RSS Feed


MALHKEBRE
Revelation

I, Voidhanger (2014)
Rating: 7.5/10

I was introduced to this French black metal quartet by way of a rather grim / hilarious (delete where applicable) photograph in which the foursome – naked and spattered with blood – were knelt in some dank chamber and worshipping some unholy altar. Of course, not all of us want to have our eyes scorched by such a sight, and so I hoped that the debut full-length album by Malhkebre would be more pleasing than the image.

The four-piece formed back in 2002, and consists of vocalist Eklezjas’Tik Berzerk (who is the owner of black metal label Battlesk’rs Productions), guitarist Messiatanik Armrek, bass player Kristik A.K. and drummer Shamaanik B.

Musically the combo play a slightly odd black metal cacophony, which is given its unusual edge by those maniacal yet rarely frightful vocals. In a sense, Eklezjas’Tik Berzerk rants like a scorched man fleeing from a burning building such are his cries of horror, which are twinned with rather peculiar commands.

And while Mr Berzerk yelps with painful aplomb, the trio behind him plays a hasty yet intriguing blend of unorthodox riffs, deviating drum blasts and unfamiliar bass trickles – the overall result being that Revelation is always a rather wild, primal opus yet catchy throughout. This becomes evident with the extremely catchy yet slightly bemusing strains of opener ‘In Pulverem Reverteris’, which has a touch of the insane about its myriad of twisted rhythms and those bellowing vocals.

Malhkebre remind me of some primitive clan hidden in the hills, and creating their own strange hybrid of black metal and avant-garde rumbling without outside influence. I’m sure that somewhere along the line, this group escaped from the shackles of their primal rage and entered a studio concealed deep within the lowly corridors of a mental asylum and this record is the twisted product.

It would certainly be unfair to merely describe Malhkebre as a straightforward black metal act, such is the demented fury of those unhinged barks. Couple this with the sordid atmospherics they conjure up via the soiled drum blasts and torturous leads, and we’ve got an album that should certainly appeal to those who are desperate for something new to emerge out of the genre, which has been weighed down these last few years by mendacity and mediocrity.

Although the likes of ‘To Become Or Die’ speed away under raw instrumentation, there is such a foul air about this platter that I’m not utterly convinced that the band photo I saw a while back was genuine rather than merely staged. In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me if this bunch of madmen recorded the album naked, blood-spattered and in that very unclean dungeon. And as ‘AMDG’ rides in on a scathing riff accompanied by doom-laden drum which in turn runs like black blood into the raging hell of ‘The Truth Must Be Doubted For Victory’, I’m left more and more convinced as this depraved record grinds to a halt in the impure waters of ‘In Hoc Signo Vinces’.

These dudes have stirred a cauldron here which thrives on unusual ingredients, and with a few eerie interludes thrown in to spice up the high levels of strangeness, I’m almost at a loss to fully describe this album which revels in the uncouth nature of things.

Neil Arnold

<< Back to Album & EP Reviews



Related Posts via Categories
Share