XUL — Malignance (review)

XUL — Malignance album cover Album · 2012 · Death Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
UMUR
"Malignance" is the debut full-length studio album by Canadian blackened death metal act XUL. The album was self-released at a "Name your Price" option on the band´s Bandcamp profile in June 2012.

The music on the album is blackened death metal or death metal infused black metal. The scale really doesn´t tip either way in a manner where I can comfortably call this either death metal or black metal. The important thing here is of course if it works. And I can say with a bit resounding yes, that it does. The combination of death metal and black metal elements truly work to the band´s advantage. High pitched sneering black metal type vocals paired with deep growling vocals work to great effect as do the furious black metal tremolo picking paried with technically well played death metal riffing. The music is raw (and occasionally melodic), very well played (Pretty technical at times), well written and relatively well produced too. This is definitely what I would call a quality release.

The album kicks off with "Battlestorm" and from there seldom looks back. "Winter’s Reign" is the only track that stands out a lot from the others as it´s an instrumental black metal track featuring symphonic styled keyboards. It´s very different from the rest of the album but somehow it doesn´t seem malplaced. Aggression is generally in the high seat on the album but never at the expence of sophisticated songwriting or intriguing details, which make "Malignance" an album that you can come back too again and again and still discover new things on. This is overall a very promising debut album by XUL. I guess it lacks a completely unique and original sound, but less will do and a 4 star (80%) rating is still deserved. Very impressive for an independently released debut album.
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