Antiquus Infestus — Antiquus Infestus Review
Antiquus Infestus, an Italian Extreme Metal band established in 2011, unleashed their second full‑length Self-titled album on 31st October 2025 under the banner of Darkside Records.
Antiquus Infestus Review: This review will evaluate every aspect of the album, from its intricate musical composition to its production. Our analysis will provide valuable insights to help you determine if this album is worth adding to your collection.
The First Three Sins, The Summary
The Fourth Sin, Overall Discussion
Opening Invocation
As soon as the listener presses the play button, the opening hymn, Antiquus Infestus, greets the listener with an audio sound clip, setting the stage. Sounds build like a storm gathering strength. They hint at the wild ride ahead. Then it explodes into fierce, odd surges that twist your ears.
Salem Shadows
As the listener continues their journey with the remaining eight hymns, which revolve around the Salem witch trials, focusing on the mass hysteria caused by religion and ignorance. For this reason, the front character depicted on the album cover has a resemblance to Increase Mather, a Puritan clergyman who had a pivotal role in defending the Courts and the accusers who condemned 19 people to death by hanging. The vortex of souls spawning from his rotten soul represents those who died or were accused, while on the other side, the hangman, infects the conscience of the rotten soul.
Sound Beyond Cliché
Antiquus Infestus rejects conventional verse‑chorus structures, focusing instead on atmosphere, narrative, and intensity. The sound hits dark and uneasy, pushing extremes without apology.
Black metal tremolo riffs collide with death metal’s crushing slams, building a thick, roaring wall of noise. Beneath that wall lie layers of gothic chill and hidden occult vibes, guitars clashing in odd ways, drums pounding like old rites.
These beats tie back to the songs’ core: mad faith and crumbling spirits. The frenzy mirrors the Salem trials, feeding on lies and holy fire. The sound also merges dissonant aggression with haunting melodies and philosophical themes, delving into history, faith, religious mania, metaphysical, cosmic and human decay.
Diabolic Production and Devilmanship
The production of Antiquus Infestus is diabolic; the recording feels cursed. Picture a crumbling church, defiled by some beast from old tales. That’s the vibe. Decay seeps into every note. Aggression pulses through the build. The devilmanship of Antiquus Infestus shines bright and cruel. Every part fits just right. Instruments and songs arrange with skill. The tempo stays balanced — neither a mad rush nor a drag. It moves like a grim waltz toward the grave.
The hymns shift between relentless blasts and slower, oppressive passages, mirroring the lyrical focus on divine violence and decay.
Instruments of Rot
Malphas’ guitar work delivers haunting melodies, tremolo riffs, and layered chord structures that shatter the heart. The tone is sharp and abrasive, scraping and howling with chaos draped over everything. You hear nods to bands like Immortal in the bite of the riffs. Behemoth‘s weight shows in the slams too.
Asmodeus’ melancholic fretless bass lines carve straight through the soul, sorrowful yet punishing, leaving emotional weight long after the final note. Antiquus Infestus’drums emphasize blast beats, avant‑garde tempo shifts, and relentless rhythmic drive. Cymbal washes and sudden halts create dreamlike atmospheres, mirroring halted time and metaphysical decay.
Voices of Blood
A major change in this album is that Malphas takes over full vocal duties, replacing Sverkel who previously handled lyrics and vocals. This marks a new era for the band, with Malphas channelling both shrieks and guttural tones. Malphas’ voice spans wide. Blackened cries slice the noise. Gut-deep growls root the rite-like air. Now and then, whispers or spoken passages slip in, calling like incantations, like spells. This boosts the holy-meets-dark feel.
Layered effects (echo, spectral doubling) are likely used to create the sense of multiple voices hidden in the behind dream
Overall: Trial, Verdict, and Execution
Overall, Antiquus Infestus is a dark, decaying fruit of art, aggressive and atmospheric in sound, blending raw black metal atmospheres with the crushing weight of death metal. If you crave music laced with decay, unease, and deep rot, this is for you. It drags you into the trials’ shadow and won’t let go.
Closing: Ashes and Aftermath
The album closes with the final hymn,Ashes of the Puritans, a dirge that seals the nightmare in solemn fire. We extend our deepest thanks to Antiquus Infestus for granting us the honour of reviewing their self‑titled album. This work stands as both a testament to decay and a ritual of sound, leaving the listener marked by its trial, verdict, and execution.
The Fifth Sin, The Memorabilia
For me, Antiquus Infestus was an intense fruit of art, a nightmare ritual from start to finish. I warn against listening with headphones, as the guitars — especially in the third hymn, The Wolf, The Pig and the Ram — pulse like a living, breathing nightmare. Yet, this hymn, alongside The Fornicator and the Scarlet Beast, became a favourite, its riffs both terrifying and enthralling. To truly understand the album’s music and lyrics, one must know the Salem witch trials, for this is the witches’ nightmare made sound.
The vocals and drums summon the music into being, giving it raw life and relentless motion. Yet, it is the riffs that carve deeper, pulsing with heart and soul, shaping the nightmare into something living and breathing. Each chord feels like a ritual incision, binding atmosphere to flesh. Together, they make Antiquus Infestus not just sound, but a living entity of decay and trial.
The Sixth Sin, The Artwork
The album’s artwork was created by Maxime Taccardi, known as The Priest of Terror, using his own blood in place of red paint. This act transforms the cover into a literal offering — not just a visual but a physical ritual of suffering and devotion. The distorted figures, hanging forms, and spirals of torment reflect the album’s sonic decay, binding the music to flesh and myth. It is not merely art; it is sacrifice..
The Seventh Sin, Disrelish
There is nothing to dislike in the musical offerings of Antiquus Infestus. From the first hymn to the final dirge, the album delivers a nightmare both artful and unrelenting. Thus, we conclude our review of Antiquus Infestus. I extend my deepest gratitude for your time in reading this article, and I encourage you to explore the work of Antiquus Infestus and Darkside Records — for those who seek music forged in decay, trial, and ritual, this is a worthy descent.
Thus, the rite is complete, and the shadow of Antiquus Infestus lingers beyond the page.
The Hymns
01. Antiquus Infestus
02. The Fornicator and the Scarlet Beast
03. The Wolf, the Pig and the Ram
04. Witches Hill
05. Case of Conscience Concerning Evil Spirits Personating Men
06. Ereb Plague
07. For Thine Is the Kingdom
08. The Litany
09. Ashes of the Puritans
Antiquus Infestus
Album Line-up
Malphas — Guitar, Drum Machine, Vocals and Lyrics
Asmodeus — Bass
Sverket — Concept and idea (until Jan 2025)
Actual Live Line-up
Malphas — Guitar (Guitar and composer since 2011)
Asmodeus — Bass (since 2011 – except on “Isfet”)
Beleth — Guitar (since October 2025)
Pontius — Drums (since October 2025)