MALAKHIM – and in our hearts the devil sings LP black

– 350gsm Jacket with inside flooded in black and matt varnish
– 140g Black Vinyl
– 8 page LP size Booklet on 170gsm Art Paper
– Limited to 500 copies

From their formation in 2016 onward, the ascent of Sweden’s MALAKHIM has been both steady and swift: first demo to first EP to first album, every move has been patient and maximized but never belabored. Those sumptuous short-lengths surely whet appetites for the band’s full-length debut, Theion, released in 2021 to widespread acclaim by IRON BONEHEAD. There, MALAKHIM fully flexed every muscle and explored every crooked corner that had been there since the beginning – death metalled thrust colliding headlong with a majestic-yet-malevolent melodicism that harkened back to the ancient days of No Fashion and Solistitium – exhibiting a vital and yet venerable new iteration of orthodox black metal.

Four characteristically patient years later arrives MALAKHIM’s second album, And In Our Hearts the Devil Sings. Truly titled, And In Our Hearts the Devil Sings is a concertedly more melodic and majestic MALAKHIM, portending dread and doom and a dead-fucking-seriousness so often lacking from second-wave reinvigoration. Without sacrificing an iota of nuance nor rivulet of blood, the Swedes’ songwriting on their second album is streamlined to a superlative degree, honed like a warhead at a holy target. And while the pace remains blasting-quick more often than not, huge and somewhat-hymnal spaces open up, revealing a hitherto-unexplored epic side of MALAKHIM suited for the stage – or, perhaps more accurately, a massive black mass. And just like Theion ever so slightly cleaned up the quintet’s inherently dirty attack, so does And In Our Hearts the Devil Sings continue this favorable trajectory, intensifying the very METAL magick at the core of their sound; credit to longtime friend & co-conspirator M Norman, who’s handled engineering on all of MALAKHIM’s recordings to date.

While And In Our Hearts the Devil Sings isn’t strictly a concept album per se, its lyrical themes are nevertheless deep, loosely based on the ideas of Yetzer Hara: the inherent inclination of man to do evil. Suitably, MALAKHIM have tapped K Pavleska of Mors Ultima Ratio Art to capture the ominous cover artwork, with additional booklet artwork by longtime friend Karmazid, who’s also been a staple for all their releases. “You may claim to not know or believe in the Devil, but rest assured that the Devil knows you…”

Tracks:

1. And in Our Hearts the Devil Sings
2. Solar Crucifixion
3. A New Temple
4. Into Darkness We Depart
5. Angel of the Bottomless Pit
6. Hearts Ablaze
7. The Firmament Submits

Genres: Black Metal

GPSR Information:
Manufacturer:
Iron Bonehead Productions
Auf dem Bock 29, 47669 Wachtendonk, Germany
info(at)ironbonehead.de