Moloch Letalis - Zgliszcza

MOLOCH LETALIS - Zgliszcza (OLD TEMPLE - CD 2015)

Being honest – and I always am – so far Moloch Letalis was not a band, which I would be much interested to listen to. They’ve never manage to impressed me and all the stuff which this band previously released – and which I’ve heard – was just mediocre. So, I didn’t even had a need to grab a copy of “Zgliszcza”, which is their newest album… but since a copy of it was sent to me for review, then I had no other choice, but to give it some spins. And damn, I am so glad that I got it, cause this is the first time I can say that Moloch Letalis fuckin slays! Yes, “Zgliszcza” sounds really damn cool, it’s fuckin vicious, powerful, sick and harsh thrashing black metal, although I guess one can spot here not just black and thrash metal influences, but also some death or whatever. In the end, it all sounds damn good in my opinion.

I really like the production for this album. The music sounds raw and brutal, has that stench if sulphur coming from the speakers or the odour of airless basements, but it’s relatively selective at the same time… So, the bass is audible, which is good, I also really like the drums sound and guitars tone here. Yeah, definitely I can sense a nice improvement from what I’ve heard previously from Moloch Letalis. And music wise it’s also far better I think. I mean the band still performs similar sort of black / thrash as earlier on, but the songs are just better, so are the vocals. Take “Necronomicon”, which I suppose is my favourite song here – it begins (quite surprisingly) with a calm, quite melancholic theme, then turns into this memorable mid paced riff, which is so damn powerful, especially with the chorus part, when you just need to scream “Necronomicon” with the band! Very nice, memorable song, which in the end speeds up quite much, but sticks in your head the most from the entire CD. The riffing, the arrangements and song structures are obviously quite simple through the whole album, but this is primeval, bestial metal, so it can’t be different. But often it’s surprisingly memorable, what I did not expect, but it works only for better. I kind of like those slower songs the most, they have great feeling and atmosphere and often just killer riffing, so along with “Necronomicon” I can also mention “Na szubienicy zawisł” and “Skrzydła śmierci” among my favourites. Both are so damn good in every aspect, from the ass kicking riffs through the vocals and finishing on the overall atmosphere.

But hold on. I said I like the slower tracks more, but damn, “Piekielnik” is so fuckin brilliant! It’s fast, aggressive, really vulgar, bestial and obscure, with excellent riffage and that aura, which I think is close to bands like Witchmaster and even Aura Noir. Awesome song, really, and it’s almost pity it is so damn short. And taking it further, the more Scotch I drink tonight, the more I fuckin love this album and play it louder and louder, happy that my wife and kids are away for a weekend to her mom’s. Damn, this is just sweet, so fuckin aggressive and cruel. It’s a real crusher, destroying all on its way with these fierce riffs, relentless attitude and such great songs like those I mentioned already, but also “Dziedzictwo” (the final anthem here). And if it will sound too primitive for some of you, who would fuckin care?

On top of everything, the music is killer, yes, but I also love the vocals. Ha, no wonder, the guy stands behind the name Panzerfaust, so I must like his vocals haha! But seriously now… there are two guys doing the vocals and they did awesome job here. Their performance is spotless, the sound is harsh and possessed, but also quite diverse, what surprised me, because in some slower moments they used some different sounds of vocals, sometimes they sound slightly cleaner (like in the last song), what gave great results.

As for some other stuff, related to “Zgliszcza”, I don’t know why everyone thinks “Mag Sex” is Kat cover, as it obviously is NOT! It’s just another song with the same title and that’s it. Of course this Moloch Letalis song is not even half as good as Kat’s, but that’s not shame for this band, as let’s be serious – “Oddech Wymarłych Światów” is one of the best albums of all time and all songs there are just masterpieces, so it’s almost impossible to equal them. But it’s still damn great and totally vulgar piece, especially lyrics wise! Damn, I must say that it’s one of the most offensive and obscene lyrics I’ve read of late. I actually think that Kat must have been a good influence for Moloch Letalis, when writing the lyrics, as they have similar satanic attitude and are all written in Polish, what gives them even more blasphemous touch… and they’re excellent! Oh yeah! Good work! Finally, the artwork for this album is just AWESOME! I love it. It’s different that the usual black or thrash or death metal covers, but it’s dark and terrifying, so it’s great. Definitely it’s one of the best works from Bartek Kurzok, in my opinion. Perfect cover for killer album. Nothing more to add, a must to have for fans of obscure metal!!!!

Standout tracks: “Necronomicon”, “Dziedzictwo”, “Na szubienicy zawisł”, “Skrzydła śmierci”

Final rate: 85/100