Italy is known for many things like its delicious food, beautiful sights and wonderful history. In the darkest depths of Rome it’s become an unholy breeding ground for black metal project Malamorte and their lethal weapon ‘Devilish Illusions’ that will give you nearly forty minutes of misery and despair. In terms of black metal that’s a compliment.
Malamorte are a black metal project that were started up Alessandro Nunziati, who has also appeared with bands such as Lord Vampyr, Cain and Theatres des Vampires. This was born in 2009 and they released their first album ‘The Fall Of Babylon’ on CD and on tape in 2014. It has been stated by the band themselves that the name Malamorte was another word for the plague, this makes a great deal of logical sense as the moment you start to listen you don’t want to listen to anything else.
‘Devilish Illusions’ is a brutal yet beautiful record that contains carnage, mayhem and destruction; this is what one can expect on a Malamorte record. For those who want to start listening to black metal, alongside bands such as Dimmu Borgir and Emperor, this record would be a great place to start. Each track is short and sweet; they contain all the elements of black metal from the high pitched screaming and rapid guitars to the sombreness and ambient music.
A great example of this can be found on the track ‘Possession’. It starts in an aggressive manner with up tempo beats, rapid shredding and high pitched screams, then it softly transitions into a sombre, ambient track with a soft guitar riff and amibient sound effects. Not forgetting the church bell at the end, this is ironic giving that Malamorte’s themes are often about satanic horror. Another highlight on the album is the track ‘Malamorte’ as it balances the softness and aggression perfectly; its abstract use of the piano with the usual brutalities of black metal creates a beautiful fusion.
‘Devilish Illusions’ show us that you can find beauty in the darkest of places. It’s nearly forty minutes of misery and despair but it’s hauntingly mesmerising.
Tracklist:
01. Maleficium I
02. Devilish Illusions
03. Pactum
04. Dark Clouds On Golgotha
05. Maleficium II
06. Possession
07. Malamorte
08. Devoted To Self-Destruction
09. Lucifer’s Rebellion
10. Maleficium III
Playing time: 37:50
Release Date: 26 March 2016
Label: Independent
Website: Malamorte Official Website
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