Blasphmachine was founded in 2012, in the city of Kota Bharu. From the beginning they decided to focus on technical abilities, old school black/death metal and sheer intensity. All this of course within the realm of the occult and absolute darkness. The spirituality of Eastern Asian cults and rites have always been a major influence in the music but apart from that, this is just brutal.
The album opens with 'Temples Of Desolation', which immediately sets the tone by starting with some samples that sound like people being tortured. After that, the riffs, blast beats and death growls appear, slaughtering whoever survived the tormend. You can even hear them scream in the background. 'Malleus, Maleficarum' follows that example, sounding like it comes straight from the Scandinavian nineties scene.
There's actually eight songs 'Salvation' but the album lasts for only twenty-six minutes. The trio doesn't need a lot of atmospheric elements and soundscapes to perfect their thick but bleak sound. A few samples and sheer ferocity will do. Judging from punishing songs like 'Heathen Fire' and 'The Beast Among Men' they truly master the art of occult blackened metal, making up for one damn strong album.
There's four more songs on this album, including a Black Witchery cover. All of these breathe the same gloomy and old school atmosphere where chaos is barely controlled and stunning brutality is the norm. In fact, 'Commandments', 'The Last Chants Of Priests' and 'Leviathan' are quite similar songs which show a bit more atmospheric elements (read, 'intros') than their predecessors but here too, the focus is clearly on honoring the original waves of extreme metal.
With this sinister but impressive album, Blasphmachine has put their name on the blackened map. I can only hope this band will find their way to stages far and wide. I'm sure they will leave a lot of bloodshed and destruction wherever they roam...
Serge