Entartung - Maleficae Artes (2020)

Germany’s most vicious Black Metal band returns with a brutal fourth full-length release titled “Maleficae Artes”. Grounding their sound in 90’s BM, the band delivers five furious anthems of brutality, melody, and destruction. Focusing on longer songs, than a typical BM band, this German outfit unleashed intricate compositions that are both highly atmospheric and brutal, inciting furious headbanging from start to finish.

The release kicks off with the savagery of “Tower of Silence” and its waves of riffs paired with pummeling drumming. The level of intensity is a good indicator of what is to come, and it is nicely offset by ravaging melodic sections perfect for intense headbanging moments. Going through several tempos and styles, the track closes in a vicious manner and extreme brutality, only to lead into the cavernous opening of “Bortförd”. This last track showcases the band’s ability to craft hypnotic passages filled with creepy clean vocal arrangements and harsh onslaughts.

After the creepy interlude “Un Ciel Bourbeux Et Noir”, the band delivers the ritualistic “Circle Of Suffering”, a sickening piece that creates a very hellish atmosphere filled with intense guitars and crafty drumming. The band’s musical core is quite tight, allowing songs like “Aufruhr MDXXV” to be quite polished and well balanced. Clocking in at 12 minutes, this track feels quite swift and effective as the piercing guitars create a massive wall of sound to distract the listener.

Overall, “Maleficae Artes” is one hell of a monstrous release from this highly talented band. Entartung has constantly surprised us over the years and it is time for more Black Metal fans to discover their devilish talents. If you like your BM brutal with some melody and atmosphere on the side, this is one of the must-buy releases of 2020.

Label: Dunkelheit Produktionen

Release: June 27th, 2020

Genre: PBlack Metal

Country: Germany