Death Dies - Maledicti in Aeternvm

#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

https://mykingdommusic.bandcamp.com/album/maledicti-in-aeternvm

Death Dies - The Sound of Demons

BACK IN TIME: recensione gentilmente concessa da Nihil Zine

#PER CHI AMA: Black/Thrash

Li avevo potuti ammirare solo dal vivo, senza mai aver apprezzato le loro precedenti produzioni e devo dire che in sede live mi hanno sempre fatto una buona impressione perché riescono ad avere un impatto grezzo e violento. Oggi, finalmente posso ascoltare su cd il loro primo full-length. I Death Dies sono una perfetta commistione tra parti thrash e black metal, quindi riff molto diretti e granitici, dove vi fa capolino una voce femminile dal tono operistico con una timbrica da soprano ben in evidenza, praticamente presente in quasi ogni pezzo, che rafforza ed accentua alcuni passaggi chitarristici. In più, qua e là, troviamo degli accenni di tastiere. Valida la concezione dei brani che si impongono con il loro andamento molto sostenuto e pieno di riff sentiti e diretti. Vi ricordo che all’interno dei Death Dies militano ex membri degli Evol: Samael Von Martin, Rex Tenebrae e Demian De Saba, e proprio per questo, in alcuni momenti si può respirare ancora quella vena alla Evol con melodie stranianti e misteriose ("Danza Macabra"). Non mancano neppure momenti più marziali ed emotivamente coinvolgenti ("Spartan Pride"). Segnalerei pure "Destroyer", per me una vera killer song, ascoltare per credere. L’unico appunto che mi sento di sollevare è l’uso frequente della voce femminile come soprano che, seppur usata in modo egregio, non convince, risultando poco spontanea e in disaccordo con il riffing e l’impianto delle song, ma comunque va apprezzato lo sforzo di non propinarci la solita solfa, adottando soluzioni diverse dal solito. Sono convinto però che proprio per questo non tutti ne hanno apprezzato l’utilizzo. Comunque fu decisamente una buona prova per la band di Padova.

(Northern Darkness Records  - 2001)
Voto: 70

https://northerndarknessrecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-sound-of-demons