In this episode of ‘I can’t believe you missed this out of your reviews, part 1’, we meet up with Malefic Throne who bring forth their debut The Conquering Darkness. Although this is their first full length release, you will have heard of the following bands:
Angelcorpse, Morbid Angel and Hate Eternal, to name but three as a starter for ten.
By knowing these, then you will know the following:
Steve Tucker, Gene Palubicki and John Longstreth.
On paper, seeing those three names involved with this is something else for death metal fans. I mean we are talking about some of the most extreme exponents of this genre, so going into this you hope that it transposes onto tape. I’m happy to report that it does. It’s a very tight, focused 44 minutes that whilst doesn’t bring a new way of doing things, what it does is show that there is still blood pumping and that when its done right, can offer a visceral experience. That’s all we want right?
Blasphémait Descrecation is the opener, and it lands exactly as you hoped it would. No waiting on an instrumental to finish, this is bang straight into the guts. This is death metal for fans, written by fans. For me, it reminds me of Vader, circa De Profundis where they just start and absolutely batter you. I think that if you wanted a description of how this sounds, you couldn’t go far wrong with Blitzkrieg.
Angelcorpse, Morbid Angel and Hate Eternal, to name but three as a starter for ten.
By knowing these, then you will know the following:
Steve Tucker, Gene Palubicki and John Longstreth.
On paper, seeing those three names involved with this is something else for death metal fans. I mean we are talking about some of the most extreme exponents of this genre, so going into this you hope that it transposes onto tape. I’m happy to report that it does. It’s a very tight, focused 44 minutes that whilst doesn’t bring a new way of doing things, what it does is show that there is still blood pumping and that when its done right, can offer a visceral experience. That’s all we want right?
Blasphémait Descrecation is the opener, and it lands exactly as you hoped it would. No waiting on an instrumental to finish, this is bang straight into the guts. This is death metal for fans, written by fans. For me, it reminds me of Vader, circa De Profundis where they just start and absolutely batter you. I think that if you wanted a description of how this sounds, you couldn’t go far wrong with Blitzkrieg.
Everything is ramped up, each part of the team knowing that having this land and crush is the only measure of success. If I wanted to be critical, I could argue that its maybe a minute or so longer than it needs to be, but I think that would be churlish of me really.
Taking it as its meant to be, which is an example of what good death metal sounds like then its nearly perfect. And then they drop The Voice Of My Ghost. As this kicks in, and I mean it kicks in like its life depends on it I can only imagine how this would have been received back in the early to mid-90’s. Heads would have popped.
As it is, they have given us probably one of the best second tracks on any album this year. Its amazing that they have turned up with this sort of venom and fury still running through them. Everything is on point in terms of speed whilst still having clarity of sound. You hear everything and its just royal. Again, you can argue for its length but it gets a free pass due to the extended solo freak-out that occurs.
I’m also happy to say that on track 3 they haven’t slowed down or thrown a quiet/loud affair at us. Nope, Athirst For Dissonance turns up and snarls ‘do you want some more?’ to which the answer is yes. If tracks 1 and 2 were top, this has some of those ‘chef’s kiss’ riff moments running through it. If you imagine having a car that is just running beautifully, it would be this song.
Its just class and is representative of them finding their range as it runs into Born Of Plague. It’s just frantic, played at speed where it means something as opposed played fast with no meaning behind it. Both this and Divine Tragedy show that the shorter run times work in their favour as in each case they are determined to bring that blitzkrieg to your ears at every step.
There is no reverse gear at all on them as they charge forward, continually pummelling you as only classic death metal can. A lot of its success can be laid at the door of Jon Longstreth, whose command of the drums on this is par excellence. He just slams away, keeping that forward propulsion in place and it’s a performance that should be used as a yard stick for everybody else wanting to play this music.
This is certainly the case on Carnage Of The Forgotten, where there is quite a large hint of Morbid Angel in there, but again the drumming is just on fire. Arrangement wise, in some respects its simple but it’s the way it is attacked that makes it sound the way it does. It’s like they look at each song and go ‘we must make this one better’ than the last one. When Our Shadows Align is next, and it charges onwards like it is the opening track, not the penultimate one. There is no lull on this, no drop off in energy or in quality from them even when you think there should be.
