MAYHEM at Rockefeller (Oslo, Norway)
Special Guests: CADAVER
Sunday, February 27, 2022
by Jorge Patacas
After many rescheduled dates, the Norwegian black metal legends Mayhem were finally able to play their concert in Oslo with their fellow countrymen Cadaver as special guests.
Cadaver were pioneers when it comes to the local death metal scene in Norway back in the late 80’s when a young Anders Odden wanted to start his own project with the former vocalist/drummer Ole Bjerkebakke. After many lineup changes and split ups over the years, Odden decided to reform the band with the amazing Dirk Verbeuren (Megadeth, ex Soilwork) joining on drums. They had different lineups for the live shows, but right now Eilert Solstad, who was the bass player on the “…In Pains” album, is on board as well as Bjørn Dugstad Rønnow (Borknagar, Trollfest) who is replacing Verbeuren on the Norwegian dates since he’s not in the country. As a trio, Cadaver went on stage at 20:15 to perform an intense set which included gems from the past like “Ignominious Eczema” from their debut album “Hallucinating Anxiety” (1990), “Mr. Tumour’s Misery” and “During the End”, these two originally released on their aforementioned second album, “…In Pains” (1992). The newer stuff from 2020 was represented with “D.G.A.F.” (“Don’t Give a Fuck”) from their EP of the same name, “Circle of Morbidity” which features Jeff Becerra (Possessed) as a guest vocalist in the studio version, and “Reborn” characterized by excellent riffs and brutal drumming skills. These songs are featured on their most recent album, “Edder & Bile”, and you can watch the videos for both songs as well. The final song was the fan favorite “Decomposed Metal Skin”.
Odden, who is also the bass player for Satyricon, was in a great mood and back in business after battling colon cancer two years ago, giving his 100% on stage as the rest of the band.
Cadaver is currently working on their next album with Ronni Le Tekrø of the Norwegian legends TNT, so stay tuned.
Around 30 minutes later, the lights turned off and one by one the members of Mayhem appeared on stage. Ghul and Teloch on guitars, the founding member Necrobutcher on bass, the almighty Hellhammer behind his enormous drum set and finally Attila Csihar in one of his outfits ready to deliver vocals and theatrics.
There were some technical issues related to the microphone and monitors in the beginning, but it didn’t affect the performance that much. As they’ve been doing lately, they split their set in three acts. On the first one, they performed songs from the last 25 years focusing mostly on their latest album, “Daemon” (2019). Some of the most complex, dense and experimental songs of their career were written in that period and we could experience them live now.
Half an hour later, the five members left the stage for the first time in the evening while the lights suddenly turned purple and a picture of the Nidaros Cathedral from the inside was shown on the backdrop. The atmosphere was set for the second part of the show which was focused on their masterpiece “De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas” (1994). We got to hear the recording of their historical vocalist Dead saying “When it’s cold and when it’s dark, the freezing moon can obsess you” as an intro to the classic “Freezing Moon” while the band came back on stage in their cult hooded outfits. The audience reaction was according to the expectations, but it was going to get better as the songs went by. “Pagan Fears”, “Life Eternal” and the faster “Buried by Time and Dust” followed and then they left the stage again.
Now the stage lights turned red and a giant Mayhem logo appeared behind the drumkit. The march sounds of “Silvester Anfang” began. It was time for some really old school stuff, the “Deathcrush” EP era.
As soon as they began playing the title track’s main riff, a moshpit started in the audience. This would last for the rest of the performance that included “Chainsaw Gutfuck”, the chaotic “Carnage” and “Pure Fucking Armageddon”, the last song for the evening. Lights turned on, “Nuns Have No Fun” by Mercyful Fate came out from the PA and it was a perfect way to end the weekend.
