|
It's been awhile since Condamnés came out. Now they are back with Esclave du vice. The first notes remind me a bit of Savatage, but then the band speed up a little and is playing more in the tradition of Judas Priest - one of their main influences. The first track is called Dans ma mémoire... which is a good start into the musical world of Malediction. In comparison with Condamnés they left their roots behind and found their own sound. Well, at least they are on the way to it. They combine elements of heavy metal, NWoBHM and melodic speed / power metal. Absynthe is a up-tempo track with heavy guitar riffing - twin guitars - , pounding bass and hammering drums. The French vocals might be a problem for some metalheads, but I think they fit very well. In my opinion many French band make the mistake to sing in English which usually sounds quite artificial. The longest track on the album - almost 7 minutes long - is Martyr. Starting slowly, then more mid-tempo with faster parts. The guitar work is quite good and fits well to the sound. Here the vocals are more up-front which makes the song more intense. Tempi-changes keep this on interesting, so at the end the songs fades out with some acoustic guitar. A highlight on Esclave du vice. With Conspirations they speed up again. A really heavy track with twin guitar riffing. This track has something that remind me of Judas Priest... Some screams even remind me of King Diamond... But these are just reminiscences here and there! They are no copycats! So I can say that this album is interesting for fans of traditional metal and melodic power metal, if they aren't afraid of French vocals. But I can just recommend to check them out.
One of my favorites is Justine Assassine which is a fast one. The fast, groovy Hérésie is another great one. Or check out the title track Esclave du vice which starts slowly, get heavier and is anthem-like - for a moment - then speeds up. This one has all the facets of the sound of Malediction!
|
|
