Description

San Francisco’s Time In Malta is an intense three-piece hardcore band that combines elements of melody, power, and heavy metal into a convincing, uplifting powerhouse akin to the works of Boy Sets Fire, Grade, and Shai Hulud replete with manic crunch and indie sensibility alike. The band formed in 1997 and the trio immediately began writing songs and eventually producing a demo at Toast Studios, which was submitted to several independent record labels. Impressed by their dynamic yet intense approach, Escape Artist Records snatched up the band and released their seven-song Construct & Demolish EP in July 1999. The band completed a short tour of the United States in support of the EP, appearing at several key hardcore festivals as well before settling in to compose material for their first full-length album. They paused briefly to deliver one new song and a cover of Threadbare’s “In Effigy” to this “Identify, Persist, Transcend” EP released in late 2000. The EP smacks of the same general heavy riffage and style that lie somewhere between the next up and coming core band in the indie scene and some band one might hear on a local hard rock station. If only the right people were to hear Time in Malta, it seems like the group could achieve much of the same success that many of those hard rock bands have garnered. The lyrics are probably the key difference between many modern metal bands and this San Fran trio: Time In Malta’s words are really cryptic and intelligent, and would no doubt leave the average nu-metal fan scratching his head. The combination of singing and screaming works amicably and is necessary to note. However, the revelation that in many regards the indie scene isn’t too different from mainstream hard rock acts can’t help but make fans of D.I.Y. feel a little depressed.

Track list:
1. Dissolve
2. In Effigy-Threadbare cover