Redivider - Sounds of Malice

Redivider – Sounds of Malice
Release Date: 9th January 2026
Label: Self Released
Spotify
Genre: Death Metal, Old School Death Metal.
FFO: Morbid Angel, Death, Cannibal Corpse, Bolt Thrower.
Review By: Mark Young

Ok, let’s get straight into it, Redivider have brought forth their debut with Sounds of Malice crashing into the new year with a solid release that should set them up nicely for future endeavours. At the risk of putting you off, what we have is 7 tracks of death metal, written by scholars of the form who have zeroed in on what makes it tick without really making it essential listening. Each track is delivered in a muscular fashion with keen emphasis on giving us riffs that crush, drums that pound and so on. From that respect, it’s an accomplished piece of work and the Kentucky natives have done themselves proud in terms of how well it sounds and with Quartered and Devoured, they establish their credentials from the off. It’s straight in with no messing, no instrumentals or building noisescapes. Mixing tempos, it does well in getting you on board with them with what I would describe as a decent but unspectacular opening blast.

I mentioned that they are scholars of this genre, you can hear the influences in every twist and turn, and it’s done without being a facsimile of those bands which has to be difficult for any band. The issue I had was that the songs didn’t really register with me as one finished and the next began. Sounds of Malice again is well put together with an exemplary solo and is a high point here. Once Shackled to Existence took over, it reminded me of the opener in terms of build and delivery and slightly overlong and as that ran into Apocalyptic Waste, it was difficult to separate them. This is possibly due to similar tempos, but what I do know is that I expected to be battered by them, each song dishing up a beating.

Fratricide does have some oomph to it, and some quality guitar work on it, especially the mid-way break where they serve up some crucial downpicking. Like Sounds of Malice, it is another highpoint but is followed by the crawling Bask in Rot, which sucks the momentum away. Had they turned up the speed on this, we would have been having a different conversation. As it is, like the others on here, it is no-frills death metal. Bringing proceedings to a close, Left to Rot is their last word, and like the others it is good without blowing my mind. There is nothing wrong with the music here, it isn’t bad, it isn’t poorly written or produced, it’s just that it is ok. As debut’s go, it will provide them with a firm base to kick on from. Once they get that balance sorted, we will be talking about Redivider in a different light.