Release Date: 27 March 2026
Song Count: 13
Duration: 48 minutes, 35 seconds
Rating: 6.7/10
Description:
Song Count: 13
Duration: 48 minutes, 35 seconds
Rating: 6.7/10
Description:
Well, if that title isn't a contrast to the one of yesterday, I don't know what is.
It's back aboard the metal train after a week-long break, with progressive metal band Mallavora releasing their debut full-length album at last, after having built up a small but dedicated audience with singles and extended plays prior. Dedicated to raising awareness to the struggle of disabilities in a medium commonly void of such themes such as metal music, Mallavora has a unique aim with their work which they bring forward though a contemporary sound inspired by the likes of Spiritbox and similar Djent bands. What If Better Never Comes? is the primary embodiment of this style swinging in full force, containing 13 tracks ready to tow the line between melodies and extremities.
Using a combination of both clean, harmonious vocals and aggressive screeches to shout its messages out into the wild, the album presents itself as an expressive work using everything the genre it falls under provides to its full advantage. Electric guitars and bass dominate the soundscape with their presence, alternating between high-energy blasts and more gradually forming moods depending on what the situation calls for. Along with this, classic prog metal elements such as unusual time signatures and song structures are also to be found within the bounds of the record as well, giving the experience another mental layer to fully take in.
Though far from anything unseen in the world of modern metal music with its musical style, What If Better Never Comes? is a solid foundation for the rising band to set the baseline of their sounds to be able to be developed further in the future as well as to define themselves to the rest of the scene what they are truly all about. As such, the more creative and lesser blatantly inspired moments within the 48-minute runtime do end up making a positive impact on the listener and take them in on the experience fully, in spite of not making up a grand majority of all of the music. A solid listen overall, but perhaps one that will require more time to sink in at its full form for me.