ALBUM REVIEW: Maleficae Artes – Entartung

Over the course of four albums, Germany’s ENTARTUNG have been building a solid following within the European underground scene. Combining sparse, yet powerful, riffs with a chaotic, old school black metal edge, the band’s sound does a great job of bridging the gap between a classic sound and a much darker, primitive one that exemplifies some of the best parts of modern black metal. Their latest, fourth album, Maleficae Artes, refines the band’s style even further, producing what is arguably the most immersive, ritualistic music ENTARTUNG have created to date.

Tower of Silence proves to be a blisteringly fast and caustic start to the record, with tight, ferocious guitar work, chaotic drums and acidic, feral howls building a huge, oppressive sound with some incredibly focused musicianship straight away. The balance between a classic black metal sound and a far more acerbic, visceral edge works extremely well, making for a dark and engrossing piece of music.

Bortförd is just as monolithic as the album’s opener, but in very different ways; the clean, more melody-driven guitar tones and measured pace, along with the powerful, chanted vocals that appear more prominently in the sound, gives this song an epic, grand feel, with a few rabid flourishes peppered throughout to liven up the sound. It’s a massive track that provides an excellent contrast with the previous track, widening the scope of the bands sound quite a bit. Un ciel bourbeux et noir, a short offering built around haunting, clean guitars and harsh, whispered vocals, acts as a great segue between the two halves of this album, and does a great job of crafting a palpable atmosphere in a short amount of time.

Circle of Suffering develops the slower, hypnotic side of the band’s sound even further, successfully mixing steady, immersive drumming with t effective, hooks, resulting in a beguiling sound that has just the right level of murky rawness to it to give it a bleak, sepulchral edge. The song’s second half shifts towards a much more minimal, primitive sound that manages to grab the listeners attention with vast, spartan riffs and thunderous percussion, with the as always arid delivery of the vocals injecting a liberal dose of savagery to proceedings. Aufruhr MDXXV, a sprawling, bombastic track with some gargantuan guitars and easily some of the best vocals on the whole record, with some well placed, ambient keyboards that add a distinct Gothic flavour to this song, making for one of the more imaginative and eclectic offerings on the whole record. It’s a powerful and engrossing way to bring this album to a close.

Many bands have a tendency to sharpen and tighten up their sound with each subsequent release, making their music more and more accessible to a wider audience. ENTARTUNG are heading in the opposite direction, and this album is all the better for it. When comparing this album with the likes of Baptised Into the Faith of Lust and Pecca Mortalia the two albums that preceded this one, there’s a gradual, but noticeable, shift away from the crisper production for a more claustrophobic, murky sound that complements the cacophonous, disjointed quality of the music perfectly. This is a brilliant album that inverts the traditional progression of style on albums, and stands as one of ENTARTUNG‘s best offerings to date.

Rating: 8/10

Maleficae Artes is out now via Dunkelheit Produktionen.

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