Album: Come To Light by MAL

MAL, the very unique and charismatic USA based rock band will be releasing their new album “Come To Light” in the upcoming days…the 25th of August to be specific.

First of all, for all the fans out there…let me start by saying that we’ll be getting 20 songs on this album…so was the wait worth it? Let’s see how it went…spoiler alert…yes, it’s awesome.

The heart, mind and soul of MAL are Pete Hollywood on bass, Kris Jung on guitar and vocals, Brendan Reynolds on drums.

MAL is the kind of band that hits you with its charisma from the very first second…I remember only TOOL did that to me before.

Same as TOOL, MAL puts a lot of heart into making their music and their not afraid to veer of the normal or the expected, that is actually one of their strongest suites and a perfect edge to have in a market that has a high expectability ratio…I don’t know if that is even a real word, but you get it.

MAL graces their fans and any alt rock music lover with 20 musical trips in their album “Come To Light”…they change the genres, the energies, the mood, the direction very artfully and very rock-like…they do what they love and they just be themselves, I love this attitude because it’s very honest, raw and brings the real artist inside and unlocks the full potential of the artist.

All songs in this album were written, recorded, produced, and performed by MAL at Cartwheeling Whores Records, Van Nuys, CA.

The album was mixed and mastered by Andrew Haller at Android Studio, Granada Hills, CA.

…and of course the cover art by the amazing Larry Carlson.

The album has its songs laid out in a smart and thoughtful way…so they take us on this ride starting with “Sleeper”, a genre-bending beginning to the album with its mix of psychedelic and heavy rock, very charismatic, unique and very heavy melodic riffing experience, with a super-energetic vocal performance…

…right after that, the album takes you to the title track “Come To Light”, an even more energetic experience, faster and heavier…getting your blood pumping more and more…

 

…then you’re sucked into “Ritual”…and as the name would imply, this is a very mantra-like trance-state of heavy melodic distorted bass, a very steady percussive foundation that reinforces this mantra experience…a very laid back alt rock track…now the energy is getting more chill…

After that, it takes you back to the energy with its fourth song “Besides”…a more energetic and melodic experience, with its heavy chorus and laid back verses, the experience is ramping up once again, but in a balanced way…

That is what I mean when I said “Come To Light” is a very smartly laid out album, managing the emotions of the audience members in a very balanced approach, making us feel the emotional rollercoaster more than ever.

I would say that MAL could have TOOL as one of their influences…soaring vocals, catchy unique guitar riffs, hard hitting distorted basslines, awesome evolving drum beats that keep the energy going…I love the artwork for the album too, very trippy and catchy.

This album should be experienced like a movie more than an album…you should go at it in one sitting, it’s worth it.

…delving deeper into the album you’ll come across more avant-garde musical journeys like the amazing “Wormsign”…I bet it doesn’t sound like anything you’ve heard before…it’s an indescribable masterpiece that you should experience for yourself.

“Come To Light” is a treasure chest, the more you dive deeper, the more gems you find…as what happened with me with track 14, Reprise MAL 3rd Movement…it’s a very energetic and fast tempoed experience, more grungy with some punk touches here and there…that’s something completely different from what came before it or after it in the album.

The album ends with “Commit Me”, a heavy ballad that feels like the endings credits to this very heartfelt, heavy and diverse musical trip…you’ll find a lot of emotions and moods in this album, it’s a comprehensive alt rock dictionary for all rock fans out there…and also to any fan of the ‘unique’ side of rock, the avant-garde, the explorers out there will find many things to absolutely love in “Come To Light”.

We wish all the best to the awesome people of MAL, this album came at the right time to a lot of rock fans out there, I’m sure of it, I’m one of them.

Keep’em coming…we can’t wait to see what you have planned next for the world…keep on shining guys.

Cheers!