Molten – Malicide (Archaic Heretical Death Thrash)
Goddamn. Listen, for the millionth time, cover art is so important in selling a band, a book, practically everything. Get a good artist! Case in point here’s Malicide, the latest full-length from San Francisco’s Molten. A little surprised this hasn’t received much press as of yet. Death thrash can be a generally easy sell if the band can play it right, especially when you have such sick imagery gracing the cover. I mean come on people it deserves a listen based on that alone!
One of Molten’s strongest points is the aggressive and confident way by which they put it together. Malicide reveals what I mean. I’ve heard a lot of death thrash over the past five years, a few of which I’ve reviewed (type it in the search on the right there), all with a different approach. Some leaned more thrash, others dipped in speed, some preferred more aggression, but Molten creates their own aesthetic beyond the base sound. See that cover? Sounds just like that. Malicide evokes Templars rising from the dead, obscure sects burned alive, and corruption of the medieval Church. Such perceived themes draw everything into a whole, but it’s the delivery that adds further depth such as the delicate, eerie acoustics, solos crafted from gold and encrusted in jewels from pilfered reliquaries, and touches of atmosphere including hollow moaning, yeah Molten has a special atmosphere that lends much more of a style to their sound. The fact this seems so little-reviewed currently is basically shocking.
Written by Stanley, Devourer of Souls
Molten – Malicide
Transylvanian Recordings
Cover Art: Noah Cutter Meihoff
4.6 / 5