Forged Of Stone is their closing statement, and you would forgive them for maybe taking it easy, having a relax and maybe busting out the pipe and slippers. Not on their watch. This one is monstrous, going for more of a mid-paced stomper than the trem picked madness we have been treated to. Don’t be misled, this is where they have dug deep into their combined experiences and come out with an 8-minute classic. Double bass, speed changes, a drum clinic and some razor sharp riffola combine to bring the curtain down on one of my favourite releases of the year.
Malefic Throne, in looking to their own past have delivered a death metal album for the future. I said earlier that it doesn’t do anything new, which you could take as a negative but in this instance I’m glad that they didn’t try. Instead, they have quietly dropped one of the albums of the year. Basically, you have 8 solid gold tracks that for me encompass everything that is good about death metal, and why its one of my favourite styles of music to listen to.
Forged Of Stone is their closing statement, and you would forgive them for maybe taking it easy, having a relax and maybe busting out the pipe and slippers. Not on their watch. This one is monstrous, going for more of a mid-paced stomper than the trem picked madness we have been treated to. Don’t be misled, this is where they have dug deep into their combined experiences and come out with an 8-minute classic. Double bass, speed changes, a drum clinic and some razor sharp riffola combine to bring the curtain down on one of my favourite releases of the year.
Malefic Throne, in looking to their own past have delivered a death metal album for the future. I said earlier that it doesn’t do anything new, which you could take as a negative but in this instance I’m glad that they didn’t try. Instead, they have quietly dropped one of the albums of the year. Basically, you have 8 solid gold tracks that for me encompass everything that is good about death metal, and why its one of my favourite styles of music to listen to.
The only regret is that it fell through the gaps, and for that I can only apologise it not being able to give this the love it deserves. 10/10
David Galas– The Nihilist (These Hands Melt) [Spike]
This is a Post-Punk transmission from the frozen heart of America. David Galas, long known for his contributions to Lycia and his own work in Goth Americana, has taken a sharp turn toward the neon-drenched abyss. The Nihilist is an unexpected yet necessary album: it’s the sound of Joy Division finding its nihilistic groove in the modern era, drowning everything in high-fidelity dread and danceable despair.
The core tension of the record lies in the stark contrast between the electronic urgency and the vocal delivery. Galas successfully channels the lyrical darkness and relentless rhythm of bands like The Mission and Joy Division. His low, deep voice, which sounds like early Andrew Eldritch (The Sisters Of Mercy) but with a much darker gothic style, acts as the perfect conductor, delivering monotonic, monotonous vocals that elevate the underlying sense of dread.
The transition to rhythm is immediate. Tracks like Syndrome and You’re A Needle In My Arm rip through with pulsing energy and driving basslines that demand movement. This is high-octane Goth music, achieving maximum velocity while maintaining an underlying sense of collapse. The seamless shift proves Galas is not just about atmosphere; he's about aggressive propulsion.
The central concept is the contrast between the cold-glow electronics and the human vulnerability. While much of the album is designed for a chaotic, after-hours club experience, moments like Pillar Of Sorrow pull back to deliver profound emotional ache, proving the depth of the composition. However, the energy soon returns on Atrophy and the title track, which showcase the meticulous layering of synths that fill every space with mechanical pressure.
Release number two of 2025 from Swedish doomsters Hexjakt shows the band bringing more of their heavy doom with sludge and even some psych leanings on their first full length record, Blessing Of The Damned.
I enjoyed this record for sure, even if it is a bit too long at a running time of over an hour. I love how there is a doom with almost hardcore vocals feel to Black Circle and how it plods along yelling at everyone in its path. The opener, 10,000 Crows, has some of those psych vibes I mentioned and it is excellent. High On Fire is evoked on Void Throne, which may be my favourite on the record, especially when it cleans itself up a bit towards the end, until the heavy returns.
David Galas– The Nihilist (These Hands Melt) [Spike]
This is a Post-Punk transmission from the frozen heart of America. David Galas, long known for his contributions to Lycia and his own work in Goth Americana, has taken a sharp turn toward the neon-drenched abyss. The Nihilist is an unexpected yet necessary album: it’s the sound of Joy Division finding its nihilistic groove in the modern era, drowning everything in high-fidelity dread and danceable despair.
