MALAMORTE, a Heavy/Black Metal side project lead by Italian mastermind Lord Vampyr (CAIN, LORD VAMPYR, NAILED GOD), has recently released its second full length titled "Satan Goes to Heaven to Destroy the Kingdom of God", and boy, with a promising album title like that what else can you expect? Other than a healthy sense of humor and cheekiness this album actually has quite a lot to offer. I'll start by saying I'm still just a pesty for all these "modern" bands mixing metal sub-genres into one solid mold, especially within the Heavy-Black-Doom Metal zones. I don't relate to the purists who fear change and I personally enjoy greatly when new releases or bands are working hard to do their thing uniquely. Having said that, MALAMORTE will remind you of the DARKTHRONE albums that draw most of their influence from the first wave bands, alas BATHORY, CELTIC FROST etc, and that occasional harmony, or sing-along chorus that'll leave you stoked by just how catchy it is. That dash of KING DIAMOND, or even influence from modern acts like TRIBULATION, seem to relate to MALAMORTE'S material quite a bit and these meeting points carry a certain energy that makes for a very subtle yet effective get-together between old and new metal.

"Satan Goes to Heaven to Destroy the Kingdom of God" is packed with tear jerking guitar leads, catchy sing along choruses, outstanding riffs and an interesting thick crunchy sound that throws you immediately to an overall atmosphere and aesthetics of devilish music that's not afraid to not take itself too seriously. The vocals are decent enough and fit well with the instrumentation, which is frequently accompanied by the sounds of an organ to smooth things naturally into darker realms, how well that works for MALAMORTE is very obvious upon even the first listening to this album.The true charm of "Satan Goes to Heaven to Destroy the Kingdom of God"is where all these over-lapping influences meet to form one well shaped piece of fluent consistency and undeniable song writing quality. I'd humbly say that this is an album most metal heads will enjoy, no matter what type of metal is your personal cup of tea. Immediate hits are "Aut Satan Aut Nihil," "Blasphemies For The Horned God," and "Waiting For The End Of Christianity."