Malanoctem
Dall'Adriatico all'Aldilà

Finally, I have in my hands a self-produced album that truly deserves to be listened to. Normally, when it comes to self-produced records, in the realm of Black Metal and similar genres, one encounters albums that are subpar in nearly every aspect: indecent recording, immature compositions, aberrant aesthetics, and the list goes on. “Dall’Adriatico all’Aldilà” by Malanoctem is an EP that, despite being self-produced, is better than many “official” albums praised in industry magazines.

The name of the Abruzzese Malanoctem might seem rather stereotypical, but that is not the case: upon closer examination, we discover that this name (in Italian, Malanotte) was used in the Middle Ages to refer to the village of Montebello sul Sangro, a tiny hamlet of just 102 souls lost in the Abruzzo mountains, from which the band draws inspiration for its pieces. Indeed, despite being tiny, this village is linked to multiple legends, including one that explains the name Malanotte: In the 1300s, the lord of the fief lost a battle and, as tribute, had to grant all the women of the village for one night, hence the name.

Having provided some background on the Abruzzese band, I can begin to write about the musical aspect of the band: they perform Black Metal with a splendid taste for melody and epic arrangements, but do not misunderstand me; when I talk about epic sounds related to Malanoctem, I absolutely do not want to reference Viking bands or any sounds or imagery of that type. The melodies of the band’s compositions are purely Mediterranean, warm, almost Hellenic in some passages, reminiscent of Legion of Darkness. This Mediterranean aspect is more than commendable, creating an identity much closer to ancient Italian culture compared to the Nordic foreignness that predominates in black metal. The band clearly demonstrates that they have made giant strides compared to their very first productions and are surely mature enough to release a full-length album (I hope it won’t take long), as, beyond the group’s clear compositional abilities, there is the pleasure of an excellent and well-calibrated production and a technique up to the task, as demonstrated by the acoustic track “Vitrei Presagi,” which naturally skips from Hellenic to Spanish-sounding tones, creating a piece of absolute interest. However, Malanoctem also excels in more intense parts where they show a marked Heavy influence that never feels out of place.

In conclusion, I would say a round of applause is well-deserved for these guys who managed to create an undoubtedly valid EP even without label support and presented their work in an attractive and professionally high-quality package! The eye wants its share too. Well done!