Moloch - Verwustung

I've loved Moloch for a long ass time. Very much the stereotypical black metal artist, recording on his own in the woods in the middle of the night Moloch has always had a reputation as a topnotch black metal act and one whose tortured realities were of a sort that no sane man should try to breach. Verwustung adds on to the legacy the project has built up over the years, pulling from the influence of second wave black metal bands but also proving that Moloch has his own sound, one that is hard to truly distance yourself from.

It's nice to get to revisit this record as we prepare for its vinyl release. Not only has it been remastered and thus more virile than ever, but in these troubled times it's nice to go back to an album as fucked up as this one and revel in all that it presents. The searing riffs and pure anger (Verwustung is German for 'devastation') provide a window into the projects soul and reminds us that no matter how ethereal Moloch might get on other recordings this is a record that can remain throat ripping and head crunching. The depth of the compositions, despite their relative rawness, is especially impressive and speaks once more to the genius of the band.

As I wrap up this review and prepare to go to a nice grown up jazz show I leave you with a few thoughts. Why is that black metal like this has been able to succeed for almost thirty years now? And why is it that even weird obscure projects like this one can still get major traction? In my opinion it's simply because guys like Moloch get the fundamental pain of the human race and though their mode of expressing this sorrow may be unorthodox there is something in records like Verwustung that resonates inside us all.

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