MALEPESTE is a black metal band founded in 2010 in the Lyon region. Initially formed as a trio (Xahaal, Flexor, Nostra), the band quickly found its balance with the arrival of Larsen on vocals, laying the foundations for a dirty and abrasive black metal sound. After a break devoted to founding the Grande Loge project, the band returned to compose their third album, "Ex Nihilo." Delayed by the pandemic and the vagaries of life, this long-awaited project will be released in autumn 2025 on Les Acteurs de l'Ombre. At the height of their artistry but still true to their essence, MALEPESTE continues on its path, at the crossroads of the sacred and the ruined.

The album has six songs, and "Ab Chaos" is first. Out of the gate, it's aggressive and harrowing, but it halts a bit to showcase their musicianship with some nifty meter shifting. It's very short however, but does leave a lasting impression of darkness. "Quaestionis" features aggression, darkness, and somber tones working as one. The vocals are tortured, and scream out to the sky with pain. The landscape is painted with desolation and hopelessness, like I imagine life must be like in the arctic. No sun for days, and desperately frigid. "Imperium" has a slower pace where the pure power of Black Metal combines with the darkness of fear, to create a harrowing sound that crawls up and inside your skin. The slow pace helps the sound to sink in.

"Stupor" has another slow, crawling pace that speaks of desperation and pain. It slows even further and you can now see the void…a massive black hole headed straight for you. Fear doesn't begin to describe what you feel. "Acceptio" is another cold, slow offering that combines aggression with hopelessness, and again, the vocals scream out in pain. It's the kind of pain that isn't acute, but it builds over years, getting worse, rising up a little at a time before it's finally off the charts. "Relapsus" is the final song. It features soft spoken words over a bed of clean guitars at first, before transitioning to another desolate sound. Aggression and hopelessness can both occupy the same space, as evidenced here.

The declarative, symphonic ending of the album brought a note of majesty to it, and I would like to hear more of it. The album offered plenty, including aggression, somberness, and outright hopelessness. The French always have an impressive twist in their music, and this album is no exception.