The Australian band Malignant Aura has been active in the international death metal scene for several years now. Between 2017 and 2018 they operated under the name Cursed by a Hag, but in the latter year the four-piece decided to continue as Malignant Aura. Under this name, they released their impressive debut album Abysmal Misfortune Is Draped Upon Me in 2022. The nearly 54-minute record was received very positively thanks to its crushing atmosphere, dragging compositions, and the combination of ominous doom influences with massive death metal riffs.
After four years of waiting, the long-anticipated successor has finally arrived: Where All of Worth Comes to Wither. With this second album, the band seems determined to further deepen the dark foundations laid on their debut and sharpen their own identity even more. The production sounds fuller and more organic, the songwriting is more ambitious, and thematically the album seamlessly continues the suffocating, existential misery that has become Malignant Aura’s unmistakable trademark. Don’t expect a stylistic shift, but rather a logical, mature evolution of a band steadily carving out its place within the modern death metal landscape.
Despite their growth, the band has never lost sight of its influences. Echoes of Paradise Lost, Incantation, Asphyx, and early My Dying Bride remain unmistakable in their sound. Yet Malignant Aura manages to sound far heavier , and above all more versatile , than many of their predecessors. Wild tempo changes and unexpected shifts in meter create a dynamic flow that keeps every track engaging. This interplay of looming doom passages, surging death metal, and atmospheric interludes results in a tension arc that feels both cohesive and unpredictable.
The artwork, created by Paolo Girardi,renowned for his commanding work for acts such as Bell Witch, Blasphemophagher, Cryptopsy, Grimoire de Occulte, and Inquisition, completes the album on every level. Girardi’s characteristic use of color, texture, and apocalyptic imagery aligns perfectly with the suffocating mood of Malignant Aura’s music and elevates the entire presentation.
If you’re in the mood for a potent dose of doom/death metal, this one is highly recommended. You will have to wait a little longer, though, as the album won’t be released until January 26 , but trust me, the brooding atmosphere, lumbering riffs, and overwhelming intensity make it more than worth the wait.
90/100
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