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Lately, I've noticed myself becoming more open to variety and creativity in my musical preference. Rather than listening to Poison The Well clones as much as I can, I've found myself enjoying bands that are going against the grain; not doing what their label tells them to do, but what their instinct helps them do. Bands like Glassjaw and The Red Chord (I recently reviewed them, so they are in my mind right now) have shown me that there are few boundaries in music, and if a band can do something that may be considered risky, but with talent and grace, I am completely for it. Those are the most interesting and indulgent listens, and my desire for more bands to do this is further satisfied by Time In Malta's most recent release, "A Second Engine." This album came as a huge surprise for me, and after seeing the band's live show, I couldn't resist picking up the new album, five days before it hit stores.
It sounds repetitious lately, but what Time In Malta has recorded proves to be a step in a new direction for the band. Not only has the band shown obvious improvement in the studio and created a much cleaner sound, but they have expanded from their roots to create more than just heavy music. There are killer tracks like "This Is Our Voice" that are quite empowering and complete with heaviness, while the closer, "Grant's Stand" has that soothing space-rock sound to it. And to be quite honest, Time In Malta doesn't fail to cover most of the ground in between the heaviness and soothing melodic tracks. At times, the band could be considered a straightforward rock band with some edge, but throughout most of the tracks, Time In Malta's hardcore/metal influences shine through, and help maintain and overall feeling of intensity.
The music itself isn't overly complex, but it definitely doesn't have the straightforward nature of many hardcore bands. The guitar work is very clean and, fittingly, not too technical. There are plenty of position changes, palm mutes, and when necessary, "chugga-chugga" style work for those extra beefy, heavier moments. The vocal approach on "A Second Engine" is one of my favorite aspects. The singer proves his ability to go from a thick and emotional scream, to a yell, and then a very pleasant, and good singing voice without any difficulty. While the sing-along inspiring screams of "This Revolution" are gut-wrenching, the melody of "Against The Tide" and "Azure" is downright mesmerizing. Time In Malta can do so many things, and the amount of variety that is packed into "A Second Engine's" 48 minutes makes for a very interesting and involving listen that won't bore the listener.
This album will be the one that puts Time In Malta on the map. While past releases haven't sounded as clean as "A Second Engine," the beautiful recording isn't what will get this band everywhere. Packaged in this album is a great deal of creativity, variety and talent, and I can't fail to mention the lovely artwork that is simply the icing on the cake. Everything that makes up "A Second Engine" makes for a flawless presentation, and to say that this album will be an important part of my CD collection for some time to come would be an understatement. This album is one of the true surprises of 2002, and I congratulate Time In Malta for releasing an album that covers so much ground, and does so with such precision.
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