Mayhem`s new record. An effort fans have been looking forward to for a long time; especially since their last cd Grand Declaration Of War was experimental and hard to listen to. Logical result: reduction of their fan base.

They said they wanted to return to their roots with Chimera. They didn’t spread lies, because Chimera is a lot faster and more brutal than Grand Declaration Of War. This record also shows a lot more cohesiveness between the songs.

With this album Mayhem will not set any new standards, but it’s definitely one piece of black metal quality. Of course, a big part of that is due to the technical and excellent drum talent of Hellhammer.

He’s showcasing a lot of difficult patterns (detail: in the booklet, his entire drum set is drawn out).

There are 8 songs on this record, which are songs, unlike on their last outing. The tracks have structure and are well built up. “Dark Night Of The Soul” and “Slaugher Of Dreams” are some examples of perfect songs Mayhem created (especially “Slaughter Of Dreams” is a great song, because of some superb riffs).

You can write a lot about Mayhem, but I think the die hard Mayhem fan, as well as black metal fans, know what to do. Just get this record, stay true.