WHAT/WHO IS MALEDICTIS?
  • Maledictis is a recording project with music and lyrics written by John Marszalkowski. 
  • The debut EP features over 30 musicians, engineers, and artists.  To see a list of who sang or played what on the EP, click here. The first single after the EP is titled Delica.  It features some of the same musicians as well as new ones.  The second single after Delica was Breathing In Vain.  Click the link to see a list of who preformed on it.
  • A full length album is currently in production, titled Echoes of Conscience.  Liner notes should be available soon.
  • Maledictis is not a touring band.  It was born and raised in the solitude of quarantine.
WHAT STYLE OF MUSIC is this?
SHORT ANSWER:
Early stuff = GOTHIC SYMPHONIC METAL.
New album = CHAMBER ROCK.

LONG ANSWER:
I’m not claiming Maledictis is unlike anything else, but the description gets tricky. Fans of symphonic genres would say it is no longer truly “symphonic.” While we still use strings, brass, woodwinds, keys, and choir, the arrangements are small ensemble, usually one player per part. That is closer to “Chamber” than “Symphonic.” The term “Chamber” has rarely been a formal sub-genre, but it fits here, similar to how reviewers once described albums like Pet Sounds or Diorama as “Chamber Pop.”

The “gothic” side came from early use of cathedral organ, choral writing, and collaborations with gothic musicians. For us, it also ties to the sanctuaries where we record. It is not nearly as heavy as most modern rock, especially the new record.

At one point in the past, a Twitter poll dubbed us “Gothic Chamber Metal.” That genre does not exactly exist, but it captured the blend. Echoes of Conscience pushed even further into a different style, so each release almost needs its own box. I would be interested to hear what label you would put on it.
What does all the latin Mean?
Translations are approximate.  We stopped using Latin titles for songs after 2022.
Where can I listen?
  • The debut EP has been available since December 22nd, 2020, and is available pretty much everywhere that music can be streamed and digital music can be purchased.
  • There is an extremely limited number of EP vinyl records and CD's in circulation.  Posters, guitar picks, stickers, and other random merch would normally be found here, but old inventory was recently destroyed in a flood.
  • The Delicta and Breathing In Vain singles are available on most streaming services and sites that sell digital music.
  • The new album Echoes of Conscience should be released in fall of 2025.
Where Are You?
  • For the EP, all songs were written, mixed, and published in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  Many parts were recorded there, too.  Some other parts were recorded in other parts of Wisconsin. Other states include Illinois, Vermont, and Massachusetts. Other countries include Canada, England, Portugal, Poland, Macedonia, Italy, Uruguay, Sweden, and Switzerland.  All of the recordings were mastered in New York.  🇺🇸🇨🇦🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇵🇹🇵🇱🇲🇰🇮🇹🇺🇾🇸🇪🇨🇭
  • For songs released after the debut EP,  recordings are more focused on local Milwaukee musicians, but sometimes include out-of-state and international talents.
  • Echoes of Conscience was recorded entirely in Milwaukee by Milwaukee musicians.  It was mixed in Idaho and mastered in Oregon. 
What is "real" and what is "fake?"
Sort Answer:  Almost everything is real.
​Long answer:  
  • When the music for the EP was written, it was just guitar, bass, vocals, and A LOT of synthesized (programmed MIDI) instruments.  It sounded like 16-bit video game music, so musicians were recruited to replace everything.  Even the 11-person choir is real, except each person recorded themselves individually.
  • With each following release, the productions included more real instruments and performances, and less synthetic elements.  The new album is entirely human, performed on either acoustic or analog-electric instruments.
Wait, tell me more about that choir!
  • With the EP, we had a unique situation in that we didn't have a large group of people singing together in a room, but we were able to record parts in a different way.  For example, the ending of the song Dolorem has a choir part sung in 4-part harmony.  However, rather than dividing 11 people into 4 parts with only 2 or 3 people per part, we had all 11 people sing each part.  Higher voices sang an octave above the lower voices.  Once all the tracks were layered on top of each other, it sounds like a 44-person choir singing 8-part harmony.
  • We did a virtual choir again for Delicta; smaller this time.  We hoped to have an in-person choir, but COVID concerns were still an issue in 2021.  However, it was a great opportunity to work with some great new remote musicians.
  • Breathing in Vain and Echoes of Conscience feature small but real in-person choir recordings.
Wait, tell me more about the drums!
  • One of the EP songs (Somnium) was actually preformed and recorded on acoustic drums by Matthew Kopf in 2008, but the recorded audio files were unfortunately lost.  An unusable reference track allowed John to program the parts in MIDI exactly how they were originally preformed.
  • For Delicta and Breathing In Vain, Matt used an electronic-drum set to record his parts. We intend to continue this method for most songs going forward.  E-Drums were mixed using Steven Slate Drum samples.
  • For Echoes of Conscience, Matt played real acoustic drums.
Why is the artwork so good?
All of the published cover art (as of 2024) was created by Kenneth Uzquiano.  He studied at Ringling College of Art and Design.  
  • ​When discussing cover ideas for the EP, Gustave Doré was brought up.  That lead to Kenneth focusing on extremely detailed line work, much like Doré's.  
  • For Delicta and Breathing In Vain, Kenneth was inspired by deco relief sculptures at St Adalbert's cemetery in Milwaukee.
  • The artwork for the new album Echoes of Conscience is being designed by Jason Gierl at Static Eye Design.
Are the lyrics radio-friendly? 
Yes.  There is no profanity.  Lyrical themes touch on death, inequity, depression, inaptitude, torment, and meaninglessness.  It does not promote self-harm, violence, or hate.
Is this RELIGIOUS music?
No, but it's understandable if you reached that conclusion after seeing the angel artwork, the Latin titles, and hearing cathedral pipe organ and a choir.  The music and lyrics are often inspired by classical and sacred music, too.  It is definitely "churchy" sounding on purpose.  However, the intent of the lyrics are 100% secular.  ​
Did you say there are some well-known musicians on these songs?
Depending on what music you listen to, you may have heard of some of the musicians on the Maledictis EP.  Almost all of the musicians are (or have been) involved in musical projects.  One of the bigger names is Mariangela Demurtas (Tristania). 

