Resurrected by Regain Records, Spiteful Intents is a melodic black/death metal relic from Sweden’s frostbitten underground. Originally released in 1996, this EP by Cardinal Sin—featuring ex-members of Dissection and Marduk—captures a moment when melody and menace collided in raw, unfiltered form. The opening track, “Spiteful Intent,” sets the tone with acoustic melancholy that quickly erupts into icy tremolo riffs and blast beats, echoing the grandeur of early Dissection while carving its own path through sorrow and fury.
Each track unfolds like a ritual. “Probe With A Quest” slows the tempo but deepens the atmosphere, layering mournful guitar melodies over a steady rhythmic pulse. “The Cardinal Sin” channels traditional black metal aggression with venomous vocals and relentless percussion, while “Language of Sorrow” closes the EP with a haunting instrumental that feels like a requiem whispered from the grave. The production is raw but never muddy—just enough grit to keep the spirit intact without sacrificing clarity.
What makes Spiteful Intents endure isn’t just its pedigree, but its conviction. This is not a polished studio product—it’s a snapshot of a scene in flux, where emotion and extremity were inseparable. Cardinal Sin may have been short-lived, but this EP stands as a testament to the power of melodic black/death metal when it’s stripped to its essence: cold, passionate, and utterly unrepentant.
BLACK METAL CULT 