Review: “Malefic Necropolis” by Sidious

It seems that there is no rest for the wicked as London Black Metal masters Sidious have spent the past few years sharpening their blades at the grindstone of Valhalla, waiting for the opportune moment to strike. A growing concern since their 2009 inception as Seed of Detest, their 2022 album “Blackest Insurrection” was so well received it allowed them to tour Europe with Azaghal, Corpus Christii and Liber Null as well as in the United Kingdom with Völniir and Andracca. The masses gathered to witness their infernal and unforgiving brand of Black Metal, providing the inspiration the four piece needed. Recorded between 2024 and 2025 with the legendary Russ Russell (Napalm Death, Dimmu Borgir, At the Gates) at The Parlour Recording Studios, a fourth studio album in “Malefic Necropolis” is upon us, soaked in what has now become the bands traditional themes of Blasphemy, Nihilism and Malevolent Evil.

One of the things that has long set Sidious apart from the wolf pack baying for blood is that they have chosen their own path, refusing to hero worship Scandinavian genre Kings or past masters. In their early days they offered Symphonic elements which have since been cast aside and since those times they have been pushing on genre boundaries towards the towering inferno of Extreme Metal. That isn’t something which changes with “Malefic Necropolis” as is evidenced in the first few seconds of the haunting introduction to “Shears of Atropos” which builds the mountain with delicate keys and thunderous drums. That could almost be a separate piece as its a good 100 seconds before momentary feedback bursts into classic blood and thunder Black Metal with rasping vocals from Isfeth and a relentless storm of nails from drummer Valdr. A death growled backing vocal enhances a couple of phrasings in this magnum opus of an undertaking, Isfeth’s shrill tones like nails on a chalk board in the best possible way. Having toured with Völniir its no surprise that Sidious invited Tubal-Qayin to lend his throat to “Rotborn Terror” and it has to be said that the contrast between the two vocalists works very well here. Sinister leads infest the atmosphere and infect the mind, the dark energy of this distinctly second wave of Black Metal piece keeping the fires of the album burning brightly. Having not had a separate introduction piece the presence of two interludes is an interesting move, the first of those being a spoken word title “Inversion and Collapse” that is wrapped in eerie sounds.

That paves the way for the blistering “Cosmossuary“, a scalding cut that leaves the fret boards smouldering as Sidious achieve epic grandeur as they rampage towards the void with their swords held aloft. A corruption of the Greek language, the title of the song appears to refer to a vessel for the bones of the Universe and once again the pacing is utterly breathless. What’s interesting is that there is something of a subtle groove to this one, which breaks for a few moments of lead before returning. The second interlude piece is the seventy seven seconds that is “Grave“, a creaking door, the cawing of crows and the sound of acid rain pouring from ashen skies paving the way for “Crows Atop The Gallows” to unfold. A powerful rhythmic beast that owes a debt to Enslaved, it has a couple of well worked spoken word parts that build the atmosphere as the executioner delivers his speech. That offers respite from the caustic vocals while enhancing the storytelling style of the song, as the band deliver the musicianship to match. While “Blackest Insurrection” is a fantastic record with “Malefic Necropolis” everything feels more refined and the musicianship a little tighter as if the band have put to good use what they learned on the road.

The final third of the album dispenses with the interludes and instead offers up an unholy trinity of savageness that begins with the unstoppable force that is “Vortex of Boundless Unlight”. A driven piece with a slightly left field solo, its bleak lyrical narrative is matched by an scathing vocal delivery, enhanced once more by a barked backing vocal to round it out. While this one doesn’t stand apart as being particularly unique what it does do is keep the fire burning by maintaining the energy, atmosphere and flow of the album. Fist in the air chanting isn’t the first thing you’d expect from a record like this but its used to fine effect in “Sanguineous Art“, the title referring to artwork that depicts or is coloured as blood. Once more the Black Metal textures of the piece are to be admired, Valdr’s restless and relentless drumming an onslaught of the highest order. Cunningly bringing together all of the finest moments of the album into one single entity makes “Bloodlust Command Infinite” a grand finale of the highest order, the spoken word and brooding malevolence of it all a joy to behold. What’s great about this one is that it keeps you on the edge of your seat with plenty of twists and turns with moments that crackle and pop like the moisture trapped in wood on an open fire. There are also nuances that rise to the surface with each repeated listen, Sidious taking another step closer the mountain’s peak with each passing album and while they haven’t reached the summit yet, they’re so close its incredible [8/10]

Track Listing

1. Shears of Atropos
2. Rotborn Terror (ft. Tubal-Qayin of Völniir)
3. Inversion and Collapse
4. Cosmossuary
5. Grave
6. Crows Atop The Gallows
7. Vortex of Boundless Unlight
8. Sanguineous Art
9. Bloodlust Command Infinite

“Malefic Necropolis” by Sidious is out 30th January 2026 via Immortal Frost Productions