Nader Sadek - The Malefic: Chapter III

Nader Sadek

The Malefic: Chapter III

by Abir “Vladimir Leonov” Kalai at 20 November 2014, 9:29 PM

After the highly acclaimed stormy trek of “In The Flesh”, the New York-based band’s mastermind Nader Sadek is back three years later with what seems a legitimate annex stemming from the previous release, a 20 minute EP oddly baptized “The Malefic: Chapter III” yet entitled to a scanning glimpse for the reason of the smashing resemblance of the band’s style to that of the early to mid timeline of MORBID ANGEL, to which “In The Flesh” could be compared without a hitch and even deemed no less complex or talented. Irrefutably, the current project’s line-up gathers members belonging to the best crop of metal musicians as ex members of renowned bands, nonetheless these four compositions only dispersedly underscored their technical aptness. To boot, The EP misses the "core" beats of the headbanging passages in "In The Flesh". Instead, the tracks are merged together into a ceaseless flow, less persuasive, but in like manner seething and heretical.

On the whole, the drum play, as well as the solos of unearthly madness, amount to the highlights of Nader Sadek’s modus operandi, as portrayed in “Deformation By Incision” with not only ruthless pedal kicks but also their momentous backing up by turbo toms and snares. This track wasn’t the capstone of the guitars which sounded distant if not overwhelmed by a comme ci, comme ça growl track with quasi unfathomable lyrics; still the chords provided a black metal-like atmosphere with which you can’t predict what the next riff would sound like, albeit in “Carrion Whispers” the chords are a bit monotonous, but rapidly taken over by diversifying elements such as fingering by one of the guitars, or better, elegant swift arpeggios needless to mention the crafty pull and push solo, coupled with breathtaking drum rolls and vocals adorned by heavy distortion growls and even passages of screams, closing the track with an un-deciphered serenity.

The bass had its time in “Entropy Eternal” nailing it with those prog triplets spicing a consistent solo, among a myriad hither and thither inserted guitar solos promisingly right from the intro, followed by a superposition of roaring growl and screams, added to arpeggios and a tremolo bar that made this track the most technically accomplished of the EP –at least in my opinion, contrasting with a more ghoulish yet lower tempo “Descent” starting in a doom mode then interspersed with tremolo picking accompanied with bass drums, a pattern broken by surprisingly glam rock high pitched vocals, further stressing the fact that four tracks were enough to create such an array of riffs, even if not attaining a spectacular level.

Ultimately, a still flourishing band having yet lots to offer, and a high potential not fully exploited yet; just the same I have no doubt that Nader Sadek’s upcoming album will be of importance, bearing in mind the displayed instrumental capacities deserving way more emphasis.