Spectreview: Maklak – The Age of Anxiety

-OLIVE-

In 1999, heavy rock styles like nü-metal ruled the charts, and years after their decline the public opinion of their lead-footed, hyper-masculine self-seriousness hasn’t improved much. Bringing those genres back takes a certain amount of tact, but Maklak stand out from the crowd with their takes on those maligned genres, infusing elements of slowcore and doom metal into the fray. The Age of Anxiety is extremely listenable, produced smoothly but leaving the brunt of the force on the band. Mikel Perkins’s vocals are versatile for the genre, evoking Kurt Cobain’s iconic sing-shout on “Orchid Thief” and switching between metal growl and emo bleat on “E.R.I.A.M.J.H.” The band wisely chooses not to stay at 11, briefly lowering the tempo and dynamics when necessary while staying focused on their particular melodic alchemy. Songs like the closing title track call to mind peak-Deftones in their scale and smudged atmosphere. For fans of heavy rock with a twist of inventiveness, The Age of Anxiety is absolutely worth a listen.

Recommended for young crushes, and the fallout afterward.