Mayhem were FUCKING FANTASTIC!!!

As per the subject, Mayhem played on Thursday 23rd at the Hi Fi Bar and were sensational! Much like Coffins and Napalm Death, the venue appeared pretty packed, probably as full as I've seen it in the last few years. Only caught the tail end of a dark and brutal Astriaal set, and after a short break, Mayhem took the stage and delivered the best black metal performance I've ever seen! 70-odd minutes of fast, tight and furious black metal. Atilla, as always, was a fantastic frontman - his stage presence is amazing, and his voice was even better live than on record. The main set closed with Crystalized Pain in Deconstruction, but very shortly after Silvester Anfang started playing and the band returned to stage, this time with Killjoy from Necrophagia to join in the vocals for Deathcrush. Carnage was next, followed by the pleasantly unexpected De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas, which was delivered perfectly. Pure Fucking Armageddon, as always, finished the night off. 9.5/10