Why I love Mayhem’s De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas, by Joey Jordison

(Image credit: Future)

We asked some of today’s greatest metal stars to pick their favourite metal albums of the last 50 years. Former Slipknot/current Sinsaenum and Vimic drummer Joey Jordison chose Mayhem’s iconic 1994 album De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas. Here, Joey reveals how just how much it has influenced his life…

Joey Jordison: “I remember buying De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas a few months after it came out, and it was the equivalent of when I got Reign In Blood. It was such a hugely influential record on me and on music as a whole – it’s a blueprint for so much black metal.

”Of course, with the history of Mayhem and the tragedies that surrounded them, it’s more than just a record. It’s a book. It’s so tied in with the individuals who made it and the time when they made it. You’re not just listening to music, you’re listening to a lifestyle. It’s not just the riffs or the drumming or the vocals – it’s something more than that. It’s got an atmosphere that’s totally alien, absolutely engulfing. When you put it on, you’re instantly transported somewhere else.

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Just like is the ultimate thrash metal record, De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas is the ultimate black metal record. People have tried to copy it and rip it off a tonne of times, but no one has come close. No one will ever beat it.”

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