Ashley likes to throw me the odd album to review, like a suggestion type thing, and it’s mainly anything to do with Death Metal. I for one do not have a problem with this, as for one it’s my kinda thing, and she is more into the Black Metal sphere, which is pretty much at times almost an alternate reality. Yes, you Black Metal people are quite awesome and I too dabble in the mystic arts of, well, blackness, but I much prefer a good crushing blow from a blunt instrument than something that comes from a staff with a goat skull atop of it. Ha-ha.
And so we have here before us Malignant, giving us in their own words “Late 80’s to 90’s Death Metal sound and attitude”. I for one am not going to argue this point for once, because this is precisely what they deliver, but fuck their own words, this is all about what I think now, so there.
Yes indeed. These fine chaps from good old sunny California are not here to fuck goats, they are here to bury you in a mire of filth. Opener “Purity” is purely an instrumental affair, the type of thing that could have sat well with any Terminator or Blade Runner movie, and it is quite intriguing, but this is not what they will destroy us with, that comes next.
The only way to describe what is next is to give you an image. You are listening to Morbid Angel whilst being suffocated by some sort of hideous monstrosity, nah, maybe it was Death or maybe the oxygen is being sucked out of your brain by this foul evil sounding vile filth that is spewing into your ears. Filthy mucky beautiful rifftastic brilliance. Deep dark and horrible, this is just essentially the ducks guts people.
“Set in Flesh” and “Depolarization of the Spine” beat their respective ways into your ears with unrelenting ferocity. The band more than capable of a quick tempo change at any given moment to give more gravity to each number, you get it all here, your blasting beats and your more thoughtful mid paced moments. The solo’s have stepped straight off the page of a Scott Burns release from days gone by, yes indeed, they carry that certain kind of vibe that can only be found in special places.
“Forced Asphyxiation” thunders out of the speakers like a demented war machine, bringing to mind even some of the older English classic .Death Metal acts such as Benediction, with maybe a touch of Bolt Thrower thrown in for good measure. Some of the slower parts are just simply a chugging rolling crushing beauty to behold. I am more than impressed by it all to say the least.
Closer “With Odious Disgust” only reinforces the above, you are standing on a wall with the forces of disgust heading straight towards you to the sound of thunderous drums, and then they are there, right in front of you, and all Hell breaks loose. Such fury, such anger, so much hate. Smothering, suffocating, and just one big fuck yes from yours truly. Many a reference to be found band wise, but as the album goes on, you will not give an undead owl’s hoot. This my be short, but it is a definitive view of where these guys are at, and that is a very good place indeed . Malignant display a level of musical maturity that some bands struggle to achieve even on their second or third releases.
To sum it all up? All I can say is if you are a fan of Death Metal, then you need to give this a listen. No bones about it, this is one hell of a band, and I will end with this. Anything Malignant is not a good thing, except this band, and yes I have used this pun before. They will grow on you. Trust me, there actually can be some purity in rotten things.
Rating: 4/5
You can find this excellence right here.
The Metal Wanderlust 