Guitarist Gene Palubicki (ANGELCORPSE, PERDITION TEMPLE), vocalist and bassist Steve Tucker (MORBID ANGEL) and drummer John Longstreth (ORIGIN, HATE ETERNAL, ex-ANGELCORPSE) have finished recording their debut album as MALEFIC THRONE. Titled “The Conquering Darkness”, the effort is set for release on November 28 via Agonia Records.

The trio was put together by Palubicki in 2020, after initially having met in 1997, when both ANGELCORPSE and MORBID ANGEL were recording their own albums side by side.

“This band’s roots can be traced all the way back to the mid-’90s when Gene, Steve and I first met at Morrisound studios,” Longstreth comments. “It’s an amazing feeling to see those old conversations and hangouts develop into a true celebration of blistering infernal death metal. I have no doubt that this union will be absolutely crushing.”

Palubicki stresses out that the music produced by MALEFIC THRONE has the imprint of all three members very present in every moment of the songs. The synthesis of the three members through delivery and writing is what makes band its own special entity, with an an increased dynamic within the form of death metal they generate.

“The Conquering Darkness” was recorded, mixed and mastered at Menegroth The Thousand Caves (GORGUTS, ORIGIN, ATHEIST) with Colin Marston. Longstreth hints at the outcome as extremely brutal and infernal nuclear death metal. Its cover artwork was painted by renowned artist Daniele Valeriani (DARK FUNERAL, MAYHEM). Christophe Szpajdel (EMPEROR, MOONSPELL) crafted the band’s logo.

Track listing:
01. Blasphémait Desecration
02. The Voice Of My Ghost
03. Athirst For Dissonance
04. Born Of Plague
05. Divine Tragedy
06. Carnage Of The Forgotten
07. When Our Shadows Align
08. Forged In Stone

In a 2022 interview with Bardo Methodology, Gene stated about MALEFIC THRONE‘s musical direction: “I wanted to create something which wasn’t just reflective of my own background, but that also leaned somewhat towards the histories of the other members. Now, that’s not to say I was trying to make it sound like one of my bands combined with MORBID ANGEL and ORIGIN. Nevertheless, I was conscious of the idea that MALEFIC THRONE was meant to incorporate elements which — at least to my interpretation — might have been more relevant to their past projects than something I’ve done with any of my bands. So, even though MALEFIC THRONE has a clear element of what could be identified as ‘my sound’ or whatever, I do things within the songwriting and arrangement of riffs that might not be entirely in line with, say, PERDITION TEMPLE. Basically, I try to create a framework for the music and the whole flow of structures that gels more organically with the backgrounds of the other members, if that makes sense.”

Lineup:
Gene Palubucki – guitars
Steve Tucker – vocals and bass
John Longstreth – drums