It’s only been just over a year since this black horde dropped second album Divinity’s Fall so it’s still nice and rotting in the memory. That doesn’t stop a highly enjoyable refresher course of it for purposes of compare and contrast and the comment made at the time that this Swiss band were one to be watched certainly holds true. This corpse painted Swiss group have members involved in projects such as Chimaera and Ravendust as well as a drummer who plays in Forgotten Tomb, Aara and Porta Nigra whose new album Weltende is very much on the radar and one I’m looking forward to. Adopting name of the mighty Great Prince of Hell as notated in Johan Weyer’s 1563 Pseudomonarchia Dæmonum you would think that Malphas would be an obscure name for a band but there have been quite a few others using it too. Naturally they musically have occult leanings and are pretty damn devilish to boot with a style that is reminiscent of many of the melodic Swedish scene originators.

This time they thunder straight in on opener rather than giving us a lengthy instrumental introduction. Those missing this should not be too alarmed as there are plenty of sections within, where the music is allowed to do the frosty talking. Choppy, tormented turmoil greet us and the music thunders away, by the time they swing into second number ‘Armageddon’ the message is clear and shouted out with wild abandon in a fiery way not dissimilar to Watain. There’s no shortage of thorny guitar weaving and with backing vocals from various members and death-grunts from the lead it’s quickly a highly volatile and charged performance. The icy coldness comes in as ‘Forbidden Knowledge’ takes form, it could easily be from a classic Dissection or Lord Belial album before its swept aside by a swaggering storm of blizzard riffing, thumping drums and gravid rasps. This is really hitting the spot and like its predecessor there is plenty of enthusiastic panache from all involved. Strimming razor-wire riffs and apocalyptic spoken word parts give a vibe of a burning world on ‘Reign Of Death’ and just as you think its hell for leather, all the way through, the music settles down into a funereal focus on ‘Dead Death Dreams.’ That’s not the only surprise with this number either as there are some guest vocals and even though I had not read any notes prior to them coming in they are instantly identifiable as being from Liv Kristine. Now that may sound a little odd but it works perfectly as a form of pure enchantment. Now I’m feeling all warm and comfortable, it won’t last long but it’s a bewitching form of devilment that’s sublime and beautiful.

After being somewhat stunned and caught in a momentary light its back to being startled as ‘Spirit And Forms’ levels the ground once more. There is however a fluid mid-section of skilful instrumental interplay simmering things down a little before we get some particularly scabrous vocals from another lady A.Tlemati (A.Tl), the complete opposite from the delicacy from Liv. After a short instrumental segue ‘Evil’ lives up to name casting dread names and hitting with destructive whirlwind force and we rattle ever closer to the finish line which comes in the form of the labyrinthine 10-minute epic title track. If you like your melodic blackness with plenty of grit and determination Malphas are really worthy of checking out. If you were lucky enough to catch them live recently it appears they had (A.Tl) involved on stage too adding the extra dimension to things. Flesh, Blood And Cosmic Storms is one classy album, but don’t take my word for it and go listen yourself. It’s all up on the Bandcamp link below.

(8/10 Pete Woods)

https://www.facebook.com/Malphasoccult

https://folterrecords.bandcamp.com/album/of-flesh-blood-cosmic-storms