There seems to be a huge renaissance of Black Metal in the style of early ’90s bands like Necromantia, Varathron, Mortuary Drape and their kindred spirits. This is a trend that has been unfolding for several years now, and one I personally fully welcome.
Of course, we have to separate the wheat from the chaff, because not everything that pops up is great — but in the case of Oath of Malignancy, it absolutely is.
The band from Ecuador, who appear to have borrowed their name from a song by Moenen of Xezbeth, were recently picked up by Wolfkult Religion from Zierikzee in the Netherlands to release their debut.
A tape filled with five songs plus the old-school intro and outro that takes you right back to the Mediterranean scene circa 1991. Think Mortuary Drape, Zemial, Varathron and Necromantia combined with the simplicity of early Samael — this is seriously good stuff.
We could go on about how dark and evil this all sounds, but there’s no need for that. This is simply great, just a throwback to that time when we would wait weeks for a cassette to arrive, only to be left in awe in our bedrooms, thinking: I want to do this too.
I truly hope to hear more from these men in the future, because this leaves me wanting a lot more. Just as Zeicrydeus and Necromantic Worship already lifted my year to a musical high point, the same might very well apply to this band from distant Ecuador.
90/100
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