Malaise shares a space between underground metal, heavy metal, and classic jazz: the greats came and left such a legacy that few stand up to it, and little can be so distinctive that it will gain the status of perceived greatness, so most stay away.

Some brave warriors linger on, mostly treating their art like a cross between a hobby and a religion, and from this comes some hopeful stirrings of the air such as Venator, which brings its own voice to a hybrid of Judas Priest, Mercyful Fate, and Scorpions.

Riffs repurpose classic tropes just enough to give them a unique spin, and songs rehash familiar feelings with a sentimental mood unique to this band, a kind of wistful hope with the nostalgia of those who — like most metalheads — were forced to grow up too soon, and want to rediscover that world of adventure.

Tags: Heavy Metal, judas priest, mercyful fate, scorpions, venator