siLLy puPPy
MAYHEM's famous demo debut. For all that's said about this release one thing is for sure. This is about as horrible of a production job as you can get. If you want your black metal as unproduced and as dirty sounding as is possible then you must check out PURE FUCKING ARMAGEDDON. The sounds of this demo correspond to the title quite well as it sounds like this was recorded on the last broken remnants of equipment on the planet. The mics are fucked up. The bass and guitar and muddled together so it's impossible to tell which is which. Even the music on this seems to have little structure. It is simply a noisefest with a steady blastbeat drumming being the only discernible musicality at times. Occasionally some muffled grunts make their way into the mostly instrumental tracks but we also get a tribal drum piece with everyone screaming together!
Well, it doesn't get any worse than this. An absolutely horrible sounding album that lives up to its name. Still, this is MAYHEM and this debut demo clearly demonstrates that they were the true innovators of the most evil and wicked sounding music ever to emerge from the underground. Luckily they would take this sound and develop it and (thankfully) learn how to develop the production. Despite it all I kinda like this. Demos are the time of adolescence for black metal bands where they can get away with this sorta thing, so gotta love the raw lo-fi adrenaline rush that is well worth the time hearing not only for historical reasons but also for a good old-fashioned headbanging mindfuck.
