Mayhem, pioneers of Norwegian black metal and one of the most controversial metal bands in the world, is the new confirmation for Rockstadt Extreme Fest 2020, which will take place between July 30 and August 2, on the Biathlon field at the base of Rasnov Fortress. . Mayhem is a name that has left its mark on this genre internationally and has influenced the evolution of the metal scene in general, especially due to the band’s inclination towards continuous experimentation (a trend that marked the band’s career after 1993). Mayhem’s contributions did not go unnoticed, the group receiving for the latest album, “Ordo Ad Chao” (“Order to Chaos”), the “Spellemannprisen” award in the “Best Metal Album” category (the Norwegian equivalent of the Grammy Awards).
Founded in 1984 in Oslo, the band is said to have been named after a Venom track, “Mayhem without Mercy.” After the release of the “Deathcrush” EP (1987), the band quickly attracted attention through the controversies generated by their live shows and the fact that it was associated with certain incidents marked by violence, some of which involved the burning of some churches in Norway. . The tumultuous history also affected the band’s composition, leading to a musical break, shortly after the release of their debut album, “De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas” (1987).
The band’s second album, “Grand Declaration of War” (2000), was marked by strong progressive influences and metal avant-garde, dealing with themes related to war and post-apocalyptic damage. The record was followed by “Chimera” (2004), which shows a return of the band to the raw sound from the beginning, but enhanced by the quality of the material’s production and by progressive influences. 2014 brought a new track, “Psywar”, and another album, “Esoteric Warfare”, followed by a tour in the US with Watain, Revenge and Rotting Christ. After only two years, the band released a new record, “De Mysteriis Dom. Sathanas “(” DMDS alive “) to release in 2018 a remastered version of” A Grand Declaration of War “and a film about the band, screened for the first time at the Sundance Film Festival, entitled” Lord of Chaos “(after a book with the same name). Recently, Mayhem announced the release of a new album, “Daemon”, scheduled for the end of October 2019. Mayhem joins the series of names already announced for the 2020 edition of Rockstadt Extreme Fest: Despised Icon (CA), Kataklysm (CA), Death Angel (US), The Black Dahlia Murder (US) and Rotting Christ (GR).
