EP Review: Maladie – Symptoms (Apostasy Records)

Divinitias – A Journey, Pt. I is an EP (considering the length of this EP it could be rightfully called an album) opener that can be rightfully described as gorgeous. It’s echoing piano notes & off-kilter use of saxophone leaves you feeling unsettled, unsure of what to expect but excited none the less.

When it does kick into a higher & louder, guitar driven gear on Pt. II any concerns about the early ‘avant-garde’ nature are quickly dismissed. This eight-part journey uses elements from many areas of music to help back up the doomy-metal base making it a very exciting experience.

The out & out aggression that exists on certain tracks like Pt. III has a bit more traditional death metal about it but still with some fantastic ideas. The haunting spoken word, guitar & sax combo that comes midway is utterly fantastic. As someone who’s never been sold on the use of saxophone in metal before…Maladie have convinced me.

The blend of soaring guitar melodies & doomy riffs. The blend of black metal vocals, spoken word & clean singing. The aggressive pounding of the drums mixed with huge sounding effects, piano melodies & smart use of a saxophone. Maladie rarely put a foot wrong throughout.

At only 8 songs it really seems to be over far too soon but it doesn’t leave you feeling unsatisfied.

This really is a fantastic record filled with exciting ideas & sounds. Each track is just a part of a journey, another step along a path that you just don’t want to ever end.

Overall Track Listing:

1. Divintas – A Journey, Pt. I
2. Divintas – A Journey, Pt. II
3. Divintas – A Journey, Pt. III
4. Divintas – A Journey, Pt. IV
5. Divintas – A Journey, Pt. V
6. Divintas – A Journey, Pt. VI
7. Divintas – A Journey, Pt. VII
8. Divintas – A Journey, Pt. VIII

The EP is available to buy & stream now. You can pick it up over on Bandcamp as well as most places that sell music!