Review Summary: Here is the church, here is the steeple, open the doors and curse all the people
Incantvm is an Italian band cut from the same cloth as occult rockers and compatriots Mortuary Drape, and quite literally so considering Incantvm’s lead male vocalist served as a drummer during Mortuary Drape’s early days. If you enjoy that brand of rollicking black metal, then you’re sure to get a kick out of Incantvm’s 2025 album “Maleficia.” But there’s a major twist to be found with this band, and that twist comes by way of the clarinet. I realize this is the second clarinet-centric metal album I’ve reviewed (shoutout Demoniac), and you may be asking yourself, why should I listen to another?
The answer is quite simply that instead of being a black metal album that features clarinet, this is a chamber music album that features black metal. Case in point, at one point the album fully drops into a Mozart piece. “Maleficia” feels like being invited into a graveyard ritual with the clarinet as your fickle and unreliable navigator. It alternates between guiding the listener and joining in with the blackened assault when you least expect it. The lyrics here match the musical foundation perfectly, telling the tale of murdered witches returning to enact their revenge. The guitarwork on this album alternates between devil-may-care heavy metal riffs and frigid tremolos while providing a platform for the reed instruments and clarinet to do their thing. From medieval leads to somber passages, the clarinet is the star of the show. And it really works, perhaps surprisingly. Check out ‘Donna Prudentia’ for a taste of what this album has to offer. If you like it, you’ll love the rest. For me, there’s enough that this album does right to keep me coming back when I’m craving a dose of blackened classical music.
