OK fans of old, John Arch-era Fates Warning, I have something for you; Malicious Arts, the new single from Sweden's Trial. Malicious Arts consists of two tracks, "To Dust..." and "Of Sinister Seed (The Madness Within)" that recall the fantastic time signature changes, quirky vocal lines and just plain solid songwriting of The Spectre Within or Awaken the Guardian. To be fair, Malicious Arts isn't as good as those Fates Warning classics, but it is close. Singer Linus Johansson has a great range, not unlike a cross between Arch and Bruce Dickinson, and can really hit the high notes. The riffs are complex without sacrificing melody or heaviness. This hearkens back to the days before Dream Theater made keyboards mandatory for a band to be called "progressive." If you like your Heavy Metal old school, complex and melodic, you'll want to check out Malicious Arts.
