Malsten - The Haunting of Silvåkra Mill - Rites of Passage - LP Gatefold

Malsten was formed in 2018 with the purpose of creating conceptually driven slow and heavy doom music. Blending elements from many dark corners within as well as beyond the genres of metal, the music of Malsten is innovative and thought-provoking – both musically and lyrically. The musical palette is inspired by the heavy riffage of both contemporary and past doom metal. There is also a noticeable grounding in the heavier Swedish metal scene, with its atonal twists and atmospheric qualities. Vocally and lyrically, Malsten delivers conceptual narration reminiscent of the dark theatrical sides of the metal and ambient genres. Indeed, Malsten is nothing like your everyday dope-groovy doom band. But fear not, worshippers of the FUZZ! The heavy, mountain-melting riffs are there, and they are heavier than anywhere else. But with Malsten, you’re always entitled to expect more. In fact, Malsten’s music challenges you to do just that. The Haunting of Silvåkra Mill – a doom horror story It’s the dawn of the 20th century. A time of struggle and hardships, but also a breaking point between the old and the new. In the wake of modernisation, the beings of folklore are fading away. The inevitable advancement of science and urbanization spares no place for dusty fairy tales. But, they remain, in the more murky corners of this new modern world, biding their time. From dilapidated ruins and dark forests, they reach out to touch and twist the minds of men, forcing them to perform unspeakable acts. Malstens first album, The Haunting of Silvåkra Mill, released in 2020, tells the story of an unfortunate soul that succumbs to an ancient evil, residing in a derelict mill. After battling to retain sanity, the miller shortly gives in to the spirit and sets out murdering villagers, feeding their bones to the churning grindstones. The album closes as the local vicar Mortimer Aghardt discovers the murderous miller’s identity and confronts him at the mill. However, as the vicar begins to question his sanity and heavenly grounding, the Grinder escapes into the night. The second episode, Entr‘acte, is the story’s tragic intermission. The interlude explores the background to Mortimer Aghardts misery and follows the vicar’s wife, as she turns her evil eye on the local children. Seeing them trample and destroy the only thing she holds dear, her flowers, she lures them into the basement, where she tortures and kills them. Thereby, Madame Aghardt aims to safeguard heavenly order on earth, preserving Eden from the intrinsically sinful young. The last instalment of the Silvåkra story and Malstens upcoming full-length album, follows vicar Aghardt as he abandons faith and sets out to confront the murderous miller. The story takes us through Aghardts encounters with supernatural beings, widening his understanding of the miller as a primodial evil. Resolutely determined to hunt down and destroy the evil force that has been manifested within the Grinder, vicar Aghardts embarks on a chaotic and delirious pursuit, godless and without a sign of hope.

Side A :
Path Of The Nix / Larum / Intercession

Side B :
Terra Inferna / Ceremony / Laurenti Berth