The wait is nearly over. MAYHEM's "Liturgy of Death" drops tomorrow, February 6, via Century Media Records, ending a seven-year recording hiatus that stretches back to 2019's "Daemon." The release also marks the Norwegian black metal pioneers' 40th anniversary — a milestone few bands in extreme music can claim, particularly one with a history as turbulent and legendary as MAYHEM's.
The seventh studio album promises over 45 minutes of dark, evil, dissonant, and oppressive black metal across eight tracks, with two additional bonus tracks. The lineup features vocalist Attila Csihar, whose otherworldly vocal approach has defined MAYHEM's modern era, alongside guitarists Ghul and Teloch, founding bassist Necrobutcher, and legendary drummer Hellhammer. This configuration has proven remarkably stable by MAYHEM standards, allowing the band to develop a cohesive creative vision.
Pre-release singles have stoked anticipation to fever pitch. "Weep for Nothing," the lead single released in November 2025, set the tone with bleak, atmospheric savagery. "Despair" followed in December, while "Life Is a Corpse You Drag" arrived in January, each track demonstrating that MAYHEM remain as uncompromising as ever. Critics with advance copies have been effusive in their praise — Invisible Oranges described it as the closest MAYHEM have come to a direct sequel to their seminal 1994 debut "De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas."
The album stands among the most anticipated extreme metal releases of 2026, a year already loaded with major releases. Metal Hammer and Kerrang! have both awarded advance reviews four out of five stars. For a band whose story includes murder, church burnings, and decades of internal conflict, the fact that MAYHEM continue to produce vital, forward-thinking black metal is nothing short of remarkable. Tomorrow, the world finds out whether "Liturgy of Death" lives up to four decades of dark legacy.