Ancient Malice | Accept The Vile Gifts Of The Dead | Self-Release

 

Ancient Malice is a new force in Irish extreme metal, formed in 2024 by Steve Maher after his departure from Abaddon Incarnate. Joined by Adam Power and Ian Lawless, the trio set out to create something raw, ugly, and immediate. Their goal was to capture the primitive atmosphere of late ’80s death metal and grind — recorded live in their rehearsal space with no edits or studio trickery. The result is their debut album, "Accept The Vile Gifts Of The Dead", a violent and unfiltered slab of death-grind released independently.

"Accept The Vile Gifts Of The Dead" is an album that takes just over 24 minutes to deliver its message of pure chaos. The sound is unrefined and hostile, with the kind of energy that can only come from playing together in a room and letting everything bleed through. The guitars carry a filthy, buzzing tone that constantly pushes forward, while the bass grinds underneath with an equally grim presence. Drums crash and blast in an unrelenting fashion, keeping the momentum high across short, punishing tracks.

Vocals sit deep in the mix, drenched in distortion and decay, sounding less like lyrics being sung and more like another layer of noise within the storm. Songs like "Pestilent Grave" and "Cyst Of Malaise" push the death metal side of the band, while "Microdot" and "Infocancer" are grind eruptions — violent bursts that last only seconds. The closing "Atavistic Genocide" stretches over five minutes, making it the most sprawling track here, ending the album with a feeling of collapse and exhaustion.

What makes this debut stand out is its absolute commitment to the dirt and violence of the style. There is no attempt to smooth things out or make the songs more accessible. Everything is left raw, ugly, and alive. It sounds like three musicians locked in a room, playing until the walls shake.

Score: 6.5

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