Doomsday X

Fuuuuuuuuuuuck!

That’s pretty much the reaction to Doomsday X because of how uneven it is between its best cuts and its least inspired cuts. Basically, Malevolent Creation found a pretty steady formula to go off on during the 2000s that doesn’t leave a lot to the imagination. I guess, after their experimentation with slower song structures in The Fine Art of Murder, they realized that it’s just easier to go full blasty death/thrash. Makes sense since that’s what they’ve been good at since Eternal. But since The Fine Art of Murder, they’ve been on autopilot – some bits sound cool and there’s some cool riffs here and there, plus the songs have the kind of fury to them that would really get the pit going at a concert. But nothing on Warkult or The Will to Kill will ever count for shit compared to anything on The Ten Commandments and Eternal.

But Doomsday X is different. Not entirely different, of course – it’s still death thrashing mayhem and our old pal Fasciana can still throw out some sick solos to fan the flames of said death thrashing mayhem. But during the best cuts, you can find a band that sounds totally revitalized. For instance, “Cauterized” opens the album with an atomic explosion of solos and riffs while Culross pounds away with destructive precision. Ditto for the closer “Bio-Terror”. Hell, even the lesser cuts have that vibe going for them as they are at least not as lazily put together as the songs on the few prior albums were. Unfortunately, given the boneheaded style at play here, at nearly 50 minutes long – and even the band acknowledge this – this album’s just a weeeeee bit too long.

Basically, the songs start to run together after a while. The opening three songs come barreling into frame with some totally destructive compositions and they wind up wrecking all sorts of shit – although with “Deliver My Enemy”, Malevolent Creation have been taking notes from Iron Maiden with how often Hoffmann goes “deliver my enemy” for the chorus. Anyway, the other songs ride the same wave, spending a few or so minutes each blasting and thrashing away with the odd thrash break and fiery solo to keep things from being this wall of noise. But it doesn’t have enough fuel to power twelve songs. After “Deliver My Enemy”, the riffs start to lose the magic and the music starts just sounding more and more like this wall of noise. Like, they blast and thrash like the first three songs, but the riffs don’t have as much fire and the songs don’t hit as hard. Don’t get me wrong, these are technically good songs, but there are a lot of those out there that are also interesting to listen to, which these just aren’t.

There are exceptions – instrumental “Prelude to Doomsday” with its precise blast beating and tornado of solos; “Strength in Numbers” with its keen sense of pacing that (ironically) allows the tremelo picking to breathe and eek out a memorable tune; and “Bio-Terror” with its sheer violence. Songs like this show that when push comes to shove, Malevolent Creation can still bang out some fucking good tunes. These are the songs that make Doomsday X worth the time of day. What lets it down is that half the album falls into the same “in one ear, out the other” trap a lot of death/thrash often does. It makes Doomsday X one of the more frustrating albums in Malevolent Creation’s back catalog (the only one that’s even comparable is Stillborn, which was them spreading their thrash wings into a rushed, uninspired and ultimately boring album), but honestly, it’s also the best that they’ve come out with in about a decade. With more inspired riffs and a reinvigorated sense of violence in their compositions, despite some bloat, Doomsday X comes off well.

Doomsday-X is another of those Malevolent Creation releases which musters just enough courage and independence against the band's bland but punishing history to merit some attention, even if only a minimal amount. There is nothing great happening here, but the band manages to incorporate enough variation and death/thrash propulsion to keep the listener on edge through both the double bass heavy slam segments and the hyperactive streaks of splatter and speed. The band had orchestrated a subtle shift towards prominence with the previous record, Warkult, and I had hoped for some strong capitalization upon its momentum, which this is not, but at least they don't really lapse into mediocrity.

Doomsday-X is an album that does reek of 'process', and whenever that process is even slightly alleviated, it begins to grow stronger (sort of like The Fine Art of Murder). It begins on a note of surprise with the blissful leads of "Cauterized", but then pummels and channels through a slew of pretty average, faster paced mayhem until the morose, thoughtful muted melodies deep within "Culture of Doubt". It's these sparse moments of baited elegance that help break up enough of the monotonous brutality to make a functioning record, and Phil Fasciana and company are wise to persist in such dynamics, so you'll have the grooving, potent thrasher "Dawn of Defeat" right up against the lead-glazed chuggernaut "Prelude to Doomsday", or the spiky, searing "Strength in Numbers" following up the springy, semi-tech balance of "Upon Their Cross". Doomsday-X is hardly possessive of those gorgeous, destructive riffs that make for a death metal legend, but at the same time it succeeds in never growing boring, perched upon the listener's attention span even if it never drills straight through his/her brow.

