Malfeitor – Dum Morior Orior (2012)

Attacking our ears with relentless riffing, today we have Malfeitor’s “Dum Morior Orior”. For a band that formed in 1990, it is quite suspect that they are finally releasing their debut full-length in 2012. Anyways, this old-school Swedish Death Metal band does a pretty solid job in delivering Grave-like song structures that while effective, they feel a bit outdated by current standards.

“Conversation in Minor” delivers the first onslaught of riffing and the nostalgic feelings begin. Reminding us of the great Grave, this band does pack a lot of heat in this release, but it also seems like it was in the ‘cooler’ for a bit too long. There are pretty solid riffs and excellent bass guitar sections in this track, and the growls are very typical of the period, but it just fails to move us like other recent Swedish DM releases.

The three men behind Malfeitor do a pretty solid job in delivering catchy and effective tracks like “When Last Breath Fades”, “Exile From Sanity”, “To Hell, Farewell”, and “Death, The Death And Me”. There are definitely some memorable moments and very hellish growls throughout all the songs presented in this release. The drumming is quite intense and very traditional sounding, thanks to a very conservative mix that allows everything to sound just right and give it that old school vibe without the shitty quality of some of the releases back in the day.

One of our personal favorites is the intricate “And The Sky Turned To Rage”, a track that features very solid riffing and some nice melodic details to it. Closing with “Sojourn Hell”, the band shifts gears a bit and delivers a ‘slower’ track that is very entertaining and quite fitting for a closing track. The release itself is pretty solid, but some of the tracks sound very alike, and this takes off a few points in our book.

In general, “Dum Morior Orior” is a decent release that has the old school elements that many nostalgic fans are looking for. There are a few elements that also make it a bit repetitive, but not entirely boring as some might say. If you are looking for a band similar to Grave and old Entombed, give Malfeitor a try and you will not be disappointed.

Release: April 30th, 2012

Genre: Death Metal

Country: Sweden