Review by Norbert on December 20, 2025.

Malefic Throne's debut full-length album, released a few days ago by Agonia Records, is one of those albums that makes you involuntarily check whether you're actually listening to the "first album" of a contemporary band, and not a lost classic from the late 1990s, just pulled from a dusty shelf in Morrisound Studios in Florida. Malefic Throne is a project that brings together names well-known to fans of the genre—even if, in the realm of underground death metal, the word "supergroup" sounds a bit like a limousine parked in a mine, a term that can, and even should, be applied to the band formed by Gene Palubicki, Steve Tucker, and John Longstreth.

After the rather mediocre debut EP from three years ago, the appetite was high, but it was laced with a fear that we'd once again be treated to material where the names would prove heavier than the riffs. However, The Conquering Darkness proves from the very first seconds that Malefic Throne isn't a personal curiosity or the metal equivalent of a company's veterans' reunion, but a fully fledged, furious, and polished death metal roller. It's three-quarters of an hour of death metal that sounds like the natural, mature result of Morbid Angel's "Formulas" and "Gateways" eras, Angelcorpse's combative zeal, and Longstreth's precise, almost inhuman motor skills. Palubicki plays riffs instantly recognizable as "his," yet they don't feel recycled—rather, they feel like a consistent development of the language he co-created decades ago. And the solo parts? Sometimes so good that you wonder if it's Palubicki, and not Trey Azagthoth, who best remembers what Morbid Angel-style solos should sound like.

There are plenty of tempo changes, fluid riff transitions, moments of crushing waltzes, and sultry, Lovecraftian slowdowns that lend the whole thing just the right amount of weight. The production sounds organic and massive, without a plastic sheen—everything is clear, yet brutal, as if someone consciously decided not to "improve" death metal where it doesn't need to be. Every instrument has its place, and the whole thing feels like it was recorded by people who know full well that death metal is meant to crush, not shine. Tucker delivers a confident and venomous performance, as if he once again has something to prove, and Longstreth pounds the drums with a fury that at times seems to defy the laws of physics.

This music is old-school to the core, but no one here is dusting display cases or playing under a sign that says, "Do not touch this exhibit." This isn't a revolutionary or genre-bending album, but it absolutely doesn't need to be. The Conquering Darkness is an album that knows exactly what it wants to be and pursues that goal with iron determination. These aren't "generator songs," but death metal pulsating with experience and authentic anger. It might be Morbid Angel's best material in many, many years—only recorded by a band that isn't formally Morbid Angel.

Anyone looking for a new revolution might shrug their shoulders. However, if they want dense, merciless, and exquisitely written death metal from the people who co-created the genre, Malefic Throne delivers.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Review by Norbert on December 20, 2025.

Malefic Throne's debut full-length album, released a few days ago by Agonia Records, is one of those albums that makes you involuntarily check whether you're actually listening to the "first album" of a contemporary band, and not a lost classic from the late 1990s, just pulled from a dusty shelf in Morrisound Studios in Florida. Malefic Throne is a project that brings together names well-known to fans of the genre—even if, in the realm of underground death metal, the word "supergroup" sounds a bit like a limousine parked in a mine, a term that can, and even should, be applied to the band formed by Gene Palubicki, Steve Tucker, and John Longstreth.

After the rather mediocre debut EP from three years ago, the appetite was high, but it was laced with a fear that we'd once again be treated to material where the names would prove heavier than the riffs. However, The Conquering Darkness proves from the very first seconds that Malefic Throne isn't a personal curiosity or the metal equivalent of a company's veterans' reunion, but a fully fledged, furious, and polished death metal roller. It's three-quarters of an hour of death metal that sounds like the natural, mature result of Morbid Angel's "Formulas" and "Gateways" eras, Angelcorpse's combative zeal, and Longstreth's precise, almost inhuman motor skills. Palubicki plays riffs instantly recognizable as "his," yet they don't feel recycled—rather, they feel like a consistent development of the language he co-created decades ago. And the solo parts? Sometimes so good that you wonder if it's Palubicki, and not Trey Azagthoth, who best remembers what Morbid Angel-style solos should sound like.

There are plenty of tempo changes, fluid riff transitions, moments of crushing waltzes, and sultry, Lovecraftian slowdowns that lend the whole thing just the right amount of weight. The production sounds organic and massive, without a plastic sheen—everything is clear, yet brutal, as if someone consciously decided not to "improve" death metal where it doesn't need to be. Every instrument has its place, and the whole thing feels like it was recorded by people who know full well that death metal is meant to crush, not shine. Tucker delivers a confident and venomous performance, as if he once again has something to prove, and Longstreth pounds the drums with a fury that at times seems to defy the laws of physics.

