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| #FOR FANS OF: Black/Dungeon Synth |
Founded in 1995 by Demian De Saba and Samael Von Martin, Death Dies was created as a more visceral and aggressive counterpart of the legendary band Evol, which fused black metal with dungeon synth. Both musicians wanted to create a fiercer band where aggression could play an absolutely dominant role. After the dissolution of Evol, they could concentrate exclusively on this newer project and started to release albums at a more constant pace. As often happens with similar projects, frequent line-up changes alongside the musicians' various side-projects led to a subsequent decrease in the number of albums that Death Dies released.
Fortunately for the project’s future perspective, the band seems to have found its stability now. Following their 2023 release, Death Dies is back with a new opus entitled 'Maledicti in Aeternvm', a short yet engaging release that keeps the project’s core sound intact. Death Dies plays a straightforward form of black metal, speedy, aggressive, and pulling no punches. As you can imagine, fast and short tracks are highly common throughout the whole record. The album opener, "Il Bosco Siamo Noi", is a fine example of this: a short, vivid, and ferocious track which still leaves room for a melodic touch in certain riffs, a feature that I truly appreciate as it enriches the song. Another characteristic I find satisfying are the occasional atmospheric touches that the band introduces as a background ambience, adding an additional layer to the composition and therefore heightening it. This is a quite common resource that the band uses in different tracks like "Asmodevs" or the excellent "Carmina Trivmphalia", among others.
Pace-wise this record is, as aforementioned, mainly fast. Tempo changes are not remarkably abundant, although the listener will find them here and there. Quick songs like ‘Trivia Soteria’ still feature some tempo variations while keeping up with the speedy tone. This is a welcome change and an effort that benefits the final result. "La Casa de Diaol" is perhaps the most distinct track thanks to its mid-tempo nature and backing vocals, which create a calmer and more solemn composition that I consider highly enjoyable. This successful approach is also used in the heavier track "Patavinorvm Tyrannys", where the band effectively combines the widespread speedy brutality with a mid-tempo majesty, creating what is probably the best track of this album.
'Maledicti in Aeternvm' is certainly a compelling album for those who enjoy honest, straightforward black metal. The atmospheric touches already present throughout the record, along with a greater variety in the pacing of the songs, are elements the band should take into consideration and continue to explore in order to move forward and craft something truly distinctive. Even so, this album already feels like a solid step in that direction, as I have genuinely enjoyed it. (Alain González Artola)
(My Kingdom Music - 2026)
Score: 75