Maledia – “She and Her Darkness” (2009)

Label: Zero Effect Records

Review by Tony Cannella

From Rome, Italy come the dark Gothic metal band Maledia. The band is fronted by female soprano extraordinaire Loo. The line-up is completed by: Mechanix (Drums), Daniele (Guitars/Backing Vocals), Maleun (Bass) and keyboardist Marco rounds out the band. They have just issued their full-length debut via Zero Effect records titled She And Her Darkness. I can tell you that from the moments I put this CD on, I was blown away by the atmosphere and aura that the band creates.The opening track “Ouverture: The Walking Whispers” really sets out to create a definite mood and atmosphere. Mission accomplished. It is an intro track that has a classical flavor and segues into the next song “In Devil’s Embrace”. From the opening moments of this song I was immediately impressed by the overall sound, energy and feel of Maledia. The are quite proficient at song writing and the vocal give and take between female vocalist Loo and the male vocals (I believe it’s Daniele who provides the male vox, although he is only listed on the CD as doing backing vocals) is really quite good. Loo herself has a fantastic voice – with quite a lot of range – and the male vocals are also very well done. They are not of the extreme metal variety. The male vocals are sung in a technical metal style and really very good and it fits the song perfectly. “Fly To Die” is up next and it begins with a pretty piano passage, but then really gets heavy and is one of the highlights. It features some pretty cool tempo and mood changes that really make it one of the stronger tracks on offer here. “Silent Essence (Dancing on a Lake of Screams)” is another track that opens with piano and then settles into an enjoyable mid-tempo number. Loo shows a great diversity in her vocals on this one, and she really hits some serious notes and the addition of the male vocals really push this track over-the-top. I would have to say this is my favorite. The next three tracks “Perfect Enemy” (a really great, heavy up-tempo track with fantastic guitar work), “Crystal Tears” and “Black Heaven” are three more favorites as well as the 8-minute title track. The song “She and Her Darkness” really does have a big epic feel to it. The band is joined by Labyrinth main man Rob Tyrant on “Ti Sento” making it a nice collaboration. The final track “A Ghost Within” draws this CD to a close leaving the listener wanting more. The final verdict is that Maledia have released a sonically impressive debut. The mixture of Loo‘s vocals and the male vocals are quite good and the mixture of styles is perfect. A solid effort from an Italian band that I am positive we have not heard the last of.

Rating – 85/100

Tracklist

1. Ouverture: the Walking Whispers
2. In Devil’s Embrace
3. Fly to Die
4. Silent Essence (Dancing on a Lake of Screams)
5. Perfect Enemy
6. Crystal Tears
7. Black Heaven
8. She and Her Darkness
9. Sacryledia
10. Ti Sento (featuring Rob Tyrant)
11. A Ghost Within

MySpace * ReverbNation* Facebook* Site