Malison – Death’s Embrace
Release Date: 3rd September 2021
Label: Metal Assault Records
Bandcamp
Genre: Power Metal
FFO: Wintersun, Dragonforce, Helloween.
Review By: Kenny Newall
On Death’s Embrace, San Diego’s Malison goes straight for the bullet belt on opener, Reborn (video below) and for those of you not reading this because you listened to their debut, and why would you read a review for a naff band, then you’ll be surprised. This is a big step up in songwriting. A bit like a Wintersun with clean vocals, Malison throws in power, shred, and neoclassical, but thankfully stomp clear of the temptation to show off their technicalities with some prog. No weird time signatures or multi part epic journeys, this is fairly basic song structures played with some not too shady musicians.
Until track 4, Lifehunt, that is where they throw in some hardcore vocals and Suicidal Tendencies influence. Because?!. Anyway it works. And so does most of the album with only a couple of weak tracks, though that is a quarter of the album.
There’s enough tapping and shredding and, frankly, showing off to keep the guitar nuts happy, but also not enough to piss off the non-guitar nuts. Of course it’s all been done before, but I don’t really give a shit so long as it rocks my odd and smelly socks off of my odd and smelly feet. The bar is set pretty high right enough, from the Dragonforces and Helloweens of the world and Malison are probably not tall enough yet to get the barmaid’s attention when the big boys are crowding them out. But Malison have my headphones to themselves right now and Oblivion is rocking my odd and smelly pants off of my odd and smelly nether regions so all is good.
(3.5 / 5)
