MAYHEM RELEASE NEW SINGLE AND VIDEO “LIFE IS A CORPSE YOU DRAG”
The enduring pioneers of black metal return with a powerful new statement in the form of their latest single and video, “Life Is a Corpse You Drag”. The track offers the first substantial look at their forthcoming seventh studio album, Liturgy of Death, a record that sees Mayhem continue to shape the extreme music landscape with unwavering intent.
More than forty years into their career, the band remain one of the most formidable creative forces in the genre. Liturgy of Death confronts the inevitability of mortality with stark clarity, treating death not as a final curtain but as a universal principle that governs all living things. Through this perspective, the fragility of human existence becomes impossible to ignore, and the fleeting nature of life becomes a reason to act with purpose and intensity.
The album draws inspiration from ancient philosophical traditions that view life as a temporary passage and death as a transition into a state beyond the physical world. This idea permeates the record’s atmosphere, where solemnity, darkness and a sense of transcendence intertwine. Every triumph, failure, joy and sorrow ultimately dissolves into the same silence, and the music reflects this truth with a weight that is both crushing and strangely uplifting.
To mark the release, Mayhem will embark on the “Death Over Europe” headline tour, beginning on 5 February 2026. Audiences can expect a career-spanning set that brings the full force of the new material to the stage.
With Liturgy of Death, Mayhem reaffirm their status as one of the most uncompromising and influential bands in extreme music, proving once again that their creative vision remains as sharp and fearless as ever.
Atilla comments:
“Life Is a Corpse You Drag is not a slogan, but a ritual and a realization. It names an ancient law: consciousness as burden, the body as vessel, faith as a seal on a grave already closed. There is no comfort in this recognition but there is release. If we have been dead all along, there is nothing left to lose. What remains is pure energy: movement without fear, presence without compromise, a victorious march into the final destruction.”
Formats and Editions
Liturgy of Death will be released in a range of strictly limited formats, each created with collectors in mind.
• Deluxe Box Set featuring an exclusive 12” clear and black marbled vinyl with alternate artwork, a bonus 7” marbled vinyl containing two additional tracks, a metal pin, embroidered patch, art prints, and a special “Liturgy of Death” tarot card. Available in both the Clear and Black Marbled Edition and the Transparent Red and Black Marbled Band Edition. • Limited Gatefold Black Vinyl (180g) with a 12 page LP booklet • Limited Gatefold Transparent Orange and Black Marbled Vinyl (180g) with a 12 page LP booklet • Limited Gatefold Black and Apricot Splatter Vinyl (180g) with a 12 page LP booklet • Limited Gatefold Bright Gold and Black Haze Vinyl (180g) with a 12 page LP booklet • Limited Gatefold Red and Black A/B Split Vinyl (180g) with a 12 page LP booklet (Band Edition) • Limited Gatefold Black Ice Ghost Vinyl (180g) with a 12 page LP booklet (US Edition) • Limited Gatefold Copper Black Ice Vinyl (180g) with a 12 page LP booklet (US Edition) • Limited CD Mediabook in slipcase, including a bonus track and expanded artwork • Standard CD in jewel case • Digital edition available on all major platforms
Tracklist: Liturgy of Death
- Ephemeral Eternity (featuring Garm and 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)
MAYHEM · DEATH OVER EUROPE 2026
5 February 2026 NL Groningen Spot
6 February 2026 NL Utrecht Tivoli Vredenburg
7 February 2026 DE Herford Kulturwerk Herford
8 February 2026 BE Liège OM
10 February 2026 UK London Electric Ballroom
11 February 2026 FR Paris Elysée Montmartre
12 February 2026 FR Toulouse Le Bikini
14 February 2026 PT Lisbon LAV Lisboa Ao Vivo
15 February 2026 ES Madrid La Riviera
17 February 2026 IT Milan Alcatraz
18 February 2026 CH Solothurn Kulturfabrik Kofmehl
19 February 2026 AT Vienna Simm City
20 February 2026 DE Regensburg Airport Eventhall
21 February 2026 CZ Prague PAVILON C
22 February 2026 DE Berlin Huxleys Neue Welt
24 February 2026 PL Gdansk B90
25 February 2026 LV Riga Spelet
26 February 2026 FI Helsinki Kulttuuritalo
28 February 2026 SE Gothenburg Eriksbergshallen