Review by Maverick on January 21, 2024.

Before I jump in, let me break it to you -- blackened deathcore is not a thing, and this is not blackened deathcore, this is symphonic deathcore. Nothing more, nothing less. Right? Well yeah, this album is almost flawless, but let me start going through the reasons I gave this score. This is by no means on the same level as Job For A Cowboy, Whitechapel, or any of the throw-away deathcore names. Rather, it is a technical-melodic onslaught of death metal riffs, and pristine hardcore breakdowns -- comparable to bands like Carnifex and Worm Shepherd.

First, the riffing is pretty consistent. It utilizes melodic and technical death metal riffs throughout. This is complemented by the breakdowns which define the deathcore sound. Of course, it doesn't contain a generic Parkway Drive riffing that one finds in their earlier releases. The riffs are pretty "happy," in that it is speedy and melodic. The technicality is not that mathematic, which is what bands like the earlier Crimson Armada do. It's pretty neat. There's nothing more to say than that.

Second, the drumming goes along nicely with the guitar. Speedy blast beats reminiscent of technical deathcore and maybe even grindcore. It's amazing to think that it is not a drum machine. I know that bands like this try imitating black metal drumming, if there is ever black metal drumming in this album, let me say that's drowned out by generic extreme metal pummelling that permeates the album. It's either too fast or only subtly imitates black metal drumming. The blast beats are not quite what one hears on a Marduk, Crimson Moonlight or Morkera album; although it tries to get there. What I would say, is that, if it is intentional or not, this band should probably not try going in that direction. They pull off a sound that sounds like the melo-death drumming of Bloodshot Dawn, but conclusively it is only generally extreme metal in terms of the drumming.

Third, the symphonies are pretty good. It does not sound like a dungeon synth delivery (which few bands can pull off anyway), or even other so-called blackened deathcore bands like Winds Of Plague. It does not even sound like Dimmu Borgir, at least not in a holistic sense. The symphonies serve as powerful intros to songs, like in 'Cursed To Die' and 'Sun//Eater'. Those were beautifully executed, it was tasteful.

Fourth, the vocals are pretty cool. Contrary to most in the extreme metal scene, I do like pig squeals and deathcore vocals in general. This album particularly reminded me of Carnifex's 2023 release "Necromanteum." The vocals are simply standard deathcore vocals.

As a whole, the album is what I would call epic symphonic deathcore. Although the band does capture the feel of symphonic black metal, I think that to compare it to any blackened offering would be to do a disservice to the band. It is a beautiful combination of extreme metal, hardcore, and symphonies. The intensity of this album is unmatched. It is a masterpiece. It is not a perfect album, but it probably comes close to it.

For fans of Carnifex and Worm Shepherd.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Review by Maverick on January 21, 2024.

Before I jump in, let me break it to you -- blackened deathcore is not a thing, and this is not blackened deathcore, this is symphonic deathcore. Nothing more, nothing less. Right? Well yeah, this album is almost flawless, but let me start going through the reasons I gave this score. This is by no means on the same level as Job For A Cowboy, Whitechapel, or any of the throw-away deathcore names. Rather, it is a technical-melodic onslaught of death metal riffs, and pristine hardcore breakdowns -- comparable to bands like Carnifex and Worm Shepherd.

First, the riffing is pretty consistent. It utilizes melodic and technical death metal riffs throughout. This is complemented by the breakdowns which define the deathcore sound. Of course, it doesn't contain a generic Parkway Drive riffing that one finds in their earlier releases. The riffs are pretty "happy," in that it is speedy and melodic. The technicality is not that mathematic, which is what bands like the earlier Crimson Armada do. It's pretty neat. There's nothing more to say than that.

Second, the drumming goes along nicely with the guitar. Speedy blast beats reminiscent of technical deathcore and maybe even grindcore. It's amazing to think that it is not a drum machine. I know that bands like this try imitating black metal drumming, if there is ever black metal drumming in this album, let me say that's drowned out by generic extreme metal pummelling that permeates the album. It's either too fast or only subtly imitates black metal drumming. The blast beats are not quite what one hears on a Marduk, Crimson Moonlight or Morkera album; although it tries to get there. What I would say, is that, if it is intentional or not, this band should probably not try going in that direction. They pull off a sound that sounds like the melo-death drumming of Bloodshot Dawn, but conclusively it is only generally extreme metal in terms of the drumming.

