Malstrom
The World Will Be Lost
6.3
The illustrious Drew Ailes reviewed Malstrom’s previous effort – Obligated by Obscurity – and judging by his words, I imagine the band hasn’t altered their sound that much, if at all, since its release. There are many identifiable subgenres (death, prog, melodeath, metalcore) within The World Will Be Lost, and though the cohesion could use a fair amount of work, all the chops required for a successful outing are present. It’s just too bad that a large portion of TWWBL comes across as Opeth worship.
Interestingly, however, it could be said that “Our Last Bird Flies on Forever” gets off on the wrong foot, as the typical metalcore fare does not bode all that well for Malstrom. While the growls are normally exquisite, the clean vocals here and throughout TWWBL are par for the course at best – perhaps even slightly below. Standard death metal makes its entrance at 3:45 until an acoustic interlude breaks in at 4:20 (smoke ‘em if you got ‘em). While not necessarily ill-fitting, though one could certainly make a case for it, the return to DM at 5:30 is most welcome, and the last few minutes of “Our Last Bird Flies on Forever” flings both skilled melodies and leads at the listener. “My Mortal Flesh” begins in the same vein and plays out in much the same way. The 10-minute, organic “Meridian” can easily be likened to just about every track on Blackwater Park in one way or another. I mean, the beginning resembles Opeth way too much, and to a far lesser extent, fellow New Yorkers Gwynbleidd.
Besides the three-minute acoustic lull “Day of Days” (huh?), “The Beast” and “Wither the Kill” don’t offer anything that hasn’t been mentioned above, but like their companions, clock in over the five-minute mark. In fact, Malstrom could stand to trim the fat from a few of these tunes. Aside from “Day of Days,” once again, the individual numbers come in at eight, seven, ten, eight, and six minutes, respectively, which I feel is a bit much. Understandably, The World Will Be Lost features numerous positive qualities, but comes up short in a few areas. If they can shorten their songs, incorporate better transitions, and ditch the Opethisms, then we may be in store for something much greater.
Related
MalstromObligated By Obscurity
4/28/2005