Review: “Sounds Of Malice” by Redivider

From time to time a band bursts a blood vessel and releases an album that leaves you wondering just how long it might have been waiting in the wings and obviously one such record is “Sounds of Malice” by Louisville Kentucky Old School Death Metal act Redivider. Recorded at Round Table Recording Company and Michael Kent O’Bryan Studio, mixed by guitarist Paul Nunavath and mastered by Dan Swano (Insomnium, Maceration, Dark Funeral) at Unisound, the album is an exploration of themes of death, ritual and myth with a punishing sound and fantasy-driven lyrical style. It’s the culmination of four years of work from a band who otherwise only have a demo to their name despite having built a reputation for their live performances in that time. Curiously enough, all three songs from that demo appear here with the band having performed renditions of the majority of the songs while sharing stages with acts such as Creeping Death, Crypta and Masacre to name but a few.

As with a good number of tracks on the record, punishing opening cut “Quartered & Devoured” takes its inspiration from Dungeons & Dragons mythology, portraying a ritualistic execution of a savage race by divine decree. A cut clearly soaked to the bone in blood with a nostalgic love for the 90’s Florida scene and bands like Morbid Angel and Obituary, it captures the imagination like the stench of rotting flesh in a morgue with weighty groove laden passages and crushing atmospheres. The roots are so obvious they bleed through the bandages and that’s by no means a bad thing, the five piece demonstrating their prowess with an air of familiarity in the shadow of intent. Title track of “Sounds of Malice” tells the story of a deranged wizard addicted to Liquid Pain, a dark substance harvested from human suffering and slaps hard with bursts of blast beats before scorching solos from axe wielding pair Paul Nunavath and Jake Atha. Menacing and sinister to the very last moment, this one is the very definition of what the genre has been about for decades. An introspective mid-tempo crusher “Shackled to Existence” muses on the inevitability of death and the emptiness of existence, smoldering with burning intensity as the razor sharp riffs cleave flesh from bone. The song even has a slick passage during which the bass comes to the fore before bursting into the flames of another solo, a moment of mastery in misery. It has to be said that Jacob Spencer is a great vocalist, managing to find a space in the harsh unclean register in which all of his words can be heard and understood without needing a pair of binoculars to read the lyric sheet.

Swirling Death Groove sounds continue with “Apocalyptic Waste” as Redivider take on the the subject of global ruin as depicted by the Book of Elder Evils. A neck snapping delight from start to finish, its fueled by slick transitions and powerful chord progressions, the darkness of the atmosphere never lifting, even for a fraction of a second while touching on what Cleveland Ohio bruisers Chimaira did with their self titled record. “Fratricide” continues the narrative as a cosmic war between brothers over a goddess results in the violent birth of existence, Spencer providing thought provoking lyrics with real depth to match the awe inspiring instrumental work. There is even time for them to shoehorn in a downtempo passage that feels like walking on broken glass to round this one out. “Bask in the Rot” paints a visceral portrait of an ever-growing mindless organism that is the Gelatinous Cube, a mass of rotting flesh and sewage that kills and consumes solely to sustain itself. Another mid-tempo cut designed to grind bone to dust with pounding rhythms for that slow head bang, its reward is in repeated listen as nuances climb out of the woodwork like termites. You might not even notice the pomp and circumstance of its glorious rise and fall on the first spin but once you do, you sure as hell won’t forget it. A hymn of devotion to Orcus, Lord of the Undead, grand finale “Left to Rot” has classic Death Metal riffs fit for worship in its black beating heart. Double kicks and rumbling bass set the tone, the gravelly harsh vocals ensuring that you are fully immersed in this physical experience [7.5/10]

Track Listing

1. Quartered & Devoured
2. Sounds of Malice
3. Shackled to Existence
4. Apocalyptic Waste
5. Fratricide
6. Bask in the Rot
7. Left to Rot

“Sounds Of Malice” by Redivider is out 9th January 2026