Grand Declaration of War

Mayhem

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 6, 2000)
• Original Release Date: May 22, 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Necropolis Records
• ASIN: B00004SWIA
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #324,997 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Track Listings

1. Part II

2. Grand Declaration of War

3. In the Lies Where upon You Lay

4. Time to Die

5. View from Nihil

6. Principle

7. Bloodsword and a Colder Sun

8. Crystalized Pain in Deconstruction

9. Completion in Science of Agony

10. To Daimonion

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply put, it's a masterpiece..., November 16, 2000

By	Ken (Youngsville, LA USA) - See all my reviews

99.9% of the people who hear this CD are going to be surprised... no matter if you've heard Mayhem before or not. The main concern is whether or not you'll listen to it with an open mind. Mayhem has been pacifying & pleasing the scene with their "trueness" for eons now, due largely in part to the fact that they were the band that actually defined the sound of what we now call Black Metal. "Grand Declaration of War" is the sound of Mayhem recreating Black Metal all over again. Will you appreciate the fact that these songs are technical, not monotonous? Will you appreciate the fact that the vocals are varied with each song (and often run through artificial effects) to accentuate the themes rather than screeched in the same old "black metal" ™ format on every line? Will you appreciate the fact that not every song is as fast as humanly possible (despite the fact that Hellhammer pushes himself to new extremes here on some tracks)? Will you appreciate the fact that the immediate post-war track has a drum machine to accentuate its meaning? See, you have to remember something here: this release is a concept album - they have chronicled WWIII and its aftermath. Some of it is bleak and cold and haunting and downright frightening... all in an effort to fulfill the concept. You can't portray that mood by playing 666 MPH for 35 minutes straight. Once you understand that, every nuance and twist you hear will make sense. Even the CD booklet follows the concept between the lyrics and the art. This is Mayhem's profound and impeccable statement to the Black Metal world, and I think it's one of the best releases I've ever heard, no matter what genre. Out of five stars, I give it a ten. Period.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best albums ever recorded, February 19, 2004

By A Customer

This is truly is a masterpiece concept album that explores several genres of music, not just black metal.
Too complex for most people to understand and that is what Mayhem really stands for - separating the idiots from the intellectuals.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars this is an OBSESSION..., August 5, 2001

By	S. Flask (the Pequod) - See all my reviews

wow. i really didn't know what i was getting into with this one. i heard it was quite strange, and was hesitant to get it after Fenriz stated that there was "rapping" on the album. but i finally figured, "what the hell", and dropped the 12 bucks on this album.

man, was it worth it. i am totally obsessed with this. i haven't stopped listening to it since i bought it, and i have no urge to stop.

first of all, there is no "rapping" on here. what you get are ample amounts of lyrics "spoken" over the music. of course, you get plenty of sweet, sweet screams too.

musically, this is just wonderful. the drumming is immaculate. it's the first thing that stood out. the guitars are fast and tight, and they just shred. they're really clean, as is the production of the whole album. in general, the music is very interesting and strange - yet it is familiar too. and in the middle of the album they really throw you for a loop... you'll have to check it out for yourself.

this isn't 120 mph start to finish. this isn't just like every 'black metal' album released in the last 10 years. it may displease the purists. but who cares? truthfully, this isn't like any album i own. it's strange, it's incredibly well played, it has great atmosphere, and most of all - it just reeks of quality.

not only fans of extreme music check this out. everybody who considers themselves an open-minded music fan should as well.