Record Review: Malkuth "Tamahprabha" (Prison Tatt Records)

[$19 // Edition of 100 // http://prisontatt.com/]

What would you say is the heaviest band you listen to?   I get asked that question more often than not and I never really seem to have an answer.    A Perfect Murder can be heavy in the way that they're metal, yet CurlUpandDie can be just as heavy even though it was right in your face.   It's hard for me to gauge things on heavy scales in that manner, but I would definitely have to tell people now that this record is the heaviest piece of music I have ever heard.

Dead to Fall, Fall Silent, Converge, you name it-- no other band, no matter how heavy you think they are even begins to compare here.     When I saw Bloodlet play on a tour with Fall Silent, CurlUpandDie and Atreyu there was this one band called Uphill Battle- who was probably on Relapse or some similar label- and the way they just eased right into their powerviolence I was just blown away.

That was my level at the time (and up until now) for kind of measuring how heavy a band is, as when I listened to them I thought the music might literally knock me over.   Listening to Malkuth on this record makes me feel as if I'm going to get knocked on my ass yet it's not coming out of the speakers of the El N Gee (which somehow still exists) but rather a much smaller setup.

Hints of The Dedication can come out as well (Which I never realized so many people knew about, as I always thought they were more of a local success) and on some levels I want to say this could be stoner metal but that just leaves me questioning whether or not stoners are able to get this angry and when they are stoned I believe the answer is no.

If someone was to ask if you wanted to hear the loudest band they've ever heard, obviously you should want to hear that if only to appease your own curiosity.   But there has to be something more to it than just turning everything up to 11 and trying to blow speakers.    The music has to be fundamentally sound and there has to be a sense of talent there as well.    But again, these are all just reasons why I now want to use this specific record as my measuring stick.