Review Summary: A tortured tale of melancholy and outrage; a standard screamo release, with a few surprises thrown in to keep it interesting.
These are not happy songs for happy people.
Malon is an emo/screamo band that is now broken up, which isn't surprising, considering how breaking up seems to be a trend with emo bands. Consequently, this album, Portraits of Dying, can be considered their swan song. The record starts like any orthodox emo record, with the song Socks and Socks and Socks, a title which may have been inspired by the indie band Cats and Cats and Cats. The song starts out with some twinkly guitars and a depressed vocalist singing about winter, before a second guitar comes in and forms an entrancingly beautiful riff reminiscent of another emo opener you may have heard, the song Never Meant by American Football. After that riff plays a few times, is when Malon shows just how bleak and somber they can be.
"I don't know what love is, I swear.
But my broken eyes and charred heart won't forget you, I swear...
...I hate the room that I stay in all day
But I don't go outside because I'm too afraid
The silence is why I can't breathe
The silence is why I'm scared of me."
The whole way through the album's lyrics remain like this, and while not all songs are lyrical highlights, there are some moments that I think we will all find ourselves connecting with, and empathizing with. The instruments behind the vocalist accompany him perfectly, playing gloomy slow riffs, that seem like they could fall apart at any time. The interesting thing about the first 3 songs on this record, is how they breach the line between serene emo and furious screamo. It can feel awkward at times how the guitarists play slow and glimmering riffs over agonized screaming, but it brings an interesting take on the despair showcased by emo and screamo music.
The album takes a turn for a darker and more resentful feeling halfway through the fourth track, Drowned In The Caspian Sea. While the first half of the song follows the same formula showed in the first three songs, the song just stops halfway through and lets the last played chord hang for a few seconds before going into a furious and impassioned bit of screamo reminiscent of chaotic bands like Orchid or Loma Prieta. The song continues with dreary lyrical themes, as a story is portrayed of a man whose wife has died, and alcohol isn't solving his problems, so he chooses to kill himself. The next two songs, A Portrait Of Dying and Cormorants, see the band remaining violent, with the song Cormorants featuring a riff reminiscent of something from the band The Dillinger Escape Plan, particularly the song Jim Fear off their debut album.
After that is a song with acoustic guitar work, and a sample of a crying mother talking to one of her children; this is probably the most depressing song on the whole album. The last two songs display the same feeling as the first three, and are even slower. The very last song, Tree Accidents, features a more upbeat moment, sounding like a more indie focused emo band like Grown Ups, with clean singing instead of wretched vocals showcased throughout the majority of the album. The song also features samples of an enraged son, feeling that he does not belong in his family of divorce and bankruptcy. The album ends with a final build up of upbeat instrumentals and screamed vocals, describing in detail the horrors of war, in particular the lyrics sound as if they are describing World War II.
Now all of this sounds well and good, but what is wrong with this album? The vocals can definitely get tiring at times. The vocalist is very untrained, and his screams are harsh and raspy, almost sounding like a black metal vocalist. My mother even commented on this when I listened through this album in the car saying, "What is this? Gollum's greatest hits?" Another small problem is that apart from the violence showcased on a third of this album, nothing really separates these songs from one another. The best track here by far is the first one, showing the band at the top of their game, both instrumentally and lyrically, but other than that they never really touch the perfection showed on Socks and Socks and Socks, although they come close on the 8th track An Osiria Rose, ending with the heartbreaking lyrics,
"Even after your dead eyes have drowned, I won’t say goodbye. I won’t say goodbye when your corpse lies on the river bed, cut by stones, unable to stifle truer words. Your veins spilling blood after I claw your arms and your neck because I miss you. And I miss you now and you’re not even gone yet. I won’t say goodbye. But I’ll have to say goodbye. And I’ll cry and I’ll cry."
This album is for sad people. I recommend it strongly to anyone feeling depressed, because to others it may seem too overbearing and whiny, but that is true with emo/screamo music in general.
Pros
- Heartfelt and touching
- Adequate instrumentation and excellent lyrics
- Depressed people will probably find it to be therapeutic.
Cons
- Vocals can get tiring
- Songs can start to blend together
Overall rating: 4.1/5
