Man, Norwegian black metal bands sure do grow up fast. Has it really been 25 years since Mayhem first unleashed their sinister rumblings upon unsuspecting eardrums, via the ominously-titled demo Pure Fucking Armageddon?
Spoiler: Mayhem don’t look like this anymore.
Yep, indeed it has been — and for Mayhem, who are probably the most famous and certainly the most notorious band to emerge from Scandinavia’s black metal scene, there’s no time like 25 years later to hit San Francisco’s DNA Lounge. Seems like the DNA has been hosting more metal than usual lately, after the recent PaganFest (featuring tunic-wearing Finnish folk metallers Korpiklaani, a band with a frontman so energetic he nearly cancelled out possibly the most bored-looking heavy metal violin player ever to roam the earth), and with the Pentagram show (yes!) coming up July 2. For Mayhem, supported by Cephalic Carnage, Cattle Decapitation, and Withered, but not the previously-announced Swedes Marduk, who cancelled due to visa problems), the joint was fairly packed but not sold out. It was a Wednesday night, but the show started early (7pm), a bonus for working stiffs who love to throw the goat but turn into zombies around midnight. Perhaps because it was midweek, the crowd seemed less fashion-y than the types who’d turned up for PaganFest. Or maybe I was too busy ogling the (faux) severed-head set decorations to notice any overt clubwear in our midst.