MAYHEM REVIEW
Werewolves, Ulcerate and Mayhem played killer sets last night at the Factory Theatre. Accompanied by stellar lighting designs that set the tone of the show and complimented the bands mood and themes of their performances. The blue back light flickered into purples, greens and reds which added extra depth and darkness to the already brooding atmosphere. We got to watch a show full of aggressive, pained, and enraged music that you could growl and really sink your teeth into.
Werewolves kicked off their set with 'Know Your Place'. The vocals roared paired with their impressive speedy guitar work, chord progressions and heavy drum lines which overwhelmed the room. Werewolves also played 'Establish', 'Crushusm' and 'I Don't Like You'. They ended their set before playing more fan favourites. They put on a fantastic show and I’m excited to see where this band goes.
Next up was Ulcerate, they came on stage giving the audience barely a breath from set set that came before, the audience cheered, ready to not slow down. They kicked off the set with 'The Lifeless Advance' and it blended in well with the sea of black metal t-shirts in the room and the darkness of the venue. As the bass filled the room, each song had a unique identity, the band played 'There is no Horizon' and 'Everything is Fire' feeding the hungry desire of the metalheads waiting successfully to be rocked off their feet. It was another amazing set and Ulcerate too has joined my list for ones to watch.
Mayhem were up next and this is the band everyone was waiting to see and the band reminded the audience of this. The set kicked off with 'Falsified' as we listened to it Mayhem delivered massive drum beats and bass lines that commanded the audience, the audience obeyed being blown away by the most inventive rhythm sections in black metal.
Next up was 'Daimonion', 'Malum' and 'Bad Blood', the guitars played together in harmony and there was excellent riffing and vocals alternating between imposing, shrieks, growls, and the exhilarating guitars. Teloch and Charles Hedger were on fire on that stage. The fans screamed for more and began to chant Mayhem over and over.
Mayhem silenced the crowds chants temporarily but nothing could put out the fire that had been lit beneath them. They continued to play 'My Death', 'Symbols' and 'Voces Ab Alts'. Mayhem treated each song as an evil spectacle, pushing it to its most absurd and dissonant limits. As they played 'Freezing Moon' the heavy beats of the drums paired with the icy guitars were the black beating heart of their.
They followed up by 'Pagan Fears' and the fans penetrated the air with their metal horns. The band showcased their technical solos with some more hits such as 'Life Eternal' and 'Buried' and the crowd started to mosh.
Mayham walked off stage and the crowd started chanting again “Mayhem, Mayhem, Mayhem”. As they walked back out on stage they treated the begging audience with ‘Deathcrush’, ‘Chainsaw’, ‘Carnage’ and ‘PFA’. It was a performance unlike any other, it was a celebration of dark metal. Mayhem stood triumphantly on the stage, smiling as they fist bumped the audience. It was a great show, you should definitely catch them at a venue near you.