Label: Revalve Records
Date: February 21st, 2020
Never knew a one-man band is allowed to play anything other than extreme metal. Black, death or something like that. I’m not too sure if L. V. had any help with this record, so I’m just assuming this is a one-man project by an individual with a lot of experience within different bands and genres. Furthermore, it seems like Malamorte started out as a black metal band. Or at least as a blackish heavy metal band. As you see, there’s a lot of unknowns regarding this Italian project. However, one thing is for sure. Malamorte’s fourth full length record came just before Italy shut down, due to the already known reasons. And the album is…
“God Needs Evil” offers something out of many different styles. When you think of Italian heavy metal, most of you will immediately jump to Death SS or Mortuary Drape. Disregarding the whole power metal movement or Lacuna Coil. Pure Italian heavy metal was mostly defined by the mentioned duo. So, the first thing necessary when evaluating Malamorte is that the foundations are clear. While L. V. himself states Mercyful Fate and Black Sabbath as his influences while creating Malamorte, I would keep the Danes and trade Sabbath for Death SS. Even some of that cryptic Mortuary Drape atmosphere is noticeable at times. Still, said atmosphere most often comes from Mercyful Fate. Also, vocal intonations can be related to King Diamond, especially from his Fate years. If you would allow me a couple of my own remarks, I would add Megadeth and Iced Earth as points of reference in this case, though I’m looking at a bigger picture right now. I could name a whole lot of other bands too, but I won’t. I will leave it to individual listeners, as each one of you will certainly find different sources.
Still, I need to note that with all those versatile influences, Malamorte manages to sound coherent and somewhat on their own ground. Not quite original, as a whole lot of recognizable patterns are used, but certainly far from simple copycats.
Important factor in Malamorte’s music is the technical side. The particular segments seem to be even overdeveloped, as if L. V. sometimes forgets to simplify for the sake of effectiveness. Sure, it might be his point exactly, but it leads into a lot of confusion with regards to pure memorability of individual tracks. On the other hand, one can recall the impact of the record long after the spinning has stopped. Careful observation can even lead to a lot of catchy parts. Malamorte has a way to make your head bang, that’s for sure. Air guitar is implied, of course.
Now, as this is the fourth album by Malamorte within just four years (by the way, fifth is already on its way), I’m afraid the project might turn for quantity over quality. It is a fairly common thing with one-man projects. So far, there is enough quality on display to prove me wrong. Still, I would suggest a further evaluation with every next project. It might help. So far, Malamorte keeps to the right track. Hopefully it will last.
