Italian progressive-but-aggressive death metal band Maleficarum delighted many who liked its black metal influenced range of moods but tendency to return to Slayer, Morbid Angel, Vader, and Hypocrisy style ripping intricate riffs with a forward momentum that potentiated their complexity and intensity.
The label issued the following statement:
Maleficarum embodies the spirit of Excidium, the first band of Danny Cinicolo that Despise The Sun has brought back to life with the two “Infecting The Graves” compilation 7 years ago.
The first incarnation of this obscure and evil band was lead also by members of Angel Death and Iconoclast and in their 10 years of activity they published 2 demos and 2 full-lenght with the support of some underground labels.
Oppressive, obscure and malevolent death metal. Vol. 2 features their “Maleficarum” Demo 1997, and “Under the Cross” Full Length 2002, with amazing cover art by Ironworx!
The 1997 demo continues in the style of Across the Heavens, but with slightly more aggressive riffs and the usual shifting of textures as transitions and sentimental, highly detailed lead guitar which makes more use of tone and harmony than most. The latter half of the demo loses a bit of focus and falls into an oil-on-water mix which is half grindcore and half doom metal.
Not surprisingly, Under the Cross builds on the first part of this demo, presenting a tightly-integrated rhythmic framework in which progressive metal riffs receive the death metal treatment and issue forth alongside more abrasive traditional underground metal riffs and the aforementioned melodic solos. Had this album received a widespread release, it might have become a favorite, despite a tendency toward mid-paced overall song inertia and dark but melancholic moods, clashing with the raging aggression of most death metal but fitting in with solitary and noctural death metal bands like early At the Gates or Cadaver. The first half of this is stronger as well.
Unblessed vol. 1 starts with the 1993 demo which shows a less-technical and more traditional death metal take on the style that formed the core of the first album, with the band developing its riffs as themes through more complex arrangements of varied techniques. In contrast, the demo sounds more like a hybrid between Immolation and Eucharist. For Across the Heavens, see our 1990s review.
Tracklist
demo 1997
1. Maleficio – Realm of Blasphemy
2. Mean Symbolic Holiness
3. Anthropophagous
4. Unblessed
5. Into the Labyrinth
6. Circle of the Afflicted
7. Slough of Despair
8. Outro
Under the Cross (2002)
9. Maleficarum
10. Unblessed
11. Always Suffering
12. De Vermis Mysteriis
13. The Calling
14. Anthropophagous
15. Into the Labyrinth
16. Circle of the Afflicted
17. Under the Cross
Vol. 1 featured the following tracklist:
“Unblessed” demo (1993)
1. Kingdom of Lost 03:57
2. The Forgotten 04:44
3. Into The Labyrinth 01:32
4. Circle Of The Afflicted 03:52
5. Fallen Worlds 04:41
Across the Heavens (1995)
6. The Raping of Life 01:55
7. Season of Black 04:03
8. Time I Am 03:51
9. Fallen Worlds 04:48
10. Spirit Magnified 04:18
11. Kingdom of Lost 04:01
12. Under My Scars 04:29
13. Across the Heavens 01:36
14. Exalted Being 03:41
15. The Forgotten 04:49
16. Unfolded Dimensions 05:58
Vol 1:
Vol 2:
Trailer:
Tags: death metal, maleficarum
Hells yeah, I was only playing the original Doom a couple of days ago!
Slough of Despair – I’m sure many readers here at dmu know – is a map in the later levels. That demonic shit still gets me stoked, as these Maleficarum demos/rares currently are.
Labyrinthine and atmospheric is how good Death Metal tracks and Doom maps should be!
Cheers Brett
I feel like I spent the early 1990s stoned on El Chapo weed, navigating Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, or Descent maps, while listening to Swedish death metal.
Across the Heavens is one of the elite DM albums… As for video games, both Doom and the first Quake were the best; I still fire them up to play through the single player episdoes as well to engage in deathmatch duels… thanks for the heads up on these compilations.
embrace tradition
+s.t.w.
DOOM the movie sucks, and not only due to to the WWF The Rock (“rocky sucks” chants, remember?)
but thanks for reminding us of the good old days of PC gaming of Doom, and Castle Wolfenstein (I played the Wolfenstein version that was doctored and politically incorrect).
What, this is blasphemy. Great movie. Starts slow and works up to glorious carnage. Has Karl Urban! The Rock is pure 100% ham but does not damage it.
Movies that try to be video games and video games that try to be movies (not to be confused with one type of media inspired by other type of media) should be approached with suspicion.