Review by JD on April 25, 2010.

I am one of these strange people that like when old school metal of any kind meets some innovation that makes it stand right out... When someone takes the old metal and ups it into something thrashing heavy and breathes new life into it. Now that I have said that, I go on to review the one man Belgium based Black Metal called Malpertuus.

Malpertuus have all the makings of the standard Black Metal that is out there at the moment, but there is this extra sort of feel to it that is new, refreshing as it is powerful. The sound of the whole album is raw and dark - hearkens back to the beginning of what we call Black Metal today (Bathory, Venom ect)... but with such great genius, the man adds in this sort of militaristic sort of drum beats that adds an extra punch of energy.
Each malevolent track explodes and hits you squarely with both talent and demonic explosiveness. The album seems to be powered by a metallic fury that could only be described as an infernal damnation of sound and words, which explores the deepest and most vile nightmares and darkest fears of every Christian out there, and takes them down into the fiery pits of Hades itself.

Uncompromising, unabashed and plainly old school Black Metal... It seems that Malpertuus has reared its horned head, shifted itself and the clawed hand of the darkened death had come down like Thor’s Hammer on the land. True Black Metal with a great twist...What fun!!
　
Categorical Rating Breakdown　

Musicianship:8
Atmosphere: 9
Production: 8
Originality: 9
Overall: 9

Rating: 8.6 out of 10

Review by Adam M on April 7, 2012.

This is a crushing album that recalls earlier Entombed, Dismember and early albums of Death Metal. The band plays tightly performed music at a reasonably breakneck speed that catches your attention from the start. There is very little to fault with the musicianship on this album and it moves splendidly from track to track. What the album lacks in originality it more than makes up for in the punishing huge riffs to be found.

Rather than take a more modern approach that bands like Black Breath or Vomitory have at carrying on the legacy of the early Swedish scene, this album stays firmly rooted in the classic production styles of the genres. It’s a very bare bones work that doesn’t have any Punk or Thrash tendencies as those other two mentioned bands have shown. The production is solid enough, but the drums seem surprisingly hollow and put into the background compared to the remainder of the instrumentation. The title track is one of the stronger moments on the album and comes nearer to the middle to the release. Also, the relentless song 'Chthonic' is a highlight that is nearer towards the end of the album.

There is very little let up throughout the length of the release as it even gains a bit of momentum as it progresses. This album still lacks in the originality department which tends to bring the overall impression down a bit. For those that love the sounds of the classics of the Swedish Death Metal genre, "Lucifer Rising" is nearly a must have, however.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 9
Atmosphere: 9.5
Production: 8.5
Originality: 6.5
Overall: 8.5

Rating: 8.4 out of 10