Consider it the sonic equivalent of a beautiful case of seasonal affective disorder during a locust invasion ("it's raining murder!"). To create that patented quicksand cocoon, he uses sundry effects and pedals, cello, guitar (classical acoustic and electric) and bass, keyboards, an army of drum machines, and some mics to capture his brilliant howl. - Pitchfork Media

When I close my eyes and listen, I think of a heartbroken demon sitting beside these ashes in hell and really missing his girlfriend. It's like romantic death metal. The aggressiveness of his guitar riffs can be quite brutal. It's not for the faint of heart, but it's really clever. His flow is so authentically black metal; he knows how to make it orchestral and gothic. I don't know all the rules to metal, but he seems to kind of be above them. - Ryan Adams for the NY Times

All Reflections Drained is another step in Xasthur's slowly evolving descent into psychic isolation and misanthropic darkness. All of the usual symphonic contempt is present; bordering on blurred beauty and solitary misery. Recorded in 2007/08, All Reflections Drained marks yet another crucial transition for Xasthur, with the inclusion of guest vocalist M.H., but to say it is the next logical step would be an uneducated statement.

Malefic's musical progression is as reclusive and unsettling as the man himself, and that's a good thing.
* All Reflections Drained marks the first Xasthur release with guest vocalist and ambient afficionado M.H. The CD version includes a second disc of bonus material, tracklist to be released shortly but includes alternate versions, unreleased song and several covers. Though the extra songs should not be confused as supplement to the album proper, they do provide a rare glimpse into the process. The 2xCD is housed in DVD style digipack, with cover art provided by Tim Lehi and photography by Faith Coloccia.


Malefic's tortured roar, stacked against the head-hanging guitar melodies here, crescendos to an absurd extreme. Muffled shrieks of the asphyxiated at Pompeii. The hacking deathrattle of a peat-bog mummy. Puzzling, barely audible narration, like an obscene phone call from hell's fifth circle. - Dusted

An oppressive haze of mournful guitars, trudging drum-machine rhythms and super distorted vocals. - Time Out NY

Combining traditional black metal elements with forward thinking progression, Malefic has firmly cemented his place at the forefront of experimental, dark music. - Mouth For War