Sweden's Malakhim has set 31 October as the release date for its highly anticipated second album, And In Our Hearts The Devil Sings. The album will come out via Iron Bonehead Productions on CD and vinyl, while its first single, "Solar Crucifixion", is already out.

From its formation in 2016 onward, the ascent of Malakhim has been both steady and swift: first demo to first EP to first album, every move has been patient and maximised but never belaboured. Those sumptuous short lengths surely whet appetites for the band's debut full-length, Theion (2021). There, Malakhim fully flexed every muscle and explored every crooked corner that had been there since the beginning - death metalled thrust colliding headlong with a majestic-yet-malevolent melodicism that harkened back to the ancient days of No Fashion and Solistitium - exhibiting a vital and yet venerable new iteration of orthodox black metal.

Four characteristically patient years later, Malakhim's second album arrives. Truly titled, And In Our Hearts The Devil Sings is a concertedly more melodic and majestic Malakhim, portending dread and doom and a dead-fucking-seriousness so often lacking from second-wave reinvigoration. Without sacrificing an iota of nuance nor rivulet of blood, the Swedes' songwriting on their second album is streamlined to a superlative degree, honed like a warhead at a holy target. And while the pace remains blasting-quick more often than not, huge and somewhat-hymnal spaces open up, revealing a hitherto-unexplored epic side of Malakhim suited for the stage - or, perhaps more accurately, a massive black mass. And just like Theion ever so slightly cleaned up the quintet's inherently dirty attack, so does And In Our Hearts The Devil Sings continue this favourable trajectory, intensifying the very metal magick at the core of its sound; credit to longtime friend and co-conspirator M Norman, who's handled engineering on all of Malakhim's recordings to date.

While And In Our Hearts The Devil Sings isn't strictly a concept album per se, its lyrical themes are nevertheless deep, loosely based on the ideas of Yetzer Hara: the inherent inclination of man to do evil. Suitably, Malakhim has tapped K Pavleska of Mors Ultima Ratio Art to capture the ominous cover artwork, with additional booklet artwork by longtime friend Karmazid, who's also been a staple for all their releases. "You may claim to not know or believe in the Devil, but rest assured that the Devil knows you..." Link

And In Our Hearts The Devil Sings tracklist:
1. And In Our Hearts the Devil Sings
2. Solar Crucifixion
3. A New Temple
4. Into Darkness We Depart
5. Angel of the Bottomless Pit
6. Hearts Ablaze
7. The Firmament Submits