MAYHEM Deathcrush Cassette 1987 (2022)

Before the murders, before the church burnings, before black metal became a genre with rules and sub-factions, there was Deathcrush. Released in 1987, Mayhem's debut EP is the detonator, eight minutes of violence that landed before anyone had the vocabulary to describe what they were hearing.

Euronymous, Dead, Necrobutcher, Manheim, and a guest spot from Messiah of Candlemass, it's a document of a band becoming something genuinely dangerous. The metal and punk DNA is still audible here, the grind influence, the sheer spite of it. Getting this on cassette in 2022 is less nostalgia and more archaeology. Limited pressing, so if you're building a serious dark music collection, this is the kind of gap you don't leave unfilled.

Artist: Mayhem. Format: EP cassette, limited edition. Origin: Norway. Original release: 1987. This pressing: 2022.

Fans of: Venom, Bathory, Hellhammer, Celtic Frost, Darkthrone, Sarcófago.