From Bandcamp, “‘Maledictum” is our second full-length album. It was recorded at Malmer Productions during the spring in 2024. In general, the album tells the story of how women suffered during the witch hunts and trials throughout the years of 1668-1676 in the North of Sweden.” The album has seven songs, and “Reborn” is first. It’s boom of chaotic energy, but not without subtle melody. Although the vocals are shrieks the likes of which you haven’t heard since that dying cat on your doorstep, the connection with the music is pretty good. The music is a literal wall of sound, and the drums pound away faster than you can count.

“Suffering” is just a little slower, and it sounds like an engine has been ignited and is beginning to kick over. The drums maintain a steady presence, the guitars buzz like a swarm of killer bees, and the vocals are tortured shrieks. “Seven Years ov Blood” has a slower, and more powerful entrance, from a dark riff and drum strikes. There are depressive tones as well, the kind that beg you just to give up and throw in the towel. It also has a sense of grandeur and ominous signs. “Trial” has a slow fade in, and the song is incredibly slow and tortuous, conjuring up images of a trial to the death by a jury that already made up their minds. It picks up in a whirlwind of heavy storms and rain around the half-way mark, and there it stays through the end.

“Burn before Dawn” is another powerful grind, fueled by rolling drums and more vocal shrieks. It’s another deeply depressive sound for me. “Ashes after the Fire” is slow, evil sounding, and marks another descent downward into the flames below. It picks up heartily from there, with more rolling drums and harsh vocals, and again, it has a foreboding sound. “Endless Wrath” closes the album, and it begins to rumble before exploding like a bomb on soft earth. Consider the song title for how the music makes you feel. The vocal shrieks cut through your flesh like a hot knife through butter. Overall, this was an uncommon album for the genre mostly due to the way the vocals were delivered. One thing is for sure, I would not want to be alive during these infamous witch hunts, because I am sure it didn’t end well.