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JFH Indie Review

JFH Indie Music Spotlight Review

Reverorum ib Malacht

Reverorum ib Malacht
Vacuum. The mystery of faith. We proclaim your death oh Lord, and profess your resurrection, until you come again.

Street Date: February 27, 2022
Style: Black Metal / Extreme Metal
Buy It: iTunes
Buy It: AmazonMP3
Buy It: Bandcamp



Most black metal bands built upon a pagan ideology would probably call it quits if the creative forces behind the band became devout converts to Christianity. Despite finding themselves undergoing this exact ideological shift, Swedish band Reverorum ib Malacht pushed onward, creating music that now flowed from their newfound faith. For many within the black metal scene, expressing Christian sentiment is antithetical to the genre, and is enough to disqualify any band from bearing this label. Perhaps in part due to this potential for rejection, the band has had little reason to conform to tropes of the genre for their own sake. Make no mistake, every release in Reverorum ib Malacht's catalog bears the immediate sonic markings of black metal, but over time, it has evolved into something truly unique.

Vacuum. The mystery of faith. We proclaim your death oh Lord, and profess your resurrection, until you come again. (or, for the sake of my keyboard, just Vacuum) is divided into four tracks, each slightly exceeding twenty minutes. Despite such lengths, opener "1a10" wastes no time in showing listeners what to expect. The track dives straight in with harsh vocals and dissonant guitar riffs backed by machine gun drumming and glitchy effects. It's an overwhelming experience that rarely lets up. Spoken word samples from preachers sounding like mid-20th century radio revivalists prevent the wall of sound from seeming totally monotonous, while borrowed elements evoking other extreme metal genres (such as the old-school death metal riffing at 11:20 or the grand atmospheric choir around 16:00) add a sense of musical progression. Finally, at around eighteen minutes in, the song undergoes a dramatic stylistic shift as the guitars fade out, until only heavily processed percussion remains.

Each of the other three songs share similar musical DNA with this opener. "1b10" builds from a much slower, almost sludgy base into an almost upsettingly dissonant climax, while "1a12" and "1b12" experiment a bit more with the genre's atmospheric side. Throughout the album, the screamed vocals remain entirely unintelligible, leaving the clips of spoken word as the primary tool for the delivery of any sort of message. While the exact content shifts between soundbites and songs, a repeated sample of "Jesus is alive" forms a continuing thread between them. It's perhaps a surprisingly hopeful message for an album as sonically dark and chaotic as this, but certainly a welcome one. Another noteworthy aspect of this release is the production. While Vacuum embraces much of the instrumental clipping and lo-fi roots of black metal, it is done in a tasteful and intentional way. While every individual tone sounds raw, the final product allows each instrument to sit clearly in the mix. It's a nice nod to the origins of the genre without sacrificing quality or sounding like a bedroom recording.

Overall, Vacuum is an album that grandly accomplishes what it sets out to do, both as industrial black metal and as a proclamation of Christ, and easily sits among Reverorum ib Malacht's most compelling releases. However, accomplishing these goals and making something that will appeal to a wide audience are far from the same thing. Each song feels like several minutes could probably be shaved off without compromising content or cohesion. With a total runtime exceeding an hour and a half, the album can feel quite bloated and repetitive at times, and the continual harshness of both the musical composition and production makes for a truly challenging listen. For those who find black metal too abrasive, Vacuum is probably not a record that will change many minds. Even for those who venture towards the edges of extreme metal, the sheer volume and relentless pace found here may be off-putting. But for listeners inclined towards experimental metal or harsher expressions of industrial, there's more than a few treats to discover on this record.

- Review date: 8/1/22, written by Kevin McGuire for Jesusfreakhideout.com



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JFH Indie Spotlight Review . Record Label: None
. Album length: 4 tracks: 91 minutes, 3 seconds
. Street Date: February 27, 2022
. Buy It: iTunes
. Download It: AmazonMP3
. Download It: Bandcamp

  1. 1a10 (23:46)
  2. 1b10 (21:45)
  3. 1a12 (23:46)
  4. 1b12 (21:46)

 

 

 

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This Friday, June 27, 2025
ALBUMS
7eventh Time Down We Praise You [BEC]
The Browns 25th Anniversary: Better Days Ahead [StowTown]
Franni Cash Wild Child - EP [Capitol CMG]
Matt Crocker interlude [Anotherland]
Jimmy Fortune Songs of an American Dreamer [Gaither]
Roxanne Grace Road Trip - EP [DREAM]
JJ Hairston & Youthful Praise The Live Reunion: Washington, DC [James Town]
Kutless The Seventh Seal - EP [BEC]
Evvie McKinney It Ain't Over - EP (independent)
Rusty Shipp Capsized Empire (independent)
SEU Worship A Forgiving God [Provident]
The Shimmering Carnelians The Doorway (Version 2.0) (independent)
We Are Messengers A Thousand Times - EP [Curb]

SINGLES
Anchor & Braille Rattlesnake - Single [Equal Vision]
ANTHNY imposter syndrome - Single [Provident]
Blanca Right On Time - Single [Curb]
Landry Cantrell & Elenee sunshine & rainbows - Single [DREAM]
Eddie Clark Never Content - Single [Syntax]
Colony House Atomic - Single [Roon]
Megan Danielle Preachin' To The Choir - Single [Provident]
Drea LP & OnBeatMusic Don't Try Me (DTM) - Single [Syntax]
ELI GABLE Glory Bound - Single [Capitol CMG]
Joseph Habedank Running to Me - Single [Daywind]
Lonnie Hunter Flow (Like A River) - Single [Uncle G]
Kashh Kade HELP - Single [Syntax]
KB x KEANU Keanu's Song - Single [Provident]
Tasha Layton Singing In the Dark - Single [BEC]
Tasha Cobbs Leonard The Hand That Keeps Holding - Single [Motown Gospel]
Claire Leslie Thank God I'm Not Alone (from Claire's Phone) - Single [Capitol CMG]
Tim Lovelace Celebration of America Medley (feat. Charlie McCoy) - Single [StowTown]
Lecrae Tell No Lie (feat. Jackie Hill Perry) - Single [Reach]
LO Worship The Perfect Love of Jesus - Single [Integrity]
Patrick Mayberry Thank The Lord - Single [Provident]
Michael Monroe John The Baptist (feat. Chris Renzema) - Single [Provident]
Alexander Pappas A Great Awakening / Un Nuevo Despertar - Single [Integrity]
PEABOD Summer in Seattle - Single [RMG Amplify]
Rave Jesus Walk On The Water Remix (From The Chosen) - Single [Provident]
The Rocky Valentines Nat Song - Single [Velvet Blue]
Tommy Royale, gio. Like Dat - Single [Capitol CMG]
Saints In Exile & Cutright My Dead End (ft. Jeannie Ortega, Luc DiMarzio, Jericko) - Single [Syntax]
Emilie Weiss Take Care (Studio Sessions) - Single [BEC]

DVD
Jimmy Fortune Songs Of An American Dreamer DVD [Gaither]

Next Friday, July 4, 2025
ALBUMS
Chad Cory America [DREAM]
Tenielle Neda The Way Of Love [Wings]

SINGLES
Christian Back Now - Single [DREAM]



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