Tag Archives: mayhem

Reviews, Videos

“Pure Fucking Mayhem” by Mayhem

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Artist: Mayhem
Title: “Pure Fucking Mayhem”
Label: Prophecy Productions
Release Date: 11/3/2008
Genre: Black Metal
Rating: 4/5

In terms of the phrase “Black Metal”, the credit might have historically gone to Britain’s Venom who offered up a song of the same name but when it comes down to the music genre and all of its sinister and blasphemous glory for many it begins with the legendary Mayhem. If you have ever followed the band that heralded the True Norwegian Black Metal scene then you are most likely very aware of their unique and rather insidious history, but if you are not, then this documentary “Pure Fucking Mayhem” is the best way to learn about the bands humble beginnings and catch up to where they stand as a band in today’s Metal world. It’s a fascinating and yet also a frightening tale when you think about it because while it might have been on some musicians minds, there was no real Black Metal scene yet nor was music and shows of this type being played in the same scale as we find happening today. Of course this was back in 1984 and Heavy Metal music was due for a drastic change care of the bands founders Euronymous, Necrobutcher and Manheim. These three musicians were the core and delivered more of a Punk meets aggressive Thrash vibe and while using a different vocalist in the beginning, the true dark shape of the band would solidify into something more tangible when they brought the Swedish singer Dead into their roster.
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Features, PiercingMetal Says

PiercingMetal’s “Best Of” 2009: The Books and Videos

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I know what you are thinking, gee Ken you guys sure did like a lot of stuff over the course of 2009 and you are not kidding. This will be my last installment from the “Best Of” rundowns and we will not only cover the videos and books that we enjoyed the most but also will line out a bunch of the things that disappointed us here at the Metal Media Command HQ. DVD releases continued to impress and amaze as not only were new and exciting videos being released but also a number of cool historical archives had finally come to see the light of day. We reviewed quite a bit of them this year and still have a number of them to go but the list below focuses on some of our favorites which we made sure to line out first to be a part of this list. Let’s take a look.

The Best DVD’s of 2009:

Iron Maiden “Flight 666” (Universal Music): Maiden’s documentary about their “Somewhere Back In Time” World Tour that discussed how the band flew their own airplane to dozens of countries to deliver the Metal to the faithful believers has to be seen to be believed. Filmed by the famous Sam Dunn of “Headbanger’s Journey” fame.

Anvil: “The Story Of Anvil” (VH1 Classic Records): Anvil finally gets their due and some proper attention based on this fine documentary film by Sasha Gervasi.

Journey “Live In Manila” (Wal-Mart): If you didn’t get enough of Arnel Pineda when Journey delivered us “Generations” then wait till you get a load of him doing his thing in his home country, the Philippines. This show rocks and the crowd was going crazy for their countryman as he led this legendary band into the future.

Rick Wakeman “The Six Wives Of Henry XIII” (Eagle Vision): Former Yes keyboard wizard gets to fulfill a dream performance and we are members of the audience thanks to this special DVD release. A companion CD was also offered and this is a must for the legends fans.

ZZ Top “Double Down Live” (Eagle Vision): This DVD presented not one, but two performances from ZZ Top and while one comes from recently, it is the vintage show from 1980 that is the one to appreciate most. There isn’t a lot of footage of the band that’s been made public, so this was something that many classic rock and blues rock fans can appreciate quite a bit.
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PiercingMetal’s “Best Of” 2009: The Concerts and Events

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Now that I’ve lined out all the music that blew me away during the 2009 year, its time to lend my focus on the Concerts and Events that we attended. In looking back on it, I would have to say that 2009 was probably the biggest year that I ever had as a music writer and photographer based on not only how many cool concerts there were, but how many I was able to find myself taking part in for your eventual entertainment as readers of the site. I think that I caught something like 95 shows which is a new record for me and probably one that will be very difficult to beat but of course I have been saying this for three years. Below are some of the events that I felt were the most exciting of them all.

The Best Concerts of 2009:

“Paganfest USA – 2”: This time around the tour would feature Korpiklaani, Moonsorrow, Primordial, Blackguard and Swashbuckle and really be an impressive one. What made it exciting for me was the chance to see Korpiklaani, Moonsorrow and Primordial for the most part because none of these bands had ever done a proper tour in the USA. I found Blackguard to be a nice surprise as well.

