It’s time to return to no-nonsense, unapologetic Black Metal that can tear us a new one any day of the week. So, I bring you Panzerchrist (ask the AI to draw this name, please!) and its new album Maleficium Part I, which promises a level of fury and hysteria that many of you have been missing. You know Black Metal these days—it can get a bit complicated. Don’t you miss some meat and potatoes? Well, I think that’s what we’ve got here—or maybe not? It’s time to find out. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you about this album’s approach.
Maleficium Part I is Black Metal sculpted with an industrial hammer. It pummels you into the ground like only a machine could. Some might argue that the drums add an industrial touch, but to me, they just sound like sheer violence. I know there’s some sort of sinister and occult subtext in this album, but honestly, I got lost in the absurd amount of blasting going on here. It’s rare to find Black Metal so committed to destroying whatever is left of my eardrums. Regardless of my final thoughts on Panzerchrist, I can respect that level of integrity with no issues.
While I think the blast beats are the protagonist here, I also believe everyone else is sweating blood to blow us to pieces. You might catch a few brief moments to breathe in the second half of the album, but they’re few and far between. However, those moments save the album from becoming a numbing, monotonous wall of pointless brutality. Hence, I enjoyed the second half more because it offered more contrasting movements. Fun fact: crazy shrieks aren’t usually my thing, but somehow, in Maleficium, they’re so mad that they fit perfectly.
Now, there are some things you should consider before you start running naked in corpse paint or wearing just a balaclava. This is an intense comeback—so intense that if you’re not ready for relentless Black Metal in the recent Immortal style, this might not be your kind of dark spell. For me, the album’s constant savagery stands out. We all love albums that maul us like a bear, but a few more experimental moments would be welcome, even if they risk altering Panzerchrist’s essence. Now that the band is back and slaying again, it’d be awesome to hear them take more risks. Expect reliable and evil blasting, but nothing too far outside the proven formula. But I get it—we all need comfort, even if it comes in the shape of a baseball bat.
Despite leaving me wanting to listen to something really soft afterward, Panzerchrist’s return is more interesting than I first expected. There’s no doubt the band still has much to offer, even within the strict, purist boundaries of one of the most conservative styles in Metal. There’s hope when all is lost, right? I have no idea why I wanted to end this slaughter fest with an emotional phrase, but hey, music is about that anyway. See you next time, my corpse-painted children.
No Youtube, but we have this
Label: Emanzipation Productions
Release date: 6 December, 2024
Website: https://www.facebook.com/panzerchristofficial
Country: Denmark
Score: A blasting and unrelenting 3.3/5.0
Metal Eclipse Reviews 