The core tension of the record lies in the stark contrast between the electronic urgency and the vocal delivery. Galas successfully channels the lyrical darkness and relentless rhythm of bands like The Mission and Joy Division. His low, deep voice, which sounds like early Andrew Eldritch (The Sisters Of Mercy) but with a much darker gothic style, acts as the perfect conductor, delivering monotonic, monotonous vocals that elevate the underlying sense of dread.
The transition to rhythm is immediate. Tracks like Syndrome and You’re A Needle In My Arm rip through with pulsing energy and driving basslines that demand movement. This is high-octane Goth music, achieving maximum velocity while maintaining an underlying sense of collapse. The seamless shift proves Galas is not just about atmosphere; he's about aggressive propulsion.
The central concept is the contrast between the cold-glow electronics and the human vulnerability. While much of the album is designed for a chaotic, after-hours club experience, moments like Pillar Of Sorrow pull back to deliver profound emotional ache, proving the depth of the composition. However, the energy soon returns on Atrophy and the title track, which showcase the meticulous layering of synths that fill every space with mechanical pressure.
The Nihilist has all the potential to become a darkwave cult favourite. It is a testament to an artist willing to leave the familiar comfort of ambient sorrow for the more challenging, aggressive urgency of the dance floor. It's a solid, essential companion for the dark season, ending with a final, desperate turn back toward the original mournful sound on Cloud Of Despair and Psilocybin, proving that even when we dance, the pain remains. For transporting me back to bands I loved but adding so much more, this will score. 9/10
Hexjakt - Blessing Of The Damned (Majestic Mountain Records/Burning Skull Records) [Rich Piva]Release number two of 2025 from Swedish doomsters Hexjakt shows the band bringing more of their heavy doom with sludge and even some psych leanings on their first full length record, Blessing Of The Damned.
I enjoyed this record for sure, even if it is a bit too long at a running time of over an hour. I love how there is a doom with almost hardcore vocals feel to Black Circle and how it plods along yelling at everyone in its path. The opener, 10,000 Crows, has some of those psych vibes I mentioned and it is excellent. High On Fire is evoked on Void Throne, which may be my favourite on the record, especially when it cleans itself up a bit towards the end, until the heavy returns.
A couple of my favourite tracks are the spooky heavy and (for them) up tempo doom of The Act Of Dying and the chunkiness of Monolith, a song title that almost always delivers a killer song and this case is no different. Did we need a doom cover of Don’t Talk To Strangers? It depends. On this album, we did not. The record is long already and the band has an EP from January, why not save this for a follow up EP next year? That would have helped on the too long run time of Blessing Of The Damned overall, but hey, it’s still a cool cover, just maybe out of place here.
Overall, even being too long, Blessing Of The Damned is a pretty killer first full-length for the already very productive Hexjakt. I dig the heavy, doomy, hardcore high on fire vibes I get from this one. Good stuff. 7/10
Overall, even being too long, Blessing Of The Damned is a pretty killer first full-length for the already very productive Hexjakt. I dig the heavy, doomy, hardcore high on fire vibes I get from this one. Good stuff. 7/10
Nattradio - The Longest Night (Darkness Shall Rise Productions) [Matt Bladen]
Nattradio are a duo in the studio formed of Niklas Brodd (guitars) and Martin Boman (vocals), they've already delivered one studio album last year but they have convened again in Northern Sweden for a follow up entitled The Longest Night which looks to gain them a bigger following for their gothic doom metal that casts dark atmospheres.
The album is on a somber keel, every song comes from slow, gloomy place, influences from the likes of Katatonia (Sketches From The Dark), The Cure (Alright For Now), but also Gary Numan (Dark Streets) and the electronic elements are heavy on Night. Called The Longest Night, all of the songs were recorded between 01:00 and 05:00 in the morning and the emotion of those twilight hours is reflected through these maudlin movements.
The Longest Night takes from goth, electronic and metal music to make the perfect soundtrack for winter. 7/10
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