The mix of the album is direct and workmanlike, a characteristic the band is well regarded for. You don't listen to Malevolent Creation for atmosphere, you listen to them for a punch in the face, a kick in the groin to remind you that this music is about aggression. Hoffman's familiar, blood drenched and gnarled vocals do tend towards monotony, but they'll do. The lyrics aren't the best of their career, but they've got a good meaning to them that often tackles the social and political construct head on rather than just dabbling solely in serial killers and stalkers. Perhaps the most important factor to this album, though, is that the longstanding Florida maniacs show no real signs of aging. They sound like they had just sprung up in the 80s, fists flailing about as they teach the young whippersnappers a lesson in pain.

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com

I remember that there was a quite big expectation for this new Malevolent Creation album. The first thing to increase this curiosity was the return of Brett Hoffmann behind the microphone. Doomsday X was conceived in order to give the right importance for the return of the singer and now let’s analyze it. Warkult didn’t displayed the perfectly balanced fury of that great The Will to Kill and even this new album has got few fillers, also because it contains almost 50 minutes of death and this is inevitable. Probably, also because I’ve stated that I’m not so “in love” with this band. I’ve always thought that the biggest part of the albums had fillers and quite weak sections.

However, as I said, this new Doomsday X doesn’t come out from this circle. “Cauterized” immediately breaks in with its great production and its more melodic lead lines. The heaviness is well-mixed with a touch of melody as far as the lead lines are concerned. Soon the tempo turns to be an up one as the first vocals enter: Brett is not that powerful anymore in my humble opinion. His style is always raw and quite “suffocated” but the power is less present, or maybe it’s just a production’s fault. Culross is just terrific at the drums. The up tempo parts are perfectly mixed with the chirurgical precision of the blast beats. The riffs take in equal quantity from death and thrash to create a perfect bridge between the two genres.

For the instrument, the production is just blowing. Every single part is perfectly audible and powerful. “Culture of Doubt” continues the fast paces and we can find lots of up tempo sections. The more mid-paced sections, as we go on, are actually very good with massive riffs and an apocalyptic atmosphere, always with a hint of melody. “Deliver my Enemy” shows the first signs of a less impulsive conception of the genre. There’s less desire to destroy everything and the guitars show some groove before the entering of the blast beats section right in the middle. Few riffs on “Archaic” are a bit randomly attached to the structures and they don’t sound that catchy or powerful, especially the tremolo ones on the blast beats sections.

“Buried in a Nameless Grave” is fast and pounding but it doesn’t come out from the “common levels”. The riffs on the doomy sections are better for the atmosphere while “Dawn of Defeat” enters and the guitars duets are not that great. When the progression turns to be stronger and heavier, the difference in quality is more than remarkable. The last part is full of blast beats, announcing “Prelude to Doomsday”, an instrumental track, full of solos and grooving, crunchy riffs. “Upon their Cross” shows the first signs of tiredness and the ideas are not strong anymore. The levels are decent but the slow march of this track doesn’t add anything. “Strength in Numbers” is lame, especially during those long and annoying tremolo riffs.

“Hollowed” is feral and devastating for the blast beats restarts and this time the structures are far more dynamic, adding a sense of power. “Unleash Hell” continues the violent progression after those not completely good episodes of the songs before. Even this time the impulsive vein of the band puts the head out and with the final “Bio-Terror” the circle is closed. The violence of the drums and the catchiness of the choruses are perfect. However, I can only imagine these tracks with Kyle Simons at the vocals. He sings on some parts of this last “Bio-Terror” and the power is from another planet even if the two singers’ styles are far different.

Well, at the end I think this album is a bit too long and this is because we can always find few types of filler. The best tracks can be found at the beginning and the end. The violence is immense on those tracks; while the rest simply doesn’t shine in structures and ideas and you can clearly hear it.

Malevolent Creation returns with a solid album, as simple as that. They have the riffs, the solos, the drums and most importantly, the brutality. Each song has a basic structure but I don't understand why this should be something negative. The reason is that Malevolent Creation is from the Florida Area, where many classic death metal bands come from, I only expect classic death metal from these guys, something that they have been delivering from long time ago, I don't expect ultra-technical structures, "progressive" solos, 255 BPM blast beats, nonsense.


