it doesn't, because the music is untouchable.

Released in 1994 after everything had already gone wrong, Mayhem's debut full-length stands as the cornerstone of Norwegian black metal, and honestly, of extreme music at large. Dead's vocals were recorded before his death. Euronymous produced it before his murder. Varg Vikernes played bass and was already in prison when it dropped. The chaos is baked into the grooves. Funeral Fog opens like a portal and the record never relents, raw, atmospheric, and freezing cold in a way that no amount of studio polish has ever replicated. If you're getting into black metal, this is the document. If you've been into black metal for twenty years, you know exactly why you need this on purple vinyl in a gatefold.

2020 reissue on purple vinyl, gatefold sleeve, full length LP. Origin: Norway, 1994.

Fans of: Burzum, Darkthrone, Emperor, Bathory, Gorgoroth.