This music is old-school to the core, but no one here is dusting display cases or playing under a sign that says, "Do not touch this exhibit." This isn't a revolutionary or genre-bending album, but it absolutely doesn't need to be. The Conquering Darkness is an album that knows exactly what it wants to be and pursues that goal with iron determination. These aren't "generator songs," but death metal pulsating with experience and authentic anger. It might be Morbid Angel's best material in many, many years—only recorded by a band that isn't formally Morbid Angel.

Anyone looking for a new revolution might shrug their shoulders. However, if they want dense, merciless, and exquisitely written death metal from the people who co-created the genre, Malefic Throne delivers.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Review by Alex Grindor on July 11, 2021.

"No one can touch The Planet Cachexial..."

Such is the statement made by Lori Bravo herself on a 2008 interview, while commenting about Nuclear Death's demise and the records produced. Held in high regard by the lady in question (even to this day), this is pretty much the "lost" Nuclear Death album. You can find their early records on YouTube and elsewhere, you can even find Harmony Drinks Of Me if you look well enough, but be it either by Lori's actions to prevent this record from being leaked or published without her consent or by it being a really obscure album that not many people may even know about (or own for that matter), it is pretty much impossible to find anything about this album online, aside from some reviews and a couple tracks on YouTube that give little insight to what The Planet Cachexial actually sounds like. The only way to get your hands on it is to contact Lori herself via ND's Big Cartel (set up by her and only offering their last 2 records) or via her social networks.

I was lucky enough to contact her and get my hands on this particular record, which was something I really wanted to listen to. To finally be able to hear what this record was all about and why Lori Bravo loves this child of hers so much. And I was pleasantly surprised by what I experienced.

What we have here is pretty much a "soundtrack" more than an album, as this was written alongside a short dark sci-fi novella titled "Slumberlord" and they both are meant to be taken as a whole experience. I sadly do not own novella in question, so I pretty much lack said portion of the context for this record in particular. This, however, did not detract me to experience it as just a musical experience.

The Planet Cachexial is more an atmospheric/ambient record than anything similar to what the band had done prior, with a more clean guitar sound and little to no conventional vocals whatsoever. Instead, Lori tears her voice apart screaming like a beast in the most agonizing pain imaginable. Instead of her signature growled vocals, her voice becomes just one more instrument, adding inhuman shrieks and howls to the record's atmosphere. She is being also in complete charge of the album, utilizes a more dissonant approach for her clean guitar sound. Nuclear Death guitar picking style is somehow still here but used for a different purpose with a different sound. There's very little comfort to be found here, as most of the music goes from dissonant melodies to fast-played guitar atmospherics. All of this supported by Steve Cowan's drum work, under the direction of Lori. Some tracks have drums played all over them, some others have it added later in their length and other lack drums to just allow the guitars to form whatever landscape of terror Lori had when conceiving this album.

Despite this and the varied sounds this strange spawn of an album has, there are two tracks in question that are just my personal favorites: 'Ve'at' & 'Into Zyrèlyà', with both of them forming one whole song. 'Ve'at' is an atmospheric clean guitar track that slowly builds up in intensity and speed, with a brief respite before introducing 'Into Zyrèlyà', perhaps the only song that remotely sounds like "metal" on the album. Distorted guitars playing a haunting melody with powerful drums while Lori allows herself to sing for one single moment, with a voice heavily drenched in reverb, this is the single most unexpected surprise this album had for me and I enjoyed every moment of it.

As I stated before, this album serves more as a "soundtrack" for the aforementioned short novella that Lori wrote alongside the music, so it is meant to be enjoyed with the story in question, as the music pretty much features no lyrics at all ('Into Zyrèlyà''s vocals are mostly imperceptible due to the reverb). However, taken only as a musical experience, it is a bit haunting, discordant and unexpected at moments.

My reason for the score I gave it is (again) I haven't read "Slumberlord" with this record playing in the background, so part of the meaning and context is lost for me. However, it is still a very unexpected release from Nuclear Death after what All Creatures Great And Eaten brought forth. Still, it is a recommended listen, as it is the lost bridge between All Creatures... and Harmony... (which is pretty much Lori's first solo album) and it may surprise you as well how could this be conceived by her.

You may come to disregard it as senseless noise or appreciate its atmospheric aspirations. You may like to pretend that this and the following album don't exist and settle for their early works. You may even prefer the music she created after the demise of Nuclear Death. But whatever it is, this is Lori's favorite record of the band.

After all, in her own words; "No one can touch The Planet Cachexial! It truly is ND's finest moment."

Rating: 7.8 out of 10