‘Cauterized’ opens the album with a slow riff giving the impression that something fast is coming, and indeed, heavy, fast-picking riffs attack right after the intro, drum don’t disappoint at any moment. ‘Culture of doubt’ comes immediately after with blast beats and fast picking. The solo in this song is pretty amazing, It’s short, very melodic and played with so much feeling, a solo that sticks to your mind long after. In ‘Deliver my Enemy’ Mick Thompsom provides the second solo. I’m not a Slipknot fan, by any means, but I can appreciate that he has provided a solo that’s fits well with the song, its has lots of effects and it’s simple, the song has a mid-paced tempo so it goes well, nothing special.


Songs from ‘Archaic’ to ‘Strength in Numbers’ fill the album with brutal songs. ‘Buried in a Nameless Grave’ is the typical Malevolent Creation song that mixes slow riffs with ultra-fast riffs along with and incredible drumming. ‘Dawn of Defeat’ does the same too. Brett Hoffman vocals are really in good shape, he delivers some good growls, just like the amazing ‘Envenomed’ album. Brett rests for ‘Prelude to doomsday’, a great interlude, lots of mystery, screaming solos, fast drumming and tempo changes. ‘Upon The Cross’ steps in slowly and stays pretty slow, sometimes adding some fast tempo changes, something typical in Malevolent Creation. ‘Strength in Numbers’ starts very fast then gets slow with a great solo. Not so many death metal bands can create such an obscure atmosphere, with black metal sounding riffs with a clean sound, as Malevolent Creation does.

‘Hollowed’ and ‘Unleash Hell’ is more of the same basically. ‘Bio-Terror’ closes the album in a perfect way, destroying everything that comes across his way. It starts like and earthquake and it’s brutal all the way. Guest’s vocals by Ex-member Kyle Symons are really good, sound harsh and big. In overall, the production is great, guitars sound clear and drums too. The clean bass has been recorded clean and a little bit loud. I think the production sounds similar to the ‘Envenomed’ album, but I like this one better. Drums sound in your face, not ultra-compressed like modern death metal bands sound.

Many have listened this album because it has ‘Doom’ written in the title, right serial killer? This is classic death metal, the only way it should be. Not a masterpiece but a strong album with kick ass songs. It’s good to have them back.

Few death metal bands, if any, have managed to put out ten consistently good full-length albums. Malevolent Creation are aiming for that goal with their latest record, Doomsday X. Taking a look at the band's history, I can't help but notice that even though they've arguably never put out something ground-breaking, I've always found their albums at least solid. And the second thing, this time not just a personal opinion, is that, as the years have passed, they've progressed towards a thrashier kind of death metal.

2007 brings another small step in that direction, as you can tell from the first few minutes of Doomsday X. And that becomes even more obvious if you compare this record to 1993's Retribution. Gone are the chilling riffs, gone is the overall atmosphere that made Retribution a death metal classic. Now there are lots of solos - some surprisingly melodic ones can be found in the beginning of Cauterized or the ending of Culture of Doubt. Catchy parts are also common, the best examples are the choruses in Deliver My Enemy or Strength in Numbers, but you can find lots of memorable bits and pieces scattered throughout the album. Despite all that, it is still a heavy record, mostly because of the one thing that hasn't changed since the debut of this band - good drumming. Not overly technical, but generally very fast and quite relentless, showing that Dave Culross really is the best suited drummer for Malevolent Creation.

I've mentioned the riffs being of a somewhat different nature than on their first albums - that doesn't necessarily mean they're bad. What we have here is a bunch of quality thrashy death metal riffs, not the most imaginative I've ever heard, but fast and aggressive. And I like the way they sometimes blend with the solos, as can be heard most prominently on Prelude to Doomsday. Not that I have anything against Hoffmann's vocals, which certainly don't come short, but this instrumental track is my favorite. The guitar work just flows along perfectly, seemingly carried along by the drums, making it stand out amongst the straight-forwardness of the rest of the album. Other than that, I can't really pick a favorite or two - it’s obvious that Malevolent Creation have tried to make this a homogeneous record.

Now, in this case, being straight forward works, but only just. About the only thing you can do is headbang to this album - there are no hidden gems, nothing to induce a more thoughtful or meditative mood, nothing unexpected. Not even that sheer evil feeling one got when listening to the already mentioned Retribution. But the one thing that this album does is done quite well, actually.

