For Whom the Bell Summons

For over 10 years, Ireland’s Malthusian has been a name in the country’s scene for their own consuming take on the blackened death sound. The band consists of members that have played for the likes of Altar of Plagues, Conan, Verminous Serpent, Grave Miasma and Adorior as well as their former bassist being in Morning Beloveth. After an EP, a 2018 debut record in Across Death followed by a split in 2022 with fellow blackened death band, Suffering Hour, they’re back at it again with their second album, The Summoning Bell.

The record starts off with a three-minute intro of noise in “Isolation” which felt unnecessary and too long; it doesn’t feel like the best way to draw anticipation for the first proper track of the album. However, “Red, Waiting” storms out of the gates in fiery fashion with a sick guitar solo. The song is pure aggression throughout with an immense array of blast beats from the drummer. I also like that over half-way through the song, it slows and simmers down then comes back to a doomier form of aggression with a big growl.

While a shorter track by Malthusian’s standards, “Between Dens and Ruins” is another fantastically aggressive track that shows off the best that their guitarists pull off with their riffs; the new bassist also gets to show off his abilities in this song. The title track, “The Summoning Bell” does a good job in transitioning between the band’s mid-paced sections and the faster aggression that you hear a lot throughout this album. I like the nicely executed dissonant riffs on this track and another thing I noticed on this album so far is how the vocals sound punishing, fitting in with the music’s consuming atmosphere.

Another interlude comes in the form of ‘The Onset of the Death of Man” which is mostly depressive guitar sounds, but it doesn’t outstay its welcome compared to the intro track. “Eroded into Superstition” is another well-crafted song, bolstered by how strong the riffs are throughout; there is also an interesting spoken word part that is only utilized in this track, setting it apart from the rest of the album.

I do like how Malthusian executes their blackened death sound with a dissonant/cavernous feel that you get from death metal bands such as Immolation and Dead Congregation as well as adding a doom element to the mix. This works really well with the depressive and consuming sound they’re pulling off here. Now, onto the longest track of the album, the 15-minute “Amongst the Swarms of Vermin.” Again, the band displays their variety of riffs, making for an engaging track through its punishing dissonance. (I like the more shrieked vocals at one part on this track as well.) The closing track “In Chaos, Exult” starts off instrumentally mellow; then as the song progresses, it comes back to its depressive atmosphere and ambiance that finishes the album well.

This ended up being a very interesting album overall. The Summoning Bell does a great job in delivering an aggressive and dissonant sound while it also has a murky, depressive and consuming atmosphere that makes for a unique execution of the blackened death sound. My only gripe would be the unnecessary introduction track that felt too long and doesn’t really add to the anticipation when you finally get to the first track on the album. This could have easily been cut from the album which already has a long running length. I noticed that this is also an album that grows stronger when given further listens. This is certainly one for people that enjoy the blackened death genre which also has its own dissonant edge to the sound, separating Malthusian from other bands in the genre.

4/5 Flaming Toilets ov Hell

The Summoning Bell is out now via through Relapse Records.