A ‘Malist’ is someone who subscribes to the theory of Malism and therefore believes the doctrine that the world is evil. I’m surprised it hasn’t been adopted by more black metal bands to be honest, but here we are with Malist, a prolific one-man black metal outfit and his fifth full length since 2019 which is impressive under any circumstances, but especially so with a global pandemic to negotiate.

The man behind Malist is the talented multi-instrumentalist Ov Frost and he explains “‘Of Scorched Earth’ tells a tale of mankind, and why it shall inevitably die in nature’s grasp. The ships of those seeking conquest shall be forever buried in the sands of time. Only the few blessed by the primal deities shall be granted passage through the gates of apocalypse”. Cheerful stuff indeed!

I have to admit that prior to requesting this for review, I was unfamiliar with Malist’s work so I began to listen with no preconceptions and no expectations. Very quickly I was under the spell and was drawn into the dark world of malism wondering why it’s taken me so long to hear of them and vowing to visit the back catalogue as a matter of urgency.

So, enough rambling, what does it sound like? Well, ’Of Scorched Earth’ is undeniably black metal and is possibly most accurately labelled as atmospheric or even melodic black metal as the driving riffs, harsh vocals and blast beats are balanced with epic, sweeping melodies creating glorious soundscapes which serve as the perfect backdrop to the apocalyptic tale being conveyed. At times, such as on ‘Wind of Change’, the guitar work is reminiscent of Iron Maiden, before the track morphs back into a black metal tsunami, and it is this constant ebb and flow that works so well. However, for clarity, despite all this talk of melody and atmosphere, let’s be clear, this is unapologetic black metal.

There are a huge number of black metal bands out there vying for your attention but many of these are exact clones of other bands. However, Malist really stand out as something special, and are definitely worthy of your time. In the meantime, I’m off to dive into the back catalogue.

(8.5/10 Andy Pountney)

https://www.facebook.com/malistband

https://avantgardemusic.bandcamp.com/album/of-scorched-earth