Michael Ferentino/Bedtime for Robots' macabre masterpiece, Malleus Maleficarum, has just been released to all streaming platforms.
Those familiar with the album know its dark grandeur. "Hammer of Witches," which swings right back to its banner, has become one of my favorites, which I resurrect every Halloween. Its pounding march invokes the compilation's Haxan complexion, but hell, "The Inquisition" is just as haunting, a fitting theme for Poe's "The Pit and the Pendulum" or "The Masque of the Red Death."
"Messe Noir" reminds me of something from an early, 1970s motorcycle flick, though one with a demonic slant (Werewolves on Wheels and Psychomania come to mind); whereas "Believe it All Away" is no less satanic, but strangely optimistic in its New Wave verve. "Fanning the Flames" invokes pure, Regan-wrought possession, with "Immortal Souls Return" dominating on yet another, transformational level.
"Synthecyst" might hit the rawest of nerves because of its creepy-crawly saturation. For me, it's The Thing, The Blob, Queen of Blood, Alien and Life Force, all rolled into one.
The nine-part "Finis Coronet Opus" is an irregular triumph all unto itself, as thunderous as Jerry Goldsmith's Omen score, though perhaps filtered through Pink Floyd. The connecting tracks are percussive and mean as any apocalyptic dream, but also cool as a cucumber with their rubbery strings and striking strums, Krautrock chirps and bestial warbles, and let's not forget those monk-ish murmurs and petulant, Anton Phibes "pipes." This epic has so much to offer and so much still to discover.
If one appreciates sampling synthesizers that are wretched and rich, Malleus Maleficarum throws the perfect, ghoulish pitch.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AS3uFU22pG0&list=OLAK5uy_lgp89CdG_MhQPwRJOEOB69gyvnIb_TG-E
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