MAYHEM Drop New Single & Video ‘Despair’ from Upcoming Album

Photo by Agnes Köhler, Nima Taheri, Joyce Van Doorn. Editing by Daniele Valeriani

The most influential black metal band in history returns with their seventh studio album, Liturgy of Death. With this new chapter, Mayhem once again cement their reputation as one of the most relentless forces in extreme metal. Nearly forty years into their career, the band turns its gaze toward the unavoidable truth of mortality. Liturgy of Death explores the philosophy of mortality with stark, uncompromising clarity. The album presents death not as an ending, but as a universal law that touches all life and exposes the fragility of human existence. This impermanence becomes a call to live with full intensity, for every gain and loss ultimately falls back into the same silence. Echoing ancient philosophies, the album portrays life as a transitional state and death as a gateway to a higher form of being, while the solemn, dark beauty of death permeates the entire work.

STREAM “DESPAIR” HERE

“Despair” captures this vision in its most visceral form. The track unravels the collapse of being through ritualistic chants, Latin invocations, and blistering blast beats that echo like the pulse of annihilation. Attila’s vocals summon an ancient, fatal truth: the fading of light, the inevitability of death, and the recognition of human fragility. “Despair” stands as the album’s stark revelation — the moment where death is not feared but understood.

PRE-ORDER LITURGY OF DEATH HERE

Liturgy of Death Tracklist:

Ephemeral Eternity (feat. Garm & Ulver)
Despair
Weep for Nothing
Aeon’s End
Funeral of Existence
Realm of Endless Misery
Propitious Death
The Sentence of Absolution
Life Is a Corpse You Drag (Bonus Track)
Sancta Mendacia (Bonus Track)

“DEATH OVER EUROPE” HEADLINER TOUR AND TEASE POSSIBLE NEW ALBUM. GET YOUR TICKETS HERE

MAYHEM – DEATH OVER EUROPE 2026

05-02-2026 · NL · Groningen · Spot
06-02-2026 · NL · Utrecht · Tivoli Vredenburg
07-02-2026 · DE · Herford · Kulturwerk Herford
08-02-2026 · BE · Liège · OM
10-02-2026 · UK · London · Electric Ballroom
11-02-2026 · FR · Paris · Elysée Montmartre
12-02-2026 · FR · Toulouse · Le Bikini
14-02-2026 · PT · Lisbon · LAV Lisboa Ao Vivo
15-02-2026 · ES · Madrid · La Riviera
17-02-2026 · IT · Milano · Alcatraz
18-02-2026 · CH · Solothurn · Kulturfabrik Kofmehl
19-02-2026 · AT · Vienna · Simm City
20-02-2026 · DE · Regensburg · Airport Eventhall
21-02-2026 · CZ · Prague · PAVILON C
22-02-2026 · DE · Berlin · Huxleys Neue Welt
24-02-2026 · PL · Gdansk · B90
25-02-2026 · LV · Riga · Spelet
26-02-2026 · FI · Helsinki · Kulttuuritalo
28-02-2026 · SE · Gothenburg · Eriksbergshallen

With Necrobutcher, Hellhammer, Attila, Morten, and Ghul locked into a unit tighter than ever, Liturgy of Death celebrates Mayhem’s own legacy, a continuation of the raw and uncompromising sound that defined their beginnings. The result is a merciless record – dark, fast, and unrelenting – that captures the band in their most dangerous and vital form. Forty-one years since their formation in Langhus, Mayhem remain a defining force in Norwegian black metal, continuing to shape the sound they helped create.

Watch previously released video: „Weep for Nothing“

MAYHEM line up:
Attila Csihar – Vocals
Ghul – Guitar
Hellhammer – Drums
Necrobutcher – Bass
Morten – Guitar