When you think about what makes extreme music sing (in most cases scream), production isn’t often at the top of the list. Technical proficiency, a sonic bloodlust, terrifying noises, and a drummer who would make The Muppets’ Animal blush. That’s triple for black metal devotees, who prefer the lush, dulcet tones of treble-heavy hissing and snares so piercing that a band of trash pandas would be jealous. Malthusian constantly take the more challenging path, and the results are stunning. They hadn’t even thought production was the most vital ingredient to their brand of apocalyptic blackened death. That is, until recently. Their Relapse debut showcases a band who find particular pleasure in putting on tape the sounds and feelings of the worst acid trip ever, of a cosmic horror of our own creation. The production is both clear and overwhelming, revealing a dynamism that both augments and hides all of the ways the band prefer to deliver their punishment. If you like your extreme metal with heaping doses of awe and terror, look no further than Malthusian.
Guitarist/vocalist MB expands on that notion:
“With the previous album, the production created an atmosphere that took away from the power of the riffs, and the changes were lost at times. It didn’t give them the space needed. With The Summoning Bell, we wanted a production that allowed everything to stand its own ground, that let the hooks really sink their teeth into the listener. Some of which are intentionally straight forward in order to compliment the madness when it arrives. It seems counter-productive to write riffs that end up being buried in the mix, at least in the sound that we are going for. It was certainly written to be experienced in the manner you described, a fully immersive experience and from start to finish. A total journey backwards through hell. A bad trip with something of a resolution, but it never truly ends.”
The Summoning Bell is out now and you can order it from Relapse Records. Follow Malthusian on Facebook and Instagram for future updates.
Photo Credit: Kate M
