Band: Malum
EP: Towards Nothingness
Genre: Black Metal
Country: Norway
Label: Hellstain Productions
To be released: 18. April 2025
Malum is a four-man band out of Oslo, Norway and are signed to the label Hellstian Productions where they are one of the darker sounding bands. The band is of newer origin seeing their spawn in 2020. Since then, the band has released one EP, one split and one full-length album.
Towards Nothingness is their freshest produce, and it’s a two track EP. With rumours of a new album in the making, this might give a taste of what will come.
Towards Nothingness
Tracklist:
- In Gloom
- Towards Nothingess
Malum sounds to me like a blend of the newer polish black metal scene with hints of the nidarosian black sound. Think MGLA and Kriegsmachine fighting it out with Whoredom Rife and Misotheist. It’s dark and haunting, while filled with great drum patterns and fills. The agonising vocals and the gritty guitar work engulfs you in their darkness.
The opening track on the EP In Gloom is nothing less than what mentioned above. With galopping drums the track starts of agressive and drummer A.A keeps this momentum going through the track. The vocals done by E.T.S are heavy, and with a tiny bit of distance to the instruments it sounds like madness. Malum tops it off with atmospheric string-instruments hitting some deep sounds aswell as fierce howls, this track packs a punch.
The second track with the same title as the EP, Towards Nothingness, opens in a slower manner. A.A has a slow-mid tempo on the drums and the guitars have also paced down for an atmospheric and melodic intro. The pace is aggravated about a minute into the track, where A.A lays in fifth gear abusing his drumkit. The riffs also gets a new haste, while E.T.S has a more violent and fiery vocal delivery on this track.
A.A shows his mastery on the drums beautiful here, this should be right up in your alley if you like the play style of Darkside. Malum switches pace throughout the songs, balancing the chaos and madness with melody and atmosphere.
Conclusion
Towards Nothingness hits heavy and showcases the darkness that Malum embodies. A snippet of the terror that’s coming, I am sure. The sound is true to their previous release, which also happens to be the embodiment of mentioned Polish band MGLA. So this should come as a warning to some of you. Malum sounds alot like MGLA, maybe a bit too much, so it’s difficult for this to sound new and original and for Malum to stand out as its entity.
With that said, this is still a band to keep an eye on. What’s attracting me is that there’s no hiding the talent this band portrays and the dark sound they convey. So, especially if you enjoy the modern polish black metal sound, the nidarosian sparkle and killer drumming, Malum is definitely for you. Give a listen to their backlog and the new EP. Then we await news about any upcoming album.
BMZ rating: 7,5 Good: A solid and enjoyable EP overall. It boasts strong songwriting and performance quality, delivering a cohesive and satisfying listen.
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