Alcatraz Line up: 2019, 2021, 2024

The lives of these pioneers of Norwegian black metal are inextricably tied up with murder, suicide, substance abuse and violence. The suicide of vocalist Dead and the murder of Euronymous set the stage. Mayhem’s live shows have been called ‘the epitome of debauchery’. In those pre-internet times, word of mouth was everything and by the time their studio debut dropped, their reputation reached far and wide. ‘De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas’ (1994) set the bar for an entire generation of black metal bands and helped Mayhem tap into a wider audience. The line-up has been stable since the formation of the Teloch-Ghul guitar partnership and that paid dividends on their last two albums. On ‘Esoteric Warfare’ (2014), Mayhem once again succeeded in pushing back the genre’s boundaries without compromising their identity and Daemon (2019) plunges into the depths of spiritual horror, just like their debut. Each album explores a theme and ‘Daemon’ evokes the fathomless despair and endless sufferings of hell. Mayhem recently dropped ‘Daemonic Rites’, which not only celebrates 40 years of band history but also underscores the black metal band’s relevance in today’s metal landscape.