A South Korean dude and his drum machine, tearing it up: Malakh

I don't plan to offer opinion pieces frequently on here. Recently, though, I acquired a copy of the debut demo by Malakh, "Abnormal Killer."  Since there's not a lot of information out there, I thought I might share a few things about it.

Malakh is ancient Hebrew for angel or messenger.

I was drawn to the music and the clear commitment that Malakh has to performance.   Check out his YouTube page for a variety of performances.

Plus, unblack metal from South Korea - how can that not be awesome?!? In the photos and video he's skulking around the forest with a katana. And the music is good. Surely, this is can't miss? Read more after the break, and make your own judgment.


I have the 7 track numbered edition of 77 version.

The disc begins with an introductory piece (which is very, very similar to the opening track from Hellig Usvart). Tracks two through four are the original songs:

2. Holy Crusaders of the Dark Wood - raw, BM
3. Abnormal Killer - after the intro, the opening riff is uptempo: kind of black and roll, four on the     floor. The driving rhythm continues through the track.
4. Children of the Light - Mid-tempo, melodic. Reminds me of Dormant, Mordecai, or Parakletos.

Tracks five and six are Horde covers:

5. Invert the Inverted Cross
6. Thine Hour Hast Come (someone should make a compilation album of covers of this song)

Track seven is the "Bonus Live Track" which is a live set that includes all of the songs from the first four tracks from the CD, that is, all of the original material.

The disc also has a hidden eighth track that is a live rendition of the two Horde covers. That means that between tracks seven and eight, the entire album (tracks one through six) is presented again as a live recording.  That's a nice touch for an independent, demo release.

You can buy the first five tracks digitally on Bandcamp or on iTunes.

I read more about Malakh after ordering the disc and found some disconcerting comments about his online presence. It got worse after I received the disc.  On my second listen, I read the included lyrics, and he drops the f-bomb twice in the title track. The theme of the track has to do with anger over the actions of North Korea (the video and an interview with him make this clear). I don't have a problem with expressing anger, but four letter words are a cheap way to do it. I recognize that other countries have different perceptions of which words are acceptable and which aren't, and that miscommunication may be exacerbated by having English be a second language in this instance. Still, I'm not sure I would have bought the disc had I known about these things beforehand.  One reason I primarily pursue Christian music is to avoid these kinds of things.