Reno-based
militia Ancient Malignity is one of those exemplary bands that meet every
little criteria in order to be labelled “war metal,” mastering the style down
to the last detail. The group also features members of black/death acts like
Ritual Genocide, Triumph and Blasphemous Creation, all of whom are respectable
in their own right. “Dehumanization Dawn” is the trio’s second album since
2020’s self-titled and was released via Thailand's Inhuman Assault Productions.
When you listen
to this band and look at their imagery, it’s not too hard to spot the Revenge
influence, although I give the band credit for not being a complete carbon-copy
and for crafting a style that sets them apart from the legion of
Revenge-inspired bands. Aside from the all-too-obvious reference mentioned
above, there are also trace elements of bands like Goatpenis and Abhorer,
including a good dose of death metal influence running in their veins. This is
a winning formula for the band, coupled with a raw production that only adds to
the hellish feel of the music. The music is mainly mid-paced, although they do
slow it down from time to time, with some gritty grind tempos in between.
Despite the
relatively straight-forward nature of the music, the band's themes are
decidedly thought-provoking and profound. A good example of this is the track
“Indoctrination Terror Offense,” which is about the media terrorizing the
populace with propaganda in order to indoctrinate them; and the aptly titled
“Pedoswine Obsolescence” is self-explanatory of their stance regarding dicier
transgressions.
The
military-style drumming is on point and offers a variety of inventive fills and
tempo changes, while the morbid vocals are venomously spewed over a series of
slashing guitars and repulsive bass riffs. Despite all the instruments being
comprehensible, there's a certain rawness to their sound that is all-too-fitting
for this style, and honestly, I do not think an overly polished production
would have had the same effect and taken away many of its qualities. This album
succeeds in conveying an atmosphere of hate and blasphemy, and the more I listen
to it, the more I like it, including the fact that the length of this release
feels complete and satisfying at 36 minutes.
I recommend all
maniacs who are into underground and blasphemous, bestial black/death to check
this band out, as it has everything that you could possibly look for in this
style. Stand-out tracks: “Indoctrination Terror Offense”, “Abomination
Experiment, “Algorithmic Brainwash Entity” (Jim)