New album, “In Omnia Paratus”, out on December 25th!
By now, the name Mavorim should be more than familiar to those who follow the crimes of Purity Through Fire. Since the band’s formation in 2014, mainman Baptist has restlessly and relentlessly pursued his stark, austere style of black metal, resulting in four full-lengths and seven other shorter-length works. In just a decade, Mavorim have come to define – and influence – the new breed of German black metal that hearkens back to the old guard: Teutonic to the bone, harsh and harrowing yet heralding triumph.
Following a busy 2023 – the release of fourth album Ab Amitia Pulsae, plus Purity Through Fire unearthed four full-length demos dating back to 2017, all of which directly preceded their Silent Leges Inter Arma debut album – Mavorim return with In Omnia Paratus. Picking up where its predecessor left off – Baptist’s subtle-yet-concerted integration of keyboards and other synth sounds, which altogether added an exceptionally dynamic contour to otherwise-straightforward aggression – In Omnia Paratus sees a stridently cleaner, more martial Mavorim. It’s a tradeoff that works in spades: the usually quick-galloping pace feels even more breathless and bravado-laden, and the synths swirl with even-more-magickal mysticism, still very much a secondary element but a crucial one nevertheless. As such, Baptist’s riffing feels fierier and airier simultaneously, a paradoxically ice-cold swoosh of heated hatred; the sharp ‘n’ taut drumming underpinning it all keeps a comparable clarity, making this one of the nastiest “clean” black metal records around. Which is all to say that Mavorim’s content is consistent, righteously and remarkably so, even if the form becomes more refined. And it all comes to a dramatic climax in ten-minute closer “der letzten Sonne Untergang,” which is not to be missed. Bavaria über alles!