Third, the symphonies are pretty good. It does not sound like a dungeon synth delivery (which few bands can pull off anyway), or even other so-called blackened deathcore bands like Winds Of Plague. It does not even sound like Dimmu Borgir, at least not in a holistic sense. The symphonies serve as powerful intros to songs, like in 'Cursed To Die' and 'Sun//Eater'. Those were beautifully executed, it was tasteful.

Fourth, the vocals are pretty cool. Contrary to most in the extreme metal scene, I do like pig squeals and deathcore vocals in general. This album particularly reminded me of Carnifex's 2023 release "Necromanteum." The vocals are simply standard deathcore vocals.

As a whole, the album is what I would call epic symphonic deathcore. Although the band does capture the feel of symphonic black metal, I think that to compare it to any blackened offering would be to do a disservice to the band. It is a beautiful combination of extreme metal, hardcore, and symphonies. The intensity of this album is unmatched. It is a masterpiece. It is not a perfect album, but it probably comes close to it.

For fans of Carnifex and Worm Shepherd.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Review by Felix on December 29, 2019.

Let me take you on a journey to the Nordkarpatenland, the land that we call Slovakia today. One of the most unorthodox groups of today, Malokarpatan, is back with its second album. Some call their style black metal, but due to many unusual ingredients (cow bells and more) and unpredictable twists and turns of their compositions, I think we have to be careful with any kind of category. Folkloric elements are only logical in view of the album's title, but strange choirs, for example at the beginning of the fourth track - I feel free to avoid the overlong song names - add an eerie touch as well. High speed outbursts are rare and icy leads do not occur. The band prefers to walk its own, pretty tortuous paths through the haunted forests of their home country. A dark guitar sound and the imperious, sinister lead vocals lay the foundations for a metallic work, although the band does not shy away from extraordinary intros or hard rock riffing. Big parts of the guitar work of the fifth track could work in a totally different context. But on Nordkarpatenland, they rather provide a puzzle. However, there are many other songs which announce the song-writing skills of the talented formation. Just let me introduce you to the sixth track. If we decode the formula of this exemplary number, you will better understand the special magic of Malopkarpatan's art. By the way, it is a brilliant track.

First of all, one has to be aware of the fact that Malokarpatan love abrupt breaks which give them the chance to convey very different moods in just one song. Already the first track after the short intro reflects this passion of the band. Naturally, the sixth track also consists of very different sections. Its beginning could be the soundtrack of a fairy tale, before the guitars set in and form surprisingly straight and pretty fast verses. Tempo changes are well embedded, and everything seems to go forward as usual. But all of a sudden, an extremely weird, very melodic intermezzo comes through. Male and female voices accompany a soft yet horrific, Kind Diamond-like keyboard line. The metallic instrumentation returns, and a somewhat nested guitar line brings the excellent highlight to an end. Indeed, Malokarpatan know how to connect a meticulous concept with a touch of insanity and they are able to do so without killing the spontaneity of their tunes. (Incidentally, I recommend watching a live video of this song on YouTube from 2016 - the lead singer seems to be totally drunken and plays the metal jester in a very majestic manner. His band mates look like East European musicians who think that the Iron Curtain is still existing. Impressive!)

Despite their very individual approach, Malokarpatan also feel free to borrow some Maiden-esque lines (from "Only the Good Die Young" and roughly 10.000 more) in order to give the seventh song a pretty melodic touch. Yet they combine it with so many different further elements, for example a synth intermezzo which creates a sacral aura, that the Maiden quotation remains an almost incidental gag. Generally speaking, Malokarpatan's music has so many facets - it is really exciting. The bluesy / hard rocking guitars that show up every now remain the only component which spoils the enjoyment. Fortunately, the archaic, the odd, the harsh, the spooky, the demonic and the down-to-earth vibrations and melodies keep the upper hand. Apart from this, the formation seems to be a well harmonizing unit that is able to generate its own special charm. On the whole, it may be stated that the music deserves 75%, but the originality of the musical approach forces me to give a slightly higher rating. No doubt, the music is the adequate musical backdrop for a journey to the Nordkarpatenland, a region where witches, dangerous monarchs and black hens carry out their nefarious deeds.

Rating: 7.9 out of 10