By Laurens Elderman 
The first live album and concert film by Lady Gaga is now a reality, and what a blessing for the ears it is. “Mayhem Requiem” was recorded during a unique tour show in New York, from which a concert recording and live album have now been created. This is a magnificent conclusion to the true victory lap of Lady Gaga’s most recent album “Mayhem”, already honoured with two Grammy Awards and warmly received by both critics and the public. At present, the album is only available on Apple Music and iTunes. It is to be hoped that a physical edition will also be released and that it will appear on other streaming services, because her finest work should not be missed: everyone deserves to see and hear it.
For this live album, “Mayhem” was performed in its entirety, but remixed in a new way, resulting in outstanding reinterpretations of the songs. This enhanced the dark and stripped-back atmosphere of the performances, creating more space for the songs and placing the focus firmly on the music, highly fitting as a conclusion. For example, “Die With A Smile” has been transformed through an interpolation of Kavinsky’s “Nightcall”. The live album mix sounds noticeably rawer than “Mayhem” itself and sets the tone for this performance beautifully. What is remarkable is how her vocals quite literally improve every year, and now we were finally given the blessing of hearing them on a live album. The undeniable highlight is “Don’t Call Tonight”, one of her finest album tracks, which was unfortunately absent from the regular tour set. Now performed, it deservedly takes the crown because of its intimacy. Fan favourite “Killah” has become even more exceptional with a sample of Nine Inch Nails’ “Closer” and certainly deserves mention as well. The entire album is extraordinary in the way only Lady Gaga can deliver, and the camerawork supported this tremendous achievement. This is a performance that lingers long after the final song.
The “Mayhem Ball” tour also provided a special evening in Amsterdam last year, and it was virtually the best concert of the year, perhaps even the finest Lady Gaga concert ever. This show marks the end of “Mayhem”, where the connoisseur will notice that the stage elements are now serving their purpose in a dismantled form. Lady Gaga herself attended the premiere in Los Angeles with an assembly of dancers and others, in a true funeral procession. If the 67-minute show is not enough, there is also the 14-minute “behind the scenes” video, which offers a unique insight into Lady Gaga’s creative process. (9/10) (Interscope)
Maxazine South Africa 
Jan Vranken