Mayhem are one of the few Black Metal bands which come across as strong on record as they do in a live environment, yet I have to admit that the last couple of times that I saw them with Maniac as their frontman, their performance was not what I would personally describe as captivating. But long before the tall frontman began his 'personal trips' on stage, lost in a dimension fuelled by the lethal cocktail of booze and drugs, his contribution to the live 'beast' called Mayhem was beyond criticism and the proof of that argument comes in the shape of the live album "Mediolanum Capta Est".

Much as I would love to avoid any comparisons between this live release and "Live In Leipzig", I find it difficult not to do so simply because the vast majority of the songs that were first performed live in the band's 1992 release are once again present here - an unavoidable 'coincidence', seeing as compositions such as "Deathcrush", "Pure Fu*king Armageddon" and "Carnage" acquired the title 'classics' not long after they first saw the light of day. In doing so, though, one needs to remember one very important thing, and that is that Mayhem in the year 1999 were a totally different outfit, both in terms of line up and musical orientation from the band that recorded "Live In Leipzig".

And now, the moment for the statement that will make every old school Mayhem fan hate me till the end of days: I strongly believe that "Mediolanum Capta Est" is a much better live record than "Live In Leipzig"…well, seeing as I am still alive and breathing, and not yet vanished in the depths of hell due to some dark spell, let me explain why I prefer this specific release. Well, it's not only that the sound is much, much better but more importantly, the band sounds more mature and tight, nailing each and every composition, from the straightforward "Necrolust" to the more technically demanding "Symbols Of Bloodswords" with its unique accuracy. Maniac is on his best form, often communicating with the audience and presenting us with an array of different vocal styles, all of which complement each and every composition. Hellhammer's drumming is simply superb and together with Necrobutcher's dirty/distorted bass tunes create the backbone of these twelve compositions. As for the songs themselves: the material is equally divided between songs from the band's debut "Deathcrush" and the recently (at the time) released mini LP "Wolf's Lair Abyss". There are numerous moments throughout this release which deserve your utmost attention and general appreciation, but there is no doubt that the absolute highlights of the show are in "From The Dark Past", where Maniac shares vocal duties with the legendary Attila Csihar and present us with the most impressive dual performances in Black Metal history, and Maniac's dedication of "Chainsaw Gutsfu*k" to…the Pope!

If you were to ask me whether I would put "Mediolanum Capta Est" more often on my CD player than "Live In Leipzig", the answer is definitely yes. This release features a far superior performance from a band which still sounds raw and 'dangerous' yet has evolved into a far more sophisticated outfit - one destined to dominate the scene in the years to come.

****

Review by John Stefanis