Within the past 10 years, fascination with black metal from bands outside the genre’s traditional Nordic sphere has grown exponentially. From Krallice to Myrkur to Deafheaven, a wave of artists have put their own spin on metal’s brutal fringes, often to the chagrin of metalhead purists. Rather than crafting a more palatable form of the genre, Malevich, a new Atlanta foursome, is contorting it into a smoldering pile of hardcore with sludgy roots — a frenetic evolution of noise worthy of the dirty South.
Their debut single “Disassociated” is the band at their most menacing. The colossal fury of the rhythm section leaves almost no space for vocalist Will Turner, but he fills in the remaining cracks with outbursts that threaten to tear apart the track’s skeletal melody.
Despite the noisy nature of the song, there’s a degree of complexity beneath the pummeling drums and grinding guitar which proves Malevich are anything but novices. The intricacies begin to make sense when considering the wide-ranging musical experience of the band members. Guitarist Joshua McIntyre also plays in heavy shoegaze band Pallow, drummer Sasha Schilbrack-Cole plays in post-hardcore band Juna, and vocalist Turner plays in lo-fi metalcore band Under a Sky So Blue. The disparate range of influences makes the unified attack of Malevich even more notable, especially considering the relatively short amount of time they have been working together.
Although there are complexities and a brooding darkness that make the track visceral, “Disassociated” still falls rather neatly within the realm of stereotypical metalcore. This doesn’t mean it isn’t gripping from start to finish, only that Malevich has the potential to defy boundaries in a way less reliant on blast beats and more focused on the existential evil that makes their blackened hardcore so heart-stopping. Check it out below.
Malevich’s debut LP, Only the Flies, is out August 15.
You can catch Malevich on Monday, August 1 at 168 House in Athens. Also performing will be Dog Years, Tug, Fishmonger, and Shiv. Doors open at 7 p.m. Donations suggested.
More Info
Facebook: @malevichband
SoundCloud: @malevich-mcturnsimone-cole