It’s no stretch of the imagination to say that many musicians pull from their homeland as great influence when crafting their work. We’ve seen that done to tremendous effect many times over as it remains a terrifically well-used and time tested way of doing things that can still result in some fascinating works as long as the act in question knows how to channel their culture in a way that feels cohesive, authentic, and engaging. For Malorshiga with their second album, such a concept seems to have come naturally.
Already is it a challenge to use your culture as an influencing element upon your work, but it can be another thing altogether to implement the ferocity and power of nature as you know it. We’ve seen countless examples of bands looking to embody nature, yet many of them tend to come across as one-dimensional and oftentimes uninspired with such creations needing a little bit more if they’re to really stand apart from much of the crowd. With a particularly diverse approach to songwriting with their brand of black-death metal, it’s throughout “Vento” that Malorshiga delivers justice upon both their homeland and the Adriatic Sea from which they took great inspiration. Across every single one of these ten tracks, “Vento” offers an impressive set of skills that immediately sets Malorshiga apart from much of the competition. Rather, than providing us with an experience that can only manage to barely tap into its inspirations, it’s in fully losing itself to the concepts that Malorshiga manages to come out the other side with a record that boasts a deluge of solid musicianship from the use of bagpipes to the unexpected melody that comes and goes to the very production. It all comes together to ensure “Vento” is anything but a simplistic listen, but, rather, one that’s indicative of a band toiling away hard at their craft for the last seven years.
The Slovenian scene has seen superb growth in recent years with bands of all sorts coming out of the woodwork to show us what they’re made of, and Malorshiga are more than worthy of being called one of the finest to do so. “Vento” is the deliverance of seven years of hard work, and I don’t think I’d mind waiting another seven years if it means receiving another work like this.
LISTEN to “Vento” on Bandcamp here.
LIKE Malorshiga on Facebook here.
FOLLOW Malorshiga on Instagram here.
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