Grand Declaration of War

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Grand Declaration of War
Studio album by Mayhem
Released	2000
Genre	Black metal
Length	45:52
Label	Season of Mist/Necropolis Records
Producer(s)	Mayhem
Mayhem chronology
Wolf's Lair Abyss (1997)	Grand Declaration of War (2000)	Chimera (2004)

Grand Declaration of War (2000) is the second full-length album by legendary Norwegian black metal band Mayhem. Strongly influenced by progressive and avant-garde metal, the album is concept-based, dealing with themes of war and post-apocalyptic destruction. Maniac largely abandons the traditional black metal rasp for dramatic spoken-word monologues on several songs, and most of the songs segue seamlessly into one another.

Some rejected the album for its avant-garde and electronic elements, which they perceived as bold and pretentious, while others saw it as a laudable attempt to recreate and redefine black metal (critic Brian Russ called it "really the first cohesive work the band has ever done" and "a fitting culmination to their career thus far"). In retrospect, the electronic elements of the album were often heavily overstated by its detractors, as they only dominated a single track, "A Bloodsword and a Colder Sun (Part II of II)," and only (with the exception of brief uses of vocal processing) even appeared on a single other track, "Completion in Science of Agony (Part I of II)." Ultimately, the album has more in common with the works of bands like Arcturus and Ulver than it does with the rest of Mayhem's discography, which may explain why reactions to the album were so polarized; fans expecting a De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas, Act II were to be sorely disappointed, which was probably half the point.

Grand Declaration of War can be considered a sequel of sorts to the EP Wolf's Lair Abyss, as the opening track "A Grand Declaration of War" and the second part of "View from Nihil" both incorporate the closing riff (albeit transposed up by one semitone) from "Symbols of Bloodswords," that album's closing track.

[edit] Track listing

1. "A Grand Declaration of War" – 4:14
2. "In the Lies Where Upon You Lay" – 5:59
3. "A Time to Die" – 1:48
4. "View from Nihil (Part I of II)" – 3:04
5. "View from Nihil (Part II of II)" – 1:16
6. "A Bloodsword and a Colder Sun (Part I of II)" – 0:33
7. "A Bloodsword and a Colder Sun (Part II of II)" – 4:27
8. "Crystallized Pain in Deconstruction" – 4:09
9. "Completion in Science of Agony (Part I of II)" – 9:44
10. "To Daimonion (Part I of III)" – 3:25
11. "To Daimonion (Part II of III)" – 4:52
12. "To Daimonion (Part III of III)" – 0:07
13. "Completion in Science of Agony (Part II of II)" – 2:14

[edit] Credits

• Maniac (Sven Erik Kristiansen) - Vocals
• Blasphemer (Rune Erickson) - Guitar
• Necrobutcher (Jørn Stubberud) - Bass
• Hellhammer (Jan Axel Blomberg) - Drums

Mayhem
Necrobutcher | Hellhammer | Euronymous | Dead | Attila Csihar | Blasphemer | Maniac
Occultus | Count Grishnackh | Blackthorn | Nordgaren
Discography
Studio albums: Deathcrush, 1987 | De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas , 1994 | Wolf's Lair Abyss , 1997 | Grand Declaration of War, 2000 | Chimera, 2004 | Ordo ab Chao, 2006
Live and compilation releases: Live in Leipzig, 1993 | Out From The Dark, 1996 | Ancient Skin / Necrolust, 1987 | Necrolust / Total Warfare, 1999 | Mediolanum Capta Est, 1999 | European Legions , 2001
Demos and bootlegs: Voice of a Tortured Skull, 1986 | Pure Fucking Armageddon , 1986 | Live Zeitz, 1990 | Dawn of the Black Hearts, 1991
Related articles
Season of Mist | Bathory | Burzum