With Four Original Albums And Twenty-Four Years Of Independent Musical Activity, Guitarist Leigh Bartley (Harlott), Bassist Karl Watterson, Drummer Mark Farrugia And Guitarist/Singer Shaun Farrugia Have Returned With The Profound Darkness. This Time, IMW Turn Their Focus From Anger Against Religion To Reflection On Death And The Turmoil Surrounding The Uncertainty That Follows It.
Tackling A Theme As Heavy As Anyone Could Ask For, Can In Malice’s Wake Deliver The Cold Horror Of The Grave, Or Is The Profound Darkness More Superficial Than They’d Like Us To Believe?
In Malice’s Wake On The Profound Darkness Continue To Deal A More Lethal Thrash. The Profound Darkness Is Loaded With Bulky Riffs, Crushing Tempos And Deep-Voiced Screams. Testamental Groove And Power Trip-Style Hardcore DNA Emerge On The Profound Darkness, But In Malice’s Wake Play Thrash Mainly Under The Schools Of Slayer And Sepultura, Coated With Blinding Chromatic Riffs, Punishing And Intricate Drums (“The Great Purifier”) And Dive-Bomb Guitar Screams (“Numb To Paradise”) With The Sole Aim Of Sounding As Malicious As Possible. IMW’s Deeper Extreme Metal Influences Surface In Death Metal Riffing And Vocals And In The Blackened Tremolo Leads Of “The Last Song” And The Dissection X Slayer “The Darkness Below Us.” The Only Big Change From The Blindness Of Faith To The Profound Darkness Is In The Editing, As IMW’s New Record Is Over Ten Minutes Shorter Than The Previous One Through Tighter Composition. One Thing Is Certain: In Malice’s Wake Are As Aggressive As Ever.
In Malice’s Wake Sound Great When They Find The Right Balance Between Technique And Immediacy. The Profound Darkness Is Full, But Never Overly Wordy Or Excessive. Songs Like “Upon My Flesh” And “By Tongues Of Demons” Apply Caustic, Headbangable Riffcraft While Fitting In Far More Notes Than Expected, Given Their Instinctive Appeal. Similarly, Mark Farrugia Hides Plenty Of Flash In His Playing While Staying On Track, Dropping Some Supple Kicks And Cymbals Over “Beyond Death” And “The Great Purifier” Amid His Blinding Assault On The Senses. Small Details Make A Big Difference On The Profound Darkness, And Most Notably The Host Of Short Guitar Solos Scattered Decorating Songs Like “Beyond Death,” “The Darkness Below Us,” And “The Great Purifier.” IMW Can Shred Like Crazy But Choose To Cut Themselves Short, Something That Keeps The Profound Darkness Lean And Focused, And The Listener Wanting More, Which There Will Be. The Profound Darkness Is An Excellently Written And Performed Album By Musicians Who Know To Put The Needs Of Their Songs First And When And Where To Cut Loose.
The Profound Darkness Is Less Bloated Than The Blindness Of Faith, But In Malice’s Wake Lost Something A Little In The Slimming-Down Process. “The Last Song” And “Away From The Light” Are As Tight And Fiery As The Best Of IMW’s Stuff, But They Lack The Breathing Room To Develop And Wrap All Their Riffs And Ideas Into Complete Packages. The Mix Of The Profound Darkness Also Lacks Breathing Room, And Though It Isn’t Completely Brickwalled, It Tires The Ears By The End. Furthermore, These Songs Aren’t As Memorable As Those Of The Blindness Of Faith. I’ve Spent Much More Time With The Profound Darkness And Yet I Can’t Remember Much From It, As With The Sepultura-Worshipping Title Track, The Mind-Bending “To Die As One,” Or The Tribal Pulse Of “Ritual Slaughter.” There Is Variety Here, Especially In The Blackened Grandeur Of The Final Track “The Darkness Below Us,” But I Wish In Malice’s Wake Had Followed A Few More Eccentric Paths In Unfolding The Profound Darkness.
However, Whatever Problems I See In The Profound Darkness Cannot Reduce Its Electric Charge. Every Riff Lands, Every Whisper Is Venomous, And In Malice’s Wake Never Let Up To Give You The Chance To Get Bored. Old Fans Won’t Find Much To Complain About Here. Fans Of Thrash And/Or Death Who Don’t Yet Know IMW May Find Themselves Drawn Into The Wake. That Promise Of A Haunting — Of Reaching Knowledge Of The Paralyzing Anxiety About Death — Is Sometimes Touched. Not Many Bands Manage Even That, So Give The Profound Darkness A Chance If Your Evening Plans Include Nowhere Mortal Anguish.
Rating: Very Good
Sites: Inmaliceswake.Com | Inmaliceswake.Bandcamp | Facebook.Com/Inmaliceswake
Released Worldwide: May 1, 2026
