Like I imagine was the case for a lot of people that came late to the second-wave black metal party, I was aware of Mayhem before I actually heard them. How could you not be with all the incredible and outrageous stories surrounding this seminal band? When I finally decided to see what the fuss was about, I got a copy of De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas and was underwhelmed (Live at Leipzig, on the other hand, is an awe-inspiring display of black metal fury that blew me away). Now I have their EP, Atavistic Black Disorder/Kommando, which features three "new" Mayhem songs (an unreleased track and two leftovers from Daemon) plus four covers from the punk and hardcore groups the band members grew up listening to and which obviously influenced them as musicians.

I have to say I'm impressed with the original material. "Voces ab Alta," "Black Glass Communion" and "Everlasting Dying Flame" are the kind of raw, yet melodic black metal Mayhem helped define, full of aggressive tremolo riffing and howling rasps that are just understandable enough so you can shout/scream along with almost immediately. These songs may be less experimental than some of Mayhem's prior works but that doesn't mean they are boring or generic, far from it. They are the efforts of a band on top of its game. The covers are an interesting addition here. The Ramones and Dead Kennedys are far from black metal, though the rampant energy and naked emotions are certainly recognizable in Mayhem's music. It is interesting to hear Attila Csihar using clean vocals and he's actually quite good.

I don't know how the more dedicated Mayhem fans will take to Atavistic Black Disorder/Kommando but as someone with an appreciation for good black metal (and a history with hardcore and punk from the '80s), it sounds good to me. EPs don't usually get me excited about upcoming albums, but I am looking forward to the next Mayhem release based on this one.