And in Our Hearts the Devil Sings

vote
7.5

• Bands:
  MALAKHIM
• Duration: 00:43:31
• Available from: 10/31/2025
• Label:

• Iron Bonehead Prod.

In a circuit – the Swedish black metal one – still shocked by the announcement of Watain, who intend to retire from the scene in 2028, it cannot be said that there is a lack of entities capable of carrying on the legacy of the masters, thus keeping the torch of the Black Flame burning.
Among these, from the snowy suburbs of Umeå, Malakhim have long represented one of the most reliable and respected names by those who, in search of a credible alternative to listening to (yet another) a “Casus Luciferi”, love to immerse themselves in that carnal and damned flow that Erik Danielsson and his companions have contributed to pouring onto the world, obviously starting from the lesson imparted in the nineties by Dissection of “The Somberlain” and “Storm of the Light's Bane”.
A career that has never had any doubts about which option to choose between quality and quantity, both in terms of record releases and live appearances, and which today, having metabolised the debut album “Theion” (2021), is finally enriched with a new piece capable of acting as a ferry towards full maturity.

Right from the title, “And in Our Hearts the Devil Sings” immortalizes the Scandinavian group in a state of diabolical ecstasy and feverish grandeur, almost as if wanting to attribute to them the role of officiant of an infernal parade, and making the melodic component a central and immovable pivot for the development of the narrative.
A choice which, it goes without saying, does not translate into a conceptual distortion or into an attempt to be more usable and accommodating, as the satanic atmospheres and the density of the structures, alone, are once again enough to chase away any commercial ambitions, but rather an in-depth analysis consistent with the nature of the project and certainly Swedish black-death, in which the influence of the heavy/thrash tradition of the Eighties – from Iron Maiden to Metallica – it has always been part of the package.
Here, continuously channeling majestic airs into the bed dug by the songwriting, Malakhim create a tracklist capable of marrying melody and brutality, chaos and concentration with excellent results, preferring the theme of the mini-suite, of songs built like palaces full of corridors and rooms, to invite the listener to carefully explore the work, one of whose merits is certainly that of fully emerging over the long distance, often leading to discovery of new details and dynamics.

The picture, framed by the heartfelt interpretations of the singles, among which the microphone performance of E (recently also seen in the death metallers Death Pulsation) stands out, is in short that of a penetrating album on a rhythmic level and persuasive from a melodic point of view, during which, playing with guitar harmonies and structures, Malakhim manage to take a decisive step in the direction of a deeper and more recognizable style.
The shadow of the masters is always there, and there is no escape from it, but compared to the debut it is evident how the Swedes are trying to express themselves through a slightly more autonomous language, nailing at least two/three over-the-top episodes such as the title track, “Solar Crucifixion” and “The Firmament Submit”, hymns to Satan to be counted among the best black metal songs of 2025.

An elegant artwork and a production perfect for the band's style, curated by Marcus E. Norman (Naglfar, Ancient Wisdom), finally represent the squaring of the circle for an absolutely effective and enjoyable return, and which from the first to the last minute never fails to underline the ardor of its authors and their race, heart in hand, towards a darkness that is asylum, home, refuge.