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Malpractice: Turning Tides
Malpractice: Turning Tides
Progressive Metal
3.5/5.0
Website
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Sensory / Laser's Edge Records
Words: Craig Hartranft
Added: 11.09.2014
While their output has been a bit scattered over the last 20 years, Finland's Malpractice has been soldiering on since 1994. The offer their fourth album Turning Tides, a concept album about a man too well educated and talented that he can't find a job.
Malpractice: walking.
Having no familiarity with previous material and the Malpractice sound, this was a new experience. Mostly, Turning Tides came across as guitar-oriented album, big on riffage, thick and thrashy. Best Kept Secret, the opener, makes this self-evident. But even more so with Irony Tower where that thrash feeling gets stronger for a more agressive sound. It gets even more rabid and intense in the heart of the title cut, even as they sandwich the riffage barages with somewhat quieter segues.
Coupled with the riff attack and adding even more depth and intensity is the vigorous drum work of Toni Paananen. This makes for a deadly combination and probably the thing that is distintive to Malpractice. If you're unconvinced, merely listen to the dramatic and blistering drums and guitars that define the instrumental Symphony of Urban Discomfort. Then somewhere and sometimes inbetween all this Malpractice sneaks in some guitar solos. But they're so entwined with riffage you might miss them entirely.
While all this gave Turning Tides a distinctly heavy progressive metal feeling, the heaviness also gave a nearly emotional weight to the music, like a burden of despondence or despair you can't get off your shoulders. There's certainly not a lot of lighthearted moments within this album. (However, there is some liveliness to the melody and chorus of Weight of the World, one of the best songs.) Also, the vocals also added to this feeling with Aleksi Parviainen sounding tired or despairing. If you like guitar driven prog metal, abounding in riffage, and reinforced with vigorous drumming, you'll like Malpractice's Turning Tides.
Malpractice - Weight Of The World
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In Short
If you like guitar driven prog metal, abounding in riffage, and reinforced with vigorous drumming, you'll like Malpractice's Turning Tides.
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