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Mallavora - The Paradise EP
by Kevin Wierzbicki
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There's a lot of good heavy rock music out there to be had, much of it made by legacy groups, in other words, old-timers. There's certainly nothing wrong with that; after all those groups have spent decades honing their sound and making hits. But it is sometimes difficult for those in the younger generation to relate to music made by greybeards. With that in mind, it is the stated goal of British four-piece Mallavora to bring heavy rock music to the youth of the world, and their four-track debut The Paradise EP is a pretty good start. Guitarist Larry Sobieraj begins opening track "Ego" with a barrage of stinging chords; the wall-of-riffs recurs throughout the song but quiets down for the vocal parts from lead singer Jessica Douek and bassist Ellis James, who when they blend their voices together sound quite a bit like famous graybeard singer Jon Anderson of Yes. Fans of bands like Evanescence will find a similar sound in "Deceiver," and "Favourite Mistake" tastefully puts to use a bit of Led Zeppelin bombast. But it is Douek's soaring vocals that hold the spotlight throughout, and her whisper-to-a-scream performance on the lengthy "Paradise" is a real attention-getter. Drummer Jack Pedersen rounds out Mallavora, and this taster from a band that will surely be on rock radar in a big way soon, drops on August 20.
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