MALEDICTION made its bones back in 1989 in the thick of the UK underground, and delving deep into the band’s works, you’ll unearth a grind infested approach to death metal that’s coupled with the hefty DIY sounding production synonymous with the genre within the clutch of EP’s to their name. In complete contrast to its roots, you’ll discover that the latest opus is driven in an OSDM direction with a healthy balance of the melodious Swedeath style and the all-out annihilation of American death, where these veterans of death metal bring old school evangelism at its finest to their latest EP, “The Soil Throne”. In addition to the oozing old school fashion, “The Soil Throne” is nuanced with subtleties of crust and black metal unpinning segments, lending to a six-track EP that brims with fleshed-out, ripping death metal in a blackened and bloodstained onslaught, with a crisp and clear production mastered by the expert hand of none other than Dan Mullins (MY DYING BRIDE).

The palpable passages of groove-driven riffs, pounding and energetic fills, and sinister vocals of “Black Narcissus” offer a real feast for the ears, with the ferocious switching of D-beat, blasts, and frantic percussion offering an especially hellish experience. With the former drummer of crust pioneers HELLBASTARD powering MALEDICTION’s engine, there’s exceptional skill to appreciate behind the fills and you’re easily gripped by Rushforth’s extreme treat on the ears. The talents of the band are obvious from the get-go, where an immediate frisson of excitement manifests from “Sky Written Rapture” through MALEDICTION’s ineffable ability to create sinister atmospheres. The amalgamation of malicious pacing, soaring harmonies that steadily bleed into mellifluous solos, and vocal apoplexy concocts a swirling maelstrom of fury, with the brewing atmospherics of “The Omerta Masquerade” punishing further with its embittered lyrics and scathing drum work.

The castigation of “The Soil Throne” is as raw as an open sore with gallons of hydrofluoric acid poured over it, containing levels of causticity that would surely melt flesh from bone with “Pernicious Zealotry” epitomising its hate-fuelled ferocity. The spiteful vocals harbour serious disdain, guitars flay in admonishment, and the drums chastise in an embittered fury like no other. The swarming pandemonium of “Infestation MMXXIII” suffocates with its mélange of instrumentals, played with seasoned musicianship and powered by the ferocity of a pack of hungry wolves. Serving up their fighting spirits and hearts on a plate, MALEDICTION bookend the EP on a stripped back bare instrumental in "In Maledictus Sol" tending to a prettied track still riddled with the ominous tones of the rest of "The Soil Throne", capturing the profundity of the release perfectly.

With MALEDICTION’s members each having been involved in a diverse collection of bands (seriously, check out their impressive credentials), they were bound to forge their sound on a foundation of vast metallic influence, lending to the extremely visceral sound of “The Soil Throne”; the EP is one big throbbing pulsation of earworm melodies, gritty, aggressive gutturals, and centred on an abundance of technical proficiency and stifling atmospherics. This, my friends, is a release you don’t want to miss.