Malduguns- Peddzinis ALBUM REVIEW

-written by mirons of metal-archives.com

IMPRESSIVE DEBUT

Malduguns is a death metal quintet that reared its head in the local underground scene in the first half of 2010 after having spent almost three years practicing their material and was instantly met with raving reactions. All of the members have been playing (or are continuing doing that) in other bands, and while not all of those bands have been successful or long-lasting, it can be said without a doubt that all of them are at least somewhat experienced musicians. Take this fact, add the time spent working on the material, and it shouldn't be a big surprise that their debut album "Peddzinis", released in the end of 2011, was highly anticipated by those in the know, and no less warmly received.

With this release Malduguns have achieved the ever-elusive goal: to sound fresh and go far beyond merely mimicking their influences, and at the same time to not break the genre canons and step too deep into uncharted territory. There are definite hints at classic Floridian death metal here, accompanied by Gothenburg-like sense of melody, and several more styles are surfacing here and there, but I have a hard time comparing this to any specific bands or albums.

So then I’ll try to describe what the music on „Pēddzinis” sounds like. As already stated, it takes its inspiration from the classic era of death metal, with the emphasis on the more refined, melodic and at times progressive side along the lines of Death or Atheist, as opposed to the more raw and brutal side; the most melodic and straight forward (well, comparatively) song „Uz Upurakmens” has even a lead line that instantly reminds of Blind Guardian. All that is put into a reasonably groovy and most of the time very catchy riff framework, occasionally taking a step or two into the „modern” areas of metal as well, and then covered with a thick, tasty layer of lead melodies. Yes, the solos are amazing here (for example, the part in Uguns Siets from 2:18 to 2:50 is an instant eargasm), and there are a lot of them, but that’s far from being the only attraction; more important than the catchy riffing and awesome soloing here is the songwriting and composition. While there are few stumbling moments to be found on the album, for the most part it’s crafted in a clever and tasteful way, and it’s filled with subtle and not so subtle nuances that uncover themselves slowly step by step with each subsequent listen. At any given time you could pick out any of the instruments, including drums and vocals, and it would be worth listening to on its own; but at the same time they are strung together in fascinating ways to create the soundscape, which most of the time doesn’t leave the impression of being overcomplicated.

The tempo, while having enough alterations, is mostly a notch up from midtempo, but never going full speed, and the drummer’s rather down-to-earth style does a good job at keeping it so, but he also has a few tricks up his sleeve to mix it up occasionally and saving it from any monotony if such a thing were to show up. Sound is clear and full-bodied and all of the instruments have been given some space to breathe. And it would be a crime to tell nothing about the vocals, since these are on par with the overall quality and occasionally surpass it. Dzeburs masters a variety of growling styles, from the barking style of early death metal to ultra low yet clear gurgling a bit reminiscent of some forms of throat singing, and does it all with a commendable passion. My favourite vocal part of the album are probably the nasty, controlled-pitch snarls on the beginning of the title track, which reappear later in the song. There aren’t any real difficulties in deciphering the vocals, but that will do you little good if you don’t understand Latvian, since all lyrics are in Malduguns’ mother tongue, and may I add, are also of rather high poetical quality.

All in all this is a debut of groundshaking quality; a well thought-out, catchy yet clever death metal with guitar solos that definitely will make some pants wet. You’d do yourself a favour by getting it. Standout tracks (each song has its moments of brilliance, but these I find to be the most consistent): Asins Balss (Voice of the Blood), Pēddzinis (Pathfinder), Uz Upurakmens (Upon the Stone Altar), and the closer Lietuvēns (Night Hag) which is the most straight-forward and old school styled offerin


88/100