Judas Priest & Whitesnake (Epic Records/SPV Records): Judas Priest would celebrate their 30th Anniversary of the “British Steel” albums while the Snake would be celebrating two incredible releases of their own. The show featured a solid set from both bands and was a gig that many would talk about for months. According to reports, Priest recorded one of the shows and plans for the video/audio to be released with a special edition of “British Steel”. Whitesnake in turn also released deluxe editions of both “Slide It In” and “Slip Of The Tongue” this year.

Marduk @ The Gramercy Theatre (Candlelight Records): After having missed the Blackenedfest a few months earlier, Marduk was on US Soil to crush the Metal legions. This was an intense show that delivered on all counts and impressed all those fans who had wanted to see them a few months earlier.

Saxon @ B.B. King Blues Club (SPV Records): Saxon had not done a proper US tour in some years and this NYC show would be one of two appearances and be done for a sold out room. The mood and the Metal were intense this evening and proved to many that the Old School glory of traditional Metal had not and will never subside.

Paul McCartney @ Citi Field: I was lucky to catch one of the three performances by Sir Paul McCartney who did a night of wonderful tunes. Lots of Beatles and lots of Wings, which is all classic stuff and still relevant to all fans of good ole Rock & Roll. A DVD/CD would be released of this historic visit.

The 69 Eyes @ Gramercy Theatre (The End Records): The Helsinki Vampires were “Back In Blood” supporting a new album that really delivered the goods and reminded their fans why they remain so special to them. It also featured the talents of Dommin and The Becoming. A very dark night in NYC to say the least.

Mayhem @ The Fillmore NY (Season Of Mist Records): This was called the Blackened Metal Fest and while it depressed some that Marduk was off the tour, the True Mayhem delivered a frightening and powerful set of Black Metal that focused on the bands influential years.

KISS @ Madison Square Garden (KISS Records): Love them or hate them, NYC and Madison Square Garden are nothing less than home for KISS and their show always pulls out all the stops. The rousing good time celebrated the 30th Anniversary of the “Alive” CD and found much of the set focused on that live classic. A lot of other different and more unexpected numbers were in place this time around which made it a great experience. I could have done without Buckcherry as they bored me with their set.
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Events, Reviews

Mayhem @ Fillmore at Irving Plaza (5/21/2009)

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Logo - Mayhem

The True Mayhem was set to appear as headliner for the aptly named “Blackenedfest” with direct support from Sweden’s Black Metal elite Marduk, Cephalic Carnage, Cattle Decapitation and Withered.  As it would come to pass there was some snafu that kept Marduk from being a part of the show so instead we found the expected Cephalic Carnage and Withered along with the surprise addition of Lair Of The Minotaur opening up the tour at NY’s own Fillmore NY.  We shot photos of all bands performing and offered up commentary about the whole evening.

Artist: Mayhem
Venue: The Fillmore NY (New York, NY)
Opener: Marduk, Cephalic Carnage, Cattle Decapitation, Withered
Date: 5/21/2009
Label: Season Of Mist Records

While a holy day of obligation for those that choose to follow the Christian faith, the Metal acolytes that convened inside The Fillmore NY would be celebrating “Descension Thursday” for it was on this particular day that the Blackenedfest would kick off its tour and deliver its insidious assault on any who braved enter the venue. Readers will need to stick with me for a moment and pay attention because while this sinister bill was set to bring together the one and only Mayhem, perhaps the truest of the True Norwegian Black Metal bands in existence along with Marduk, equal demons in the Black Arts from Sweden along with Cephalic Carnage, Cattle Decapitation and Withered – the final product would be far from correct as those who arrived early to see the whole show would learn. Knowing that four solid bands were going to play made me want to arrive early and when I got in I found an unexpected surprise already in play. It seemed as though Lair Of The Minotaur was set up for this show and already delivering a crushing Doomish Black Metal set for the very minimal audience who had also arrived early. My guess was that the true crowd would get there for Marduk and Mayhem and that the larger Metal populace who had tickets had wanted to keep their energies for those two killer bands.
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