Album Review: Malphas – Incantation (Plastic Head/Triton’s Orbit)

The new album, Incantation from black metal band Malphas will be released on October 6th 2017 via Plastic Head & Triton’s Orbit.

Kicking off with an instantly recognisable old-school black metal sound that will makes you think of the likes of Watain & Dissection. Contributor of the Light is a brutal track but one that has a certain more traditional metal rhythm. An impressive array of riffs & drum beats play out over the screeching dark-filled vocals, a damn fine start.

The speed is increased for Leviathan with the blackness coming thick & fast. The guitar riffing is top drawer stuff here with a furious solo at the end really standing out. This is a black metal album at heart but it has way more to showcase then you might initially expect.

The unexpected high level of guitar work is what makes Incantation stand out. Track after track of banging riffs & hooks all wrapped up in a black metal snarl.

The album gets even better with the 8+ minutes of Nahash Corruption. High tempo drumming & riffing pretty much throughout, it’s near impossible to fathom just how Malphas have been able to sustain such aggression at such a pace for such a length of time. A brief drop into melody just allows the track to come back even stronger & even heavier. An absolute behemoth of a song.

As good as that track was, Malphas save the best for last. The penultimate wailing guitar & bitter vocals of Rebirth of the Reign are sublime while the final track, Awaking Excelsi Luciferi’s mid-point melody drop is gorgeous & comes at just the right time.

One of the finest black metal releases this year. As traditional as it might initially seem, its blending of classic genres really makes it an album worth checking out.

Malphas – Incantation Full Track Listing:

1. Contributor of the Light
2. Leviathan
3. Macabre Symphony of Divine
4. Incantation
5. Nahash Corruption
6. Rebirth of the Reign
7. Awaking Excelsi Luciferi

You can order the album now through Plastichead’s webstore & over on Amazon.