Multi-faceted Brit alt.metal clan Mallavora lay down statement of intent with debut that straddles struggle and success…
The frequency with which Mallavora have been popping up across the alt.metal landscape of late would suggest a band with their legs firmly under the table, and a grocery list of material to be spewing out on festival stages, European tours and even on TV. So to be reminded that What If Better Never Comes? is in fact their debut album already sets the quartet apart.
Fronted by the phenomenal Jessica Douek, theirs is a sound that blends her own Jewish-Middle Eastern roots with metalcore, R&B and soul to create an intoxicatingly crushing mix. After a dark and brooding prologue, Smile kicks the walls down in earnest, doling out hypnotically-sung verses and guttural choruses.
Waste follows a similar formula, with Jessica playing her crystalline cleans and demonic roars off against each other, on a bed of djent-tinged metalcore riffs and thunderous rhythms. Lilith & Esther displayed the most intriguing snapshot of the album when released as a single, and it’s great to see the themes expanded on throughout the record, even if it does feel like they’ve found a certain formula to stick to.
Hopeless introduces a softer, more measured approach that adds an affecting feather to Mallavora’s cap, heard again later on Make The World Wait and album closer Host. Positioned as palette cleansers, these tracks can feel at odds with those that come before and after, but beyond the issue of sequencing, they reveal another sound that should stay in their repertoire.
Lyrically, Mallavora shoots from the hip, making the topics on the album hard to misconstrue. Smile is all about Jessica’s life with fibromyalgia and calls for the disabled population to not be cast aside. ’Time to have the conversation, Access is a human right, Unrestricted liberation,’ she barks out in exasperation.
All told, What If Better Never Comes? reveals Mallavora as ones to watch in an already bustling alt.metal crowd, and beyond the odd teething issues, is full of promise. You can bet your bottom dollar that their best is yet to come.
Verdict: 3/5
For fans of: KNIFE BRIDE, Lake Malice, Dying Wish
What If Better Never Comes? is released on March 27 via Church Road.
