Metal Underground.com

Any seasoned rock music fan should know by now that instrumental songwriting is its own beast, where the absence of lead vocals presents a clear canvas for creativity. Problems occur, however, when overzealous shredders abuse that advantage and sail off into the eyeball-glazing realms of masturbatory spotlight hogging. Thankfully, Marc Rodriguez doesn’t have that problem. There’s no one else from whom to steal that spotlight.

Not only is Malevolent Force a one-man act, but musical Renaissance man Rodriguez has emphasized its status not as an indulgent “solo project,” but as a BAND – of which he happens to be the single member. That distinction does come with a difference. Such a lack of ego does subtle wonders for the music on his first LP “Theatre Of Madness,” an octet of balanced and fleshed-out metal songs of the traditional variety.

Opener “The Blackening” introduces itself in layers. A slow, stoned-out doomy crunch evolves into a backbone riff, and eventually ushers in what will prove the highlight of Malevolent Force, the creamy center: Rodriguez’ twin lead melodies and harmonies. “Victims Of Oppression” continues the pattern, but breaks for an eerie bridge laced with synths and keyboards. These nuanced surprises appear often, though the music is so cohesive, you might miss them altogether – the heroic soloing on “Tears Of The Fallen” is introduced and backed by a mournful organ, for instance.

“Man On The Edge” boasts perhaps the album’s catchiest riffs, equaled only by “Vindiction,” which quickens up the pace to a hearty Maidenesque gallop. The whole thing strongly evokes the early NWOBHM dawn – “The Final Crusade” captures the mid-to-late ‘70s in a bottle – when Sabbath was still everyone’s direct influence and the likes of Priest were breaking new and exciting ground. The relatively sparse indie-level production winds up bolstering this raw vibe, and brings Malevolent Force far closer to the mark than any fancy, label-backed nostalgia gimmick could hope to land: Rodriguez is simply working with what he has. The honesty and passion in his playing breathes life into these songs.

While the overall slow-to-medium pacing feels a little too consistent at points, and the album and track titles occasionally feel ripped straight from the hackneyed playbook adopted by the power metal movement, “Theatre Of Madness” is altogether a stellar, rounded showcase of talent. Rodriguez – aka Malevolent Force – gives short shrift to none of his abilities, and chooses to give them each a chance to shine in ways cleverer than lopsided wankery. The results are indeed memorable.