In Malice's Wake have operated in reverence the old masters of thrash for over two decades now, standing out largely for their ability to nearly match the greats through sheer performance alone. With each release, they have crawled closer and closer to reaching the true glory of their forbears, their reach getting ever closer to their bloodied grasp. The biggest thing holding them back was that their devotion to the likes of Testament and Slayer gave a familiarity to their sound that always left them in their shadows rather than standing beside them, always in need of something a little different to get them there. Finally, after years of vicious toil, the band has released The Profound Darkness, and with it they have taken the throne they rightly deserve as one of our best modern thrash acts.
Stylistically, this album is still grounded in the harsher side of '80s thrash sharpened up to today's standards, with tracks like "Beyond Death" and "By Tongues of Demons" showcasing the relentless speed and precision we've come to expect from them. What pushes the album to the top is the variety in composition and attention to mood on display, with the opening title track erupting with dense riffing layered with a grim, almost suffocating layer of dread. This push to an even darker sound is present in every aspect of this album, from the thicker production to the oppressive guitar work to the more dynamic pacing and tempo, all in service to songs and performances that are tighter, more confidently played, and far more brutal than ever before.
For all its variety in intensity, this is an album that never once sacrifices cohesion. From the brooding atmosphere of "The Last Song" to the fierce yet catchy single "Numb to Paradise" to the feral, borderline death/thrash assaults of "Upon My Flesh" and "The Great Purifier," every track feels like it belongs on the album, with every shift in dynamic and tone feeling both logical and entirely earned, never once slowing things down or turning too sharply. This all builds up to the one-two punch of the bleak melodic undertones and almost Deicide-esque riffs of "Away from the Light" and the massive album closer "The Darkness Below Us," which delivers a crushing, almost apocalyptic conclusion that lingers with you long after the final note fades into that very darkness.
I've been waiting for this band to release a true masterwork for quite some time now, and I'm glad I'm here to behold it in the form of The Profound Darkness. I'm gonna call this the thrash album to beat for 2026, and I dare any band reading this to take the plunge and try. Odds are, you'll find yourself bloodied and broken in malice's wake.
