Review Summary: Rise up almighty Tiamat!
Let the floods kill with hate!
The fire of destruction shall burn all life!
The time of revenge is at hand!
Being a fan of Azarath ever since their release of Diabolic Impious Evil (another fantastic album), I could tell Blasphemer’s Maledictions would be a more mature album just by looking at the album art. Instead of the crude, black and white Satanic imagery that dressed all their previous albums, Blasphemer’s Malediction beautifully intricate artwork implies growth, a promise that the album definitely fulfills.
Where the band’s previous albums were chaotic but well composed slices of brutal death metal, Blasphemer’s Maledictions displays a more thoughtful and atmospheric approach to the band’s usually unrelenting extreme metal mayhem. This is due in no small part to new vocalist/guitarist Necrosodom, who despite what his name may suggest, has drastically opened up the group’s sound allowing for slight deviations that make this record the band’s strongest effort to date. Opening song “Supreme Reign of Tiamat” is the perfect example of this – the track burns with the band’s usual intensity and thanks to well-placed and minor melodic inclusions, it’s irresistibly memorable. It’s a more restrained approach but it works perfectly for what the band has become.
The rest of the album follows suit; instrumentally brilliant, there is still plenty of headbang inducing riffery (“Behold The Satan’s Sword”, “Deathstorms Raid the Earth”, etc…) along with plenty instances of their new found maturity. “The Abjection” features not only a breathtaking atmospheric break, but sees the band slowing down the pace a bit, relying more on dynamic songwriting than the outright and blinding brutality all their previous records were centered upon. Necrosodom's vocals which range from rasps to guttural bursts also help in this department, offering more diversity than they have ever showed before. Overall, Blasphemer’s Maledictions is an extreme metal fan’s wet dream and I highly recommend picking it up if you haven’t already done so.
