MALTHUSIAN — Across Deaths (review)

Album · 2018 · Death Metal

4/5 · 2018-11-06
Antonis Kalamoutsos

After having gained some strong underground reputation, the time has finally come for the Irish death-metallers Malthusian to release their debut full length album. And while this is a band that totally respects extreme metal values and true spirit, there are no stereotypes to be found here. To be precise, in Across Deaths one may find an intense sense of innovation, as only profound underground art can offer.

Don’t expect your typical death metal plate on this one. Although it appears as such, Across Deaths is not even pure death metal, having strong boundaries-crossing virtues. Most of the music is based on violent death metal riffing and extraordinary, fast and technical drumming but it is clear that Malthusian are on a constant route from death to black and vice versa, riff after riff, part after part. This is specifically achieved with the richness of different lead and backing vocal textures – growls, howls, screams or whispers – but also with the lack of harmonic references. This last fact is one of the albums strangest and most attractive elements: The gloomy, muffled sound may first seem like a lo-fi, stylistic decision. If you listen closely though, you may realise that there is an unexpected clarity on the sound of the instruments, something that convinces me that the production deliberately assists Malthusian’s music in sounding abstract and chaotic, obviously with no intention of helping the listener’s mind realise any constant. At the end, the whole experience feels like walking on a tightrope while ruthless devastating winds fight to throw you down in the abyss. The worst part though and what really makes this album dark, is that this abyss is hidden from your eyes. You can’t see or understand it, it just lies beneath your feet and your mind knows no constant. From this aspect, there is almost an experimental vibe in Across Deaths, like being a distant relative of Portal’s Ion.

The first three tracks of the album serve this ever-changing genres acrobatics but it is only during ''Primal Attunement – The Gloom Epoch’’ when you can fully understand Malthusian’s craftsmanship. For 13 minutes of ultra epic heaviness, we witness the construction of a doom/sludge anthem and it is clear now that it’s not a matter of what the band can or can’t do but a matter of what they decide to do. I am certain that in the future Malthusian will walk further down that doomy road, evolving that contradiction of super fast and super slow moods – anything that needs to be done in order their abyss to grow even darker and more chaotic.

As a conclusion, Across Deaths is a fascinating debut that doesn’t intend to be easily or fully understood. It forms an enigma that is equally savage and intriguing, like chaos and death itself. Try to walk on this tightrope, try to fight back those winds that violently try to stop you and no matter what you do, don’t look down. For this abyss may be deeper than you think.