Malefice - Awaken the Tides

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RIYL

Arch Enemy
Machine Head
Unearth

Release Date

08/02/2011

Label

Metal Blade

Tracklist

1. Awaken the Tides
2. Delirium
3. Dead in the Water
4. Minutes
5. Baying for Blood
6. Blessed Curse
7. The Day the Sky Fell
8. Outnumbered, Outgunned
9. Flood of Red
10. The Haunting

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Recent Ratings

Awaken the Tides marks the fourth release from the U.K.’s Malefice and their second album from Metal Blade Records. The band plays metalcore, and while many of you may be sighing at the mere mention of the genre, Malefice is one of the better groups out there. Their music is deeply rooted in metal with prevalent melodies and hooks as well as numerous breakdowns that provide a much needed rest from the fast-paced song arrangements.

The album starts out strong with the title track, and the listener is quickly met with blast beats galore and dizzying guitar work, highlighting Malefice’s technical proficiency. The song weaves in and out of aggressive verses and melodic choruses, eventually melting off our faces with a blistering solo. “Delirium” comes next and is more chorus-focused and groove-laden, and it also introduces us to the first breakdown on the album. It’s important to note that as overused as breakdowns are in metalcore, Malefice places them well throughout the songs and the superb production quality really brings them to life. For the most part, they are used as a tool, not a crutch throughout Awaken the Tides, although there are some that drone on a bit too long in certain areas.

“Drone on” is a key phrase here because that’s really the main issue holding back this album. The tracks are longwinded for a metalcore record, with many of them around the five minute mark. Unless you’re Misery Signals or a relatively creative band that knows how to utilize that amount of time in an interesting way, it’s best to keep the songs on the shorter side. Added to that, the cookie cutter song structures start to wear thin after the first few tracks, to the point where everything seems interchangeable. Take the verse from one song, mix it with the chorus of another, and the breakdowns from a third track and they would probably all fit together just fine.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with Awaken the Tides. Every song on the album is a solid mix of metal and hardcore; however, they wear out their welcome when played one after another. Malefice is a talented band, no doubt, as they take a hackneyed genre of music and play it tightly (albeit without putting their own spin on the ingredients), leading to the end result coming out slightly above mediocre.

--Nicholas Fritz

Last updated: 09/26/2011 10:28AM

Comments

Jacopo ebolarama Olivares
09/27/2011
05:47PM
Age: 24
Location
San Diego, CA

I agree with what you're saying in principle, but I actually quite liked this record

Too old to bother, too young to give a shit.

Rick Gebhardt
09/28/2011
05:48AM
Age: 31
Location
Minnesota

I agree with the song length criticism. Metalcore needs to have shorter songs.

Find me EVERYWHERE:

Nick Senior
09/28/2011
07:34AM
Age: 25
Location
Ada, Ohio

I pretty much agree with everything you said.  My biggest problem is there were flat out amazing songs, where all the band's elements worked perfectly ("Baying for Blood" is an example), but they couldn't keep that going through an entire album.

Nicholas Fritz
10/01/2011
08:33PM
Age: 29
Location
Coopersburg, PA
Nick Senior

I pretty much agree with everything you said.  My biggest problem is there were flat out amazing songs, where all the band's elements worked perfectly ("Baying for Blood" is an example), but they couldn't keep that going through an entire album.

Yeah, good point. If this was their first or second album, I'd say maybe they'll eventually write an album full of quality songs, but it's doubtful at this point in their career.