Some eight years on since its original release, Portuguese Extreme Metallers MALEVOLENCE have returned to release their powerful album "Antithetical" on vinyl. Whilst it can be hard to pin any single sub-genre to the group, it is interesting to see that there are influences coming from Death, Doom, Black and Progressive Metal. I am intrigued to see where this is going to go. The artwork for the record is simple and will slot in nicely with anyone's library.

Opening the record is "Slithering" ominous tones build from simple beginnings until they erupt into a flurry of intense and full bodied music. And what an utterly sublime structure; the instrumentals are tight and the rhythm just drives the track forward breathlessly from start to finish. "Cult Of The Everlasting" has a much more pronounced introduction and those Black, Death & Prog influences really come to the fore in this track blending into their own brand of Extreme Metal. The music is just utterly fantastic, and I simply cannot get enough of it. For those of you out there looking for a wall of untiring, uncompromising and just downright badass music, look no further than "Devoured Unlimited" from intricate drum / guitar interplay to that intense Black Metal high energy, blast beaty aural assault, and I love it.

 The album' titular track "Antithetical" again just really knocks the blend out of the park, it is so mesmerising. The smooth guitar runs mixed with running drumlines take you as a listener on a journey over this 8 minute epic that delivers blow after blow of amazing music. But the intensity is certainly not short lived, as "Equilibrium In Extremis" bursts to life with no warning. The anthem like chant of EQUILIBRIUM I'm sure has, and will continue to be, chanted by throngs of fans at the live shows over the years.

I Just want to jump ahead a bit to "Mechanisms Of Destructive Behaviour" as, for me, the strength of any album can be gauged by the strength of its finale. And holy shit. The track is a journey, it takes you through each of the stylings and displays everything that the band have put together over the record before fading back into the abyss from where it came.

Overall, this is a fantastic album, but that didn't really need to confirmed by me now did it? The record has stood the test of time over the last eight years, I can see this re release going down well amongst fans, both old and new.