Beat Review (28th of Jan 2009)
In Malice's Wake Eternal Nightfall
(Independent)
It's been a long three years since Melbourne based thrash act released their promising debut EP effort Blackened Skies, but after some unforsen delays and frustrating setbacks, In Malice's Wake have finally returned with their highly anticipated full-length debut Eternal Nightfall.
Although I wasn't entirely sold on the Blackened Skies EP, the four-peice have truly stepped up their game, with Eternal Nightfall delivering on the band's original promise.
After a brief instrumental introduction, the album gets underway with the thrashing Pay the Price. Aside from the immensely improved production values over their last release, it's the band's overall tightness, confidence in their song writing and style, and thier delivery of Pay the Price that really stands out over anything the band have previously done. The diversity of riffs, continual shift in tempo and grasp of wha'ts required of a thrash act (sounding very much like a cross between classic Testament and Anthrax) has finally been perfected, and sounds simply fantastic.
From here, the band continue to remain consistent throughout the album's other nine traks, with the title track Eternal Nightfall, the crushing To Run With The Darkness..., the fast paced Man-Made Death, the classic instrumental effort Where Silence Hides, The Path Less Travelled and As Dusk Covers Day (the latter two feature some cool acoustic guitar work to add some real depth and drama to the band's sound) just some of the stand out cuts on offer.
Despite the ups and downs the band have gone through to complete their debut full-length effort, In Malice's Wake have definitely pulled through and delivered an absolute classic in Eternal Nightfall. So good is this album that I really believe that it's only a matter of time before this band get signed, and start winning over metal fans beyond those within the Australian Scene.
