Absolute of Malignity - Absolute of Malignity

Japanese black metal band Absolute of Malignity did what so many bands did back in the day and still do - they didn't wait for a record company to sign them, they released their debut album on their own, this time through Satanic Propaganda. In the case of Absolute of Malignity though, I can see why no record company would want to sign them. I'm not one who thinks that black metal needs to be polished and have a crisp and clear production (I love "Under A Funeral Moon", for instance), but this is verging on the ridiculous.

The guitars sound like they were recorded using the cheapest amp available, with a 4" speaker. There is no bottom end at all, and the distortion is shrieky and shrill. The vocals are unintelligeble, the drumming repetitive and boring and the songs are between six and eight minutes long, but easily feel twice as long. Once in a while there is an interesting riff or rhythm, but it never takes long before it's all lost in the sea of mediocrity that makes up the vast majority of this album. I will give this album a 3/10 for the effort, but it is very unlikely I'll ever listen to it again.