Malice in Wonderland - Mad Moments (2to6 Records)

[psytones]

In 2005 three buddies from Austria decided to form a combined project of their mental delirious minds. Alfredo aka Matakana, Oliver aka Gargamel and Thomas aka Jaramogi are the nutters who plays with malicious beats in shady environments of ego killing properties at their studio, The Malice Lab. MiW released their full-length debut album on ResonantEarth.com in 2007 and was quickly recognized as a toxic psytrance group with some bright ideas and courage to challenge our demons with colorful darkness of the Foresty Tea Party. Some call it fair play, some say it’s a mental game.

 

Malice in Wonderland - Mad Moments (2to6 Records) 2009 (2to6CD002)

 

 

01. Mad Moments (08.40)

02. Aura Noir (7:01)

03. Macumba (7:31)

04. Two Faced (6:10)

05. The Guide To Evil (7:43)

06. Rumi (9:23)

07. Yanahuara (7:37)

08. Darko Iris (8:11)

09. The Beginning Of The End (7:21)

 

1. Heavy rugged baselines with mad effects twisting you to the flipside. Sturdy and strong in construction and loose and wavy in beat manifestations.

 

2. Some sacrificing going on here. Nagging effects and haunting atmospheres swirling around to create that extra space.

 

3. Boring and didn’t take me on a ride.

 

4. The same story of sturdy beat manifestations with anger and a craving to drag your head into stressing mind settings. How is this two faced? Maybe because it’s other face wants to take you on a ride through psychedelic bliss.

 

5. Continuing the evil. Sometimes you come face to face with yourself. It got some sweet bubbly scrounging effects yet it’s a rather boring track.

 

6. Loosens up the rugged strangle grab with some steadier beats and clearer effects. Still haunting and sort of inducing in its path.

 

7. Nagging chainsaw sounds all over with a speeded up break that provides some other underlying tones for your attentive head to rest on while the flying nag of a roach spits its anger.

 

8. Starts out with some ambience and allows mystery to approach before a heavy baseline kicks the door in to let though more flying cockroaches with symmetric flights. It’s almost beautiful to feel the fight as it takes you harder around its own axes. What the hell is this place?

 

9. Cover your sensible ears because the squeaking distress is here to double your beats in unsinkable realms. The haunting is trying to hypnotize you with the bitewing effect while the producers behind the screen does some of their finest work on the lasers-chainsaw. Interesting but the nagging pain isn’t worth the excitement.

 

It seems as if they got a feeling, a need to see others suffer. Maybe this is needed as a quality of threatening evil, to defeat evil with malicious sounds? What I think is lacking on this journey through Mad Moments are some more vibes of true imaginary realms of marvels or wonders that thrills as much as it kills. They seem to be on a steady course to make what they self seek, demented territories of unsettling stories in a place of strange beauty with pinches of wonder and delusions. The first track impresses with its hard rolling energy and it gives a hope, then the album kind of gets stuck in its own sound that wouldn’t have been a bad thing if it hadn’t been for its irritating and nagging overall sound theme that for some reason just sounds immature and tiring. To be honest, I was expecting something much more colorful, clever and fun then what is presented inside this piece of music. The cover art by Ayalien is super fun with some twisted characters in the unbirthday Tea-Party famous from Alice in Wonderland. If only the music was more like it. This is a wicked tea party indeed, but Alice better leave before the hosts goes too far and do their biddings on her in 144 to 149 Beats Pr. Minute. .

 

 

Recommendation: I had such hopes for this release that I will grant myself a window of optimism and say that It might be that this albums hides wicked secrets that will reveal them self in other situations, on another sound system.. But for now I think this is standardized hard pumping darkest in the night psychedelia with laser-chainsaw like effects all over covered in haunting environments and a pulsating drive. If you like this description, then go ahead and get it, it’s properly better than the other dark-killa music you already got. What saves this album in concept is its album art which indicates a wild party on the edge of insanity, and an artist name that promises some evil sounding tunes in Wonderland. In my opinion you should take a listen before buy and tell me I’m wrong - Because I'm not a fan of these sounds.

 

Favorite Tracks: 1, 6, 8

 

Where to buy and other links:

The Lab: http://www.malicelabs.at

MiW MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/malicelabs

2to6 Records: http://www.2to6records.com/

Psyshop.com: http://www.psyshop.com/shop/CDs/to2/to21cd002.html

Saikosounds: http://www.saikosounds.com/english/display...ase.asp?id=7829

Beatspace: http://www.beatspace.com/dettagli/dettaglio.asp?id=4805

Juno.co.uk: http://www.juno.co.uk/ppps/products/346468-01.htm

Play.com: http://www.play.com/Music/CD/4-/8904481/Ma...ts/Product.html

Discogs: http://www.discogs.com/artist/Malice+In+Wonderland+(2)

[Guest antic]

Really good and fair review! I share your view, that this indeed is pretty average, bordering on boring - most tracks sound very similar, with reoccurring samples, effects & themes. The mood of the album, as you said, is pretty dark throughout with very little variation - single track is good, nine of them in a row seems a bit too much. Also, for darkpsy fans it is probably worth mentioning that this is a 'traditional' dark, a'la Phobium, Mubali, Attoya etc. - pretty much linear stuff, as opposed to latest 'russian' stream of crazy music (a'la Psykovsky, Furious, Osom, Kindzadza, Alien Mental etc.).

 

Awesome cover though!

 

3/5 from me.