MAYHEM — Deathcrush (review)

MAYHEM — Deathcrush album cover EP · 1987 · Black Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
3.5/5 ·
siLLy puPPy
Here it is – the unpolished sloppy muddy first EP from the legendary MAYHEM but it still sounds like a major improvement from the horrendous production of the demo that emerged the year before. This came out in 1987, several years before the second wave of Norwegian black metal had taken off and a good few years before contemporaries like Darkthrone, Immortal or Emperor would release their first black metal. They basically took the most aggressive music of the 80s by Venom, Bathory, Motorhead and Celtic Frost as their inspiration and ramped it up significantly.

I am not sure who exactly is considered the first second wavers to kick off the revolution but I can't think of any other band who sounded like this at this time however some of this sounds like it is borderline death metal or grindcore. They also wouldn't adopt the Satanic imagery and lyrics until Dead joined the crew the next year but they sure have a good head start on the sound that would really take off in the 90s.

This album is kind of funny in a way. It starts off with some strange electronic drumming thing that doesn't sound the least bit evil or black but once the next track begins it is clear that the aggression and brutality of early second wavers has already taken hold. At times Maniac sounds like he's being strangled while he's screaming out his unintelligible lyrics. Overall not a bad first release for one of the greats of the scene but we all know that better things would come.
Share this review

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

MMA TOP 5 Metal ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
Master of Puppets Thrash Metal
METALLICA
Buy this album from our partners
Paranoid Heavy Metal
BLACK SABBATH
Buy this album from our partners
Moving Pictures Hard Rock
RUSH
Buy this album from our partners
Powerslave NWoBHM
IRON MAIDEN
Buy this album from our partners
Rising Heavy Metal
RAINBOW
Buy this album from our partners

New Metal Artists

New Metal Releases

Hin helga kvöl Atmospheric Sludge Metal
SÓLSTAFIR
Buy this album from MMA partners
The Cycles of Suffering Black Metal
BURIAL OATH
Buy this album from MMA partners
Facilis Descensus Averno Death Metal
SAEVUS FINIS
Buy this album from MMA partners
Merciless Crossover Thrash
BODY COUNT
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Metal Online Videos

More videos

New MMA Metal Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Metal News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us