Echoes of Conscience was mixed by Ryan Morgan (Misery Signals) and mastered by Kris Crummett.
How did 30 people record an EP while QUARANTINED? 
John wrote the songs using synthesized MIDI parts in place of the instruments he couldn't play himself.  He tracked guitar and bass "direct in."  He then emailed sheet music to the musicians.  They recorded their parts themselves (using a metronome in their headphones) and emailed the recordings back.  Some musicians had recording equipment while others recorded their parts with just their phones.  All of the files were sent to Shane Olivo Audio, where it was mixed.  Shane also chose drum samples as well as virtual amps and cabs.  Once mixed, the files were sent to Alan Douches for mastering at West West Side in New York.  The mastered tracks were sent out for production and distribution.  
What influenced Maledictis? 
Lots of stuff.  
​But here is a list of the top 10 albums that probably influenced the songwriting:
  • Tristania's Darkest White (2013)
  • Devin Townsend's Ziltoid The Omniscient (2007)
  • The Dears' No Cities Left (2003)
  • Silverchair's Diorama (2002)
  • Nightwish's Wishmaster (2000)
  • Metallica's S&M (1999)
  • Silverchair's Neon Ballroom (1999)
  • Crash Test Dummies' God Shuffled His Feet (1994)
  • Chicago Greatest Hits 1982–1989
  • ​Queen Greatest Hits I (1981)
What comes Next?
After Echoes of Conscience is released, more songs will keep getting written and recorded. But as for the schedule, that's a little more up in the air. ;-)
MALEDICTIS
Chamber Rock
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.