7 years later and more line up changes than a retail store, Mayhem are back with a brand new album to follow up 2007’s ‘Ordo ad Chao’. As a pioneer of the Norwegian Black Metal scene, a new Mayhem album is taken into high regard by the international Black Metal elite – but can ‘Esoteric Warfare’ live up to its expectation after 7 years of waiting?

The key aspect that remains of interest in ‘Esoteric Warfare’ is that it is the first Mayhem music to be written without the services of long time member Blasphemer who departed the band in 2008. Promising sounds are chimed in the opening track ‘Watchers’, representing Mayhem’s signature raw dark threaded chords quickly followed up by a burst of Hellhammer’s rapid fire battery. These promising sounds remain surprisingly consistent throughout keeping true to the Mayhem roots similar to that of ‘Wolf’s Lair Abyss’.

Guitar work on the album was one of the more appealing elements of the album being very diverse and quick panning between the aggressive and atmospheric, with the Hellhammer engine keeping everything in perfect yet chaotic sync. The perfect chaos idea is encapsulated with tracks like ‘Psywar’ and ‘Posthuman’, with the disoriented and disturbing vocals of Atilla Csihar adding to the chaotic atmosphere of the album.

Many would have understandably doubted any promise in ‘Esoteric Warfare’ given the events that occurred during the 7 year build up to the album, and surely without their key songwriter the Mayhem creative process would have been hindered. This is only far from the reality. Mayhem have produced one of their finest efforts to date, and have reiterated why they still are the overlords of Black Metal.