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“Mud, din, and exasperation baked into brick. Gasped, throaty and aching vocals pass through branches of watery modulation and crunch, with enough pace to incense bodies in motion and enough deviation in tempo to offer crystallised glimpses of, no doubt intended, utter anger. Rumours of melody taper and fade nicely into passages of three chord anarchic punk and dalliances with atonal and free-form guitar punishment. Capped off by buzzing cover art pitting a pastel sunset against the gangrenous shades of Death, and a moreish soundscape collab with Luke Tristram. Like UK Decay being pen pals with Peace Corpse chatting about Parálisis Permanente.”
- Jonah Falco
Recorded by Lindsay Corstorphine at Devil's Mango III
Mastered by Daniel Husayn at North London Bomb Factory
Art & Layout by Juan Sebastián Rosillo
Intro made in collaboration with Luke Tristram
Our take: Demo cassette from this UK band that splits their time between pogo-fueled hardcore and brooding death rock. After a short intro, “Gelded Eyes” draws you in with its seasick guitar and Rozz Williams-esque vocals, but as soon as you’re comfortable Maladia drops into hardcore gear for the next two tracks, whose catchy riffs and wide-open pogo beats remind me of the almighty S.H.I.T. Maladia is a talented hardcore band, but they’re even better when they brood, which they do brilliantly on the last two tracks. The indisputable climax is the closing track, “All Your Dead,” whose lumbering, later Black Flag rhythm gets broken up with seemingly random bursts of chaotic semi-blast beats while the lead guitarist weaves through like Greg Ginn on a strong hit of acid. The way Maladia combines catchiness with a strong avant-garde sensibility on this track reminds me of one of my all-time favorite songs, “A Human Certainty,” the closing track on Saccharine Trust’s Paganicons. If you’re a fan of older death rock like Christian Death or UK Decay or gloomy newer bands like Subdued, Maladia is well worth a listen.