Malefic – Impermanence
Release Date: 13th February 2026
Label: Terminus Hate City
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Genre: Blackened Thrash
FFO: Old Man’s Child, Skeletonwitch, Carcass, Toxic Holocaust.
Review By: Paul Cairney
Impermanence has been a long time coming. The debut album by Atlanta based quartet, Malefic, has its genesis a way back in 2018. Obviously, a few things happened during then and now, but this has given the band the opportunity to hone the album into the monolithic beast it has become.
Malefic have drawn on a number of influences for the album. Throughout the 9 tracks, you get a smattering of black, a hint of death and a whole smorgasbord of thrash slung in your face like a metal custard pie. The result is a really good listen that breaks out the air guitar, flashes the ‘horns’ and essentially makes you happy.
The excellent, ‘Blood of the Throne’ opens things up with a relentless thrash attack. Its unrestrained assault on your senses is compounded with an intense sense of purpose. Malefic want you to feel the fury, the aggression is palpable, and you know, as the song ends, that this will be an album to be reckoned with.
‘In Darkest Dreams’ draws on a death metal base, with the attack of thrash never too far from the surface. Telling the story of a horror, reaper figure, it is a darker song that benefits from having a chorus – not a feature across the album. The riff excels and the head nods as the song progresses. This is a decent track!
The most enjoyable aspect of Impermanence is the lack of genre-restraint the band feel. Yes, it is, at its core, a thrash album. But it is more than that. It delves into melodic death metal on occasion (‘Obsidian Earth’), and it straddles black metal on others (‘Obsidian Earth’)…. The fact that one song can contain nods to 2 distinct genres, whilst being a thrash album, demonstrates the skill these guys have.
Impermanence is a very good album. However, it has taken a looooong time to get to this stage and, if Malefic are to progress, a far shorter timeline is required for album number 2. I, for one, hope it is comes sooner rather than later.
This is an essential listen.
(4.5 / 5)
