So is MAYHEM her magnum opus?

[AsleepOnTheCeiling 6,072]

It's hard to say. Mayhem is the exemplification of her 20-year career. I think this is her farewell from music for a good minute, I don't think we should expect any original studio albums for the next 8-10 years. And I think it shows everything she's learned over her past 10 musical works and is the full circle moment from The Fame. I think from a compositional point of view, this is THE work of art of Gaga's to show her growth.

 

But I think socially, Born This Way had a HUGE influence on the LGBT community and an entire generation. She will NEVER be able to replicate the impact she had on the world socially then, no matter how hard she tries. Simply because of climate and society as a whole. From a social impact perspective, BTW will always be her magnum opus. 

Every Gaga album has existed for a different reason, with a different objective. And I think every album does this exceptionally well. So I think it's hard to say what her true magnum opus is. TFM will be her most remembered. BTW will be her most socially impactful. Mayhem will be the album that encapsulates all her learning. ARTPOP will always be her biggest lesson. Joanne will always be her transformation into legacy act. Chromatica is the Emily Dickinson poem of her discography and is the biggest example of her demons and strengths.

[Morphine Prince 103,930]

It’s her worst album, so absolutely not. I’m so sad I’m not vibing with it like everyone else. 

[carltongrimes 144]

this might be the recency bias talking, but yes.

[HeARTPOP 2]

To me it is. Mayhem pulls a little bit from her past albums. You put them all together and you get the perfect album. 

[thisboyisamonster 847]

IMO no, TFM has that card and then BTW close second.

But this is definitely better than Chromatica and Joanne - maybe on par with ARTPOP. 

Time will tell!

[Bronco 8,016]

I don't think its the magnum opus. But its a strong return to what Gaga was. 

This very much feels like the LG5 we expected and which would have flowed well from ARTPOP.

Its a very clear lovechild of her first 4 albums. 

Edit so I can add more:

I feel like my biggest criticism of Joanne/Chromatica/Happy Mistake is that while she's experimented with genre and sound. She's always seemed to not be able to channel her creativity into the genre she wanted to explore. Joanne & Harlequin feel way too much like cosplay rather than taking inspiration. 

Born This Way was Gaga at her best in taking music she loved and making it Gaga. Rather than making Gaga the music.

Mayhem has her finally taking her inspirations and shaped them into her rather than being shaped into them again.

Edited Friday at 02:13 PM by Bronco

[Tommy Monster 838]

No 

If I should elaborate on why I think so, to me, this album is a weird blend of smashing bangers (first three songs + Vanish + Zombieboy) and very mid songs on the other hand (like the forgettable trinity of LoveDrug, HBDYWM, and DCT)

So it personally left me with very mixed feelings 

It's a solid 7/10 for me at this point, but who knows, some songs might grow on me more with time, like for example Killah no longer seems to be a wtf song to me, I even bopped my head slightly last time it was on 

[luxoricious 153]

Too soon to know, but yes, probably. 
I haven't been this excited since Born this way. This is truly a masterpiece.
All I wish is the booklet was better, we deserved a pretty physical edition. But well...

[Blackout19 10,974]

Chromatica is.

[holy scheisse 21,963]

I don’t think so! But it’s definitely the best album she’s put out since ARTPOP in my mind  can’t wait to see how the initially lukewarm songs grow on me in time

[nswain1110 3,012]

It's honestly insane to me that some of her biggest fans always seem the hardest to please. So many of you project your own expectations onto her like she owes you blood instead of just appreciating the art she wants to create. Gaga’s not your puppet, and she’s definitely not here to cater to every personal fantasy. She’s a pop star, an artist—let her be one.

Now, back to the topic—this album is my absolute favorite she’s ever done. The versatility in soundscapes, vocal deliveries, and immaculate production is top-tier. She’s never sounded so vocally unhinged and confident. The melodies are tight, smooth, and irresistibly hooky. And the through-line? Pure, unfiltered joy. Happy Gaga is my favorite Gaga. This album is incredible, and I couldn’t be more grateful to celebrate it with other Monsters who feel the same today ❤️

[TheFameGagster 50]

the fame monster is her magnum opus 

[HausOfAntonio 8,011]

ARTPOP is my favorite, but BTW will always be her best. It was just a different time, she was a different person and the experimentation on that record is unmatched. Mayhem is obviously peak POP but a lot of it doesn’t feel like a GAGA record you know (the middle section from Lovedrug to Don’t Call Tonight). 

[lairofhk 928]

I don't think it ended up being on the level of "Magnum opus," but it certainly weaves together a lot of what she's done and learned musically to date. It feels nostalgic and contemporary at the same time (save for a couple tracks), and it definitely feels like a Gaga album.

I do think, however, that a the marketing for the album was misleading, and that's led to a lot of the uneven opinions we're seeing. I think some people, including myself, are just coming to terms with what the album actually is, as opposed to what was conveyed to us pre-release and therefore what we expected (more dark pop, jackhammer electro beats, more experimental, etc). I think on the whole, it played it safer than I thought it would. I also think Gaga wants to include something for everyone in her albums as of late, and sometimes that can contribute to things feeling less cohesive and safer.

But again, taking the album for what it is, I think it's a really solid album that will continue to grow on me as a whole. Upon first listen, I really liked Garden of Eden, Zombieboy, LoveDrug, Shadow of a Man, and The Beast. I'm still just digesting everything and I will be for a time. 

 

[CharlieCashmere 83]

undoubtedly. my one qualm is that for the life of me i can't remember a single thing about Vanish Into You no matter how many times I listen to it. I can remember lines to every other song EXCEPT that one and I don't know if it's because it's a 'forgettable' song or if my brain just recognizes it as filler, but I would probably replace that track with Kill for Love and then it would truly be a skipless album. As a matter of fact, I much prefer the Gaga webstore tracklist because Disease - Abracadabra - Garden of Eden - Perfect Celebrity - Can't Stop the High is an IMMACULATE five track run. Can you imagine if instead of Vanish into You the album transitioned into Kill for Love instead? Oh my God we wouldn't be able to handle it.