Mayhem
Sydney, Australia
Factory Theatre
19 January 2023
Having missed out on previous live incarnations of Mayhem over the years and given both the immense influence they have been exerting on the metal landscape at large since their original inception almost forty years ago along with much fabled about notorious live performances, it felt like it was high time that I finally got to experience one of the most prominent Norwegian black metal bands in the third dimension.
The packed out Factory Theatre was visibly brimming with excitement as to how the ever unpredictable entity known as Mayhem was to continue their legacy with their hostile sounds.
Instead of resting on their laurels, it was great to see an unsanitised, righteous version of the band, showcasing both their opaque facets with searing borderline cacophonous unrelenting noise parts, their trademark all out metal onslaught as well as their atmospherically theatrical, ethereal side substantiated by the ever morbid and melodramatic histrionics of frontman and accomplished vocalist Attila Csihar.
What I have always loved about Mayhem is their raw, stripped down, dirty and distorted punk rooted approach, which was not merely integral to the first part of their career but was front and centre tonight, aiding in making the full force of their primal overdrive physically tangible.
Garbed in a tattered, multi-layered cloak and corpse paint at the beginning and undergoing quite a few costume changes throughout the evening, conducting the tight band with a cross made of bones and later on channelling Macbeth with a cranium, Attila’s ghoulish vocals were clear and severe, as he spearheaded the horde reminiscent of a devilish pope alternating between serenading and threatening the unfaithful.
The appreciative and enthusiastic crowd lapped up the ritualistic ceremony, which was staged in differently themed parts with a well-curated setlist that made it a thrilling exercise for both the old school aficionado as well as the large number of younger aged attendees.
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photos by T
