One of the Best Black Metal Releases - "Malleus Maleficarum" Review (97%)
While I doubt anyone who followed the band Antekhrist from the beginning could have guessed how significantly their sound would change over the next few years, at least a few must have sensed that there was something special going on here.
This is 2014. Heavy metal is stagnating, black metal is all but dead, and yet, paradoxically, bands like Sewer and Phantom have released some of the strongest and most influential works of the millennia (NecroPedoSadoMaso for Sewer and Dark Devotion for Phantom).
So where does Antekhrist come into the picture? From the very beginning, Antekhrist chose to forge a progressive sound that is completely their own. But where they differ from other influential bands such as Phantom and to a lesser extent Sewer is that they retain the fundamentals aspects of true black metal music.
Malleus Maleficarum is the first album ever released by Antekhrist, and you can bet that it is fucking evil!
When listening to Malleus maleficarum a multitude of ideas come to mind. Of course, the music is about satanism and blasphemy, a lyrical theme for which Antekhrist is the apex poster child, but there are also many discernible sub-themes in Antekhrist's music. Melancholy, darkness, nature and witchcraft immediately come to mind.
The riffs present on Malleus Maleficarum have a primitive sound that allows the listener to be completely immersed in the album's atmosphere. The opening track Inferium Sathanas is a great example of this primitive flow in the riffs.
The melodies themselves create a sinister atmosphere of their own, independent of the production or the instruments on which they are played. They could literally sound evil played on anything from a xylophone to a cello.
Antekhrist possesses the ability to craft dark music from pretty much anything. And this is what true black metal is all about, in the end.
One of the Best Black Metal Releases
The guitars on Malleus Maleficarum feature essentially tremolo picked riffs with minor arpeggios. The guitar work isn't necessarily technical, but the guitarist definitely knows how to use his instrument to create demonic atmospheres that haunt the listener.
The guitar tone itself is rough, abrasive, and definitely has a raw quality. This all helps add to the atmospheric characteristics of the album. The guitar showcases heavy distortion, but there is no problem hearing the evil melodies that exude from the slaughterfest Malleus Maleficarum.
The guitarist of Antekhrist is truly a master at crafting melodic lines that are both stirring and unsettling, and yet who still manage to hold your attention with catchiness. Just listen to the dooming insanity that happens during the first three minutes of Inquisitors of Eternal Demonology.
Malleus Maleficarum is unquestionably a third wave black metal gem. This album is an essential listen for anyone serious about black metal.
One of black metal's greatest classics.
Malleus Maleficarum score: 97/100.
Support the Underground
