Attila Csihar, most notable for lending his trollish voice on MAYHEM’s De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas, has been given the “best of” treatment in the form of The Beast of Attila Csihar. Tracks culled from the aforementioned MAYHEM recording as well as highlights from Attila band’s TORMENTOR, PLASMA POOL and ABORYM as well as many of one-off tracks with such artists as LIMBONIC ART, EMPEROR, and ANAAL NATHRAKH. This collection may not seem all that enticing on paper, but it’s truly a diamond in the rough as it combines many great rarities (well, most of the tracks are hard-to-find anyway). Spanning everything from black metal to electronic/industrial metal, The Beast of Attila Csihar is evil-as-fuck and is a surprisingly well-balanced affair akin to an updated version of the classic Nordic Metal: A Tribute To Euronymous compilation. Highlights include the MAYHEM tracks recorded on tape by Attila himself during the original recording sessions of De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas producing a sweet, raw and lo-fi sound quality. Those tracks also include Varg Vikernes’s bassline, which were said to have been overdubbed on the actual album following his infamous incident involving a fellow band member. Also, the ANAAL NATHRAKH remix, PROFESSOR FATE demo, LIMBONIC ART “jam,” and EMPEROR tribute to MAYHEM surface as obvious highlights. Perhaps the best part of this disc is the presence of Attila’s own ABORYM outfit. Generally overlooked by the extreme metal community at large, ABORYM has a serious creative drive, and it’s good to know that they are not just a one-off because both tracks, “Out of Shell” and “Here is No God,” capture the essence of the early days of black metal when bands such as the aforementioned MAYHEM, EMPEROR, MYSTICUM, etc. were a cesspool of creativity. If you question the validity of an Attila Csihar compilation, let your ears make that final decision. (Southern Lord)