Richard HolmesMalevolent Creation – Dead Man’s Path (Century Media)
Genre: Death Metal
As death metal’s veteran acts approach their 30th birthdays, it’s pleasing to hear that, in many cases, whatever urge drove them to create such aggressive, violent music in their youth hasn’t diminished with age.
Malevolent Creation, formed in 1987, are a case in point: Dead Man’s Path is bursting with energy and sounds like it was made by a band who want to stay relevant and prove that they can still deliver.
Five years in the making, this album has been well worth waiting for, and while it doesn’t break much new ground, Dead Man’s Path slays all before it with barrage after barrage of head-splintering, crushing DM.
When Bret Hoffman roars, “Let loose the dogs of war” at the opening to Blood of the Fallen, you know you’re in for a vicious beating, and the song, along with the phenomenal Soul Razer, epitomises everything that’s great about this opus. Both tracks storm in, blast everything in sight and leave you wanting more.
The infectious Corporate Weaponry, meanwhile, could be one of the Florida-based outfit’s best ever songs, with an (almost) anthemic chorus and devastating axework courtesy of Phil Fasciana and Gio Geraca.
Straight talking, to the point, brutally direct, Dead Man’s Path is a genuine triumph for Malevolent Creation… and should be a wake-up call for the new generation of over-technical death metallers.
RUSHONROCK RATED: 8/10 A Path Worth Following