Exordium - Review Metal Archives por Helsulfr

"In the age of the pandemic, all welcome the disease: Malade is upon us with their debut work, “Exordium”.

This five-song EP caps off the first half decade of existence of the band from Odivelas, Lisbon. After a period when many musicians came and parted from the band, Malade has now been working with the same line-up since 2018 (with guitarist Eduardo standing has the sole founding member). Notwithstanding, “Exordium” is the result of the contribution of many minds and many hands, standing as an ode to the band’s formative years, and that shows on the wide array of influences we can find in the EP.

That is not to say that “Exordium” sounds ridden with disparities, or the track arrangement is clunky. On the contrary, the final result is surprisingly cohesive and well arranged, with one track flowing smoothly onto the next one, like if the EP was planned beforehand as a concept experience. This does all the talk for Malade’s current cohesiveness as a group, and for their intense rehearsal schedule back at their home studio. Of course, we must not forget to mention the work of Diogo Santana, former Analepsy frontman, who worked with Malade on “Exordium” as recorder and producer, along with Tiago Correia (also ex-Analepsy).

The performances of all the musicians are note-worthy, with special mention to the work of vocalist Ricardo Nunes. With fire in his throat, he manages to deliver his lines with a maturity which is usually reserved to veteran metal singers. His tenor register and confidence in both screamed and spoken passages remind us of Fernando Ribeiro from Moonspell in his prime. We can only wonder before the prospect of his future ventures with Malade!

If we must point out something less positive about “Exordium”, it might be the sound mix. The guitars and drums seem to jump at us from everywhere, in a Rick Rubin-like wall of sound, when perhaps a less sharp production would have been advisable, mainly in the first three tracks.

“Exordium” is a mealy EP, clocking in at over half-an-hour long, but serves as a promising entry point for Malade. It is a chronicle of the first five years of the band, and has both riveting, fast black metal sections, and more brooding, doomy ones as well, often in the span of the same song. Godspeed them along their path, which so far sounds very promising!"

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