So Malphas is the name of a demon, I guessed it had some sort of relevance as there are a fair few bands sporting said moniker. None of them are from Sweden but one of them is Swiss and if you played their latest ‘Divinity’s Fall’ you would probably be doing a double take on country of origin as they sound, yep Swedish to the very core. This group have just one EP of ‘Occult Propaganda’ and an album ‘Incantation’ prior to this and play very melodic black metal. You will hear plenty of sweeping music in the style of Runemagic to Naglfar, Lord Belial to Dissection and Watain here but it’s all delivered with style and not a mere rehashing of past masters. It’s also a very (shock horror) enjoyable album.
Now I have noticed of late people complaining when the music doesn’t thunder in, all guns blazing but has an instrumental intro. I never really minded such things and it can help set up the atmosphere of what is to come. That’s exactly what Malphas do here with a bout of ‘Astral Melancholy’ a majestic set-up indeed. However, at over 6-minutes in length the impatient may well not appreciate it. Thankfully I did, it allows the players to somewhat gracefully ease into things and pick up the pace showing they can play and hold the listener’s attention pretty skilfully. It also makes next number ‘Exile’ all the more powerful and when Astaroth’s vocals finally bite in, all the more savage. A triumphant storming ode with themes that progress with angels being cast out of heaven, this has plenty of thorny hooks from the guitars, rasping gravid vocals and a powerful drumming backbone from a sticksman J who also serves time in Porta Nigra, Aara and who has played live in the past with Forgotten Tomb. The mixing and mastering by Markus Stock gives it an extra sheen and the whole thing oozes of professionalism.
The album as a whole, moves between bursts of savagery with caustic and grim malevolence complete with the odd screaming riff to some highly addictive melodicism courtesy of twin guitarists Raven Dust and Xesbeth. Play this to someone who does not know black metal and it could well be looked upon as a gateway drug to the more raw and caustic side of things. It’s definitely got an immediate and polished sheen to it that will align the band to the more professional and bigger players within the scene and it makes a good change listening to something that for once is not biscuit tin, bargain basement blackness. Even the mid-paced and slower burning ‘Forged In The Abyss’ gets head nodding and the classic strains within its midst impresses. As for the bombastic ‘In The Name Of War’ complete with some flamenco sounding acoustic guitars, there’s plenty of fire at its heart.
Naturally I looked at the group’s live status and it seems they have been playing recently including one show in Lucerne where their singer was unable to perform and a replacement had to be drafted in and three members of the band ended up in prison overnight. I’m sure there’s an interesting story there and it suggests as does this album that Malphas are a band to be watched!
(7.5/10 Pete Woods)
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