“A way through Limbo” and “Lifeless Ease of Nonbeing” calm the tempo with some very good strings work and even balladic atmosphere. I really loved that post-punk/NWBHM vibe in the chorus, incorporated in between the melodic black metal. It is probably MALIST’s best ever song, and my personal favorite from “Karst Relict”. Then we reach to the absolute anthemic black metal “hit” “Timeless Torch”. Then “Satellite” is more like a labyrinth, leading us through the realm and showing the twisting way of the protagonist, adding a tiny dissonance in the middle. The third part of the story of the nameless hero in the Karst realm starts with the cold opener “Remaining Light” and MALIST immediately, very directly, throws us into the experience. Slave to the will of the Tyrant King, the hero slowly comes to his senses as he attempts to uncover the truth to all the inhabitants of the kingdom, that there is a whole world outside the cave they have been living in that the ruler of this realm is the source of their never-ending misery and grief.” This description of the main idea really gives answers to why musically “Karst Relict” builds up different moods and graduates them, describing the emotions and the feelings of the main protagonist. “Karst Relict” continues and concludes the trilogy of the Karst Realm and the journey of the main hero “ through its vast nether halls and mountain hollows. Yes, this album might turn into a whole different experience, especially for the devoted lovers of this subgenre. On top, Ovfrost now offers a brand new whole atmosphere, adding clean guitars, “cleaner” keyboards, and much more diversity in the overall compositions, rather than leaving them in the pure straight-forward melodic black metal side.
Furthermore, I can really feel that the melodic epicness of the genre has given way to the colder and a bit more hateful nuances. The sound now is clear, the guitars are crisp, the tremolos can be heard and felt, especially having additional atmospheric parts behind.
It is a big leap forward especially after a bit muddy “To Mantle The Rising Sun” (2020) album. I can confirm that “Karst Relict” is the best MALIST album in terms of production. What immediately made me impression when I listened to the new album was the production. I can tell that so far the underground fans really accepted very well everything that MALIST delivered – a modern melodic black metal with a feel and atmosphere. So here we are, at the brink of MALIST’s brand new, third album – “Karst Relilct”. MALIST’s debut “In the Catacombs of Time” was launched in 2019 and since then Ovfrost keeps pushing and releasing an album each year after. Format reviewed: High-quality Digital Recording
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