The third album of Slovakian Blackened Heavy Metal occultists MALOKARPATAN is here, set for release via Invictus Productions on March 20th. I can predict that this is going to be some odd music but in a vicious and excellent style.
A strange blend of samples set the appropriate tone of pleasant yet unsettling, feeling like something from a Disney movie or a weird propaganda station more than an Extreme Metal record, not surprising from a Slavic band with those guys always trying new things (a respectable way to be). Melodic 80s style riffs soar in gloriously, giving a powerful and impactful display of guitar work to bring the Metal forth. Chiming cymbals soon build as the cascades of savage guitar work also grow in strength to deliver an assault of classic First Wave style Black Metal nostalgia. Estranged keyboards in the vein of Master’s Hammer subtly grind away while Root style acoustic guitars rumble through alongside the bass lines, making a very full and multi-faceted sound of ritualistic and demonic oddities that churn out totally maniacal Heavy Metal brilliantly.
Snarling vocals complete the mix as we surge forward into battle with a complex array of progressions and folky melodics amidst crushingly doomy Black Metal, a morbid and disconcertingly ancient sound to the fierce tomes of the band. A hammering onslaught of blastbeats and dancing guitar vengeance lurch forth with a dance macabre of epic and grandiose blackened destruction permeating from the speakers in a manner that may have been a thing of the past for some, but a flame that still burns strong with bands like Malokarpatan. The synths on this album really do add a messed up additional dimension to the already otherworldly soundscapes, doing so beautifully with the almost techno style buzzsaw notes.
A transcendent journey into the magical origins of Black Metal with an unfaltering display of old school madness. Drawn out, eerie, inhumanly atmospheric and as unpredictable as it is possible to be, these guys sure know how to bring the volatile and visceral nature of the 80s Extreme Metal scene back to life in a confusingly devastating and masterful fashion that demands respect and will leave any non-true fans shaken to the core and the maniacs who worship the old ways dancing in resplendent ecstasy as they marvel at this pure tome of maddening occultist mysticism. -9/10
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