Originally written for http://www.metalcharge.com/

So here we are folks, embarking upon Malevolent Creation's 10th studio offering, 'Doomsday X'. Who would've thought that a band that has to deal with copious amounts of bullshit, whether its constant line-up or record label changes from personal feuds etc, that they'd be able to churn out blistering death metal for 20 years now and remain strong, consistent and quite frankly, one of the leading veterans in the genre. No, they haven't fucking lost it.

The first part of this review, I want to mention the founding and surviving member of this band, the mastermind behind the wheel of this 'Malevolent Creation' for the duration of it’s existence, Phil Fasciana. He's kept the ship afloat and is still killing 20 years on with a career to look back on and be extremely proud of. I tip my hat to the man.

Anyway, to the album. It's been a long three years, the anticipation has been killing a lot of eager Malevolent fans and no doubt the excitement is sky-rocketing as they pop the CD into their players. Malevolent Creation have clearly not lost the anger, the over the top aggression and more importantly, they haven't lost the ability to write crushingly brutal and enjoyable songs. And they don't waste any time as "Cauterized" begins the record, and the melody played by the axe men, Fasciana and Jon Rubin is almost unexpected. The first part of this song is carried solely by rhythm and melody, then, appears Hoffmann, one the most characteristic and unique vocals in death metal lays down his trademark roar, doesn't it feel good to hear that dude on a Malevolent album again? It's not long after that before they really show us what they're made of and pulverise the listener with neck snapping guitar riffs, Hoffmann's rhythmic and venomous vocal onslaught and the pounding of the skins by the criminally talented, Dave Culross. They ain't fucking around on this one it seems.

Following an excellent opener, proceeds "Culture of Doubt" with the riffs having the black metal influence like they've shown on previous albums and also a really energetic and catchy moment in the song, another solid track. Next, we hear the band perform a track that many have heard of prior to the album being released because, 'that guy from Slipknot' layed down a solo for the track. People didn't waste time calling them sell-outs just because of one measly guitar solo, pathetic eh? I'm sure it's no loss to the band. "Deliver My Enemy" cruises along with mid-paced riffing and letting Hoffmann carry it through until a minute or so in, then they really smack you face with an extremely violent attack of guitars with a tempo set at 'destroy', with Culross' frantic and insane blasts and fills throughout. Oh, and by the way, Mick's solo shreds, as does Rubin's.

So, it's blatantly clear now that Malevolent Creation are kicking ass, the riffs are classic; brutal, yet catchy, the solo's are shredding, Hoffmann’s performance is as always, outstanding and Culross' hasn't been shy either, he's pummelling his kit better than ever! You might've noticed that I haven't yet mentioned other veteran and returning member, bass player Jason Blachowicz, but I will now as we press onto his penned songs. "Archaic" is devastatingly brutal and it's an non-stop assault on the ear drums, in a good way, of course. Followed by an album highlight, "Buried in a Nameless Grave" which has an inspired and memorable intro, before going into riffs galore. It's more than likely that this song will become a part of their live sets from now on, if not, then they can take this as a request.

"Dawn of Defeat" is a strong and surprisingly catchy song, with an infectious riff that has the listener humming it for the rest of the day. Guitars set to kill once again as is Dave Culross, displaying thunderous moments on the kit. We now reach, "Prelude to the Doomsday" which parts this album into two, if you will. An instrumental track penned by Jon Rubin which contains strong riffing and layered guitars providing melodies and shredding, true Malevolent axe work. I'm glad they kept this track as instrumental, it allows the listener to really appreciate their talent.

Continuing on with the album, the next few songs are very much similar, "Upon Their Cross", "Strength in Numbers", "Hollowed" and "Unleash Hell" all feature the perfect recipes for a killer death metal record. The strong song structures keep the album going solidly without disappointment. Album closer, "Bio Terror" shows us that they're aren't leaving without a bang. The monstrous vocal duet between Hoffmann and who I assume to be Kyle Symons (unless that's actually Blachowicz?) and the guitar riffs remaining razor sharp and still giving the listener's neck the whiplash effect.

So to conclude, this album is another wealthy addition to Malevolent Creation's catalogue, it's all here, the memorable and brutal guitars, the incredible song structures, the intense and chaotic drums and the sick and vicious vocal attacks to round up. And no people, it's not "Retribution", but who the fuck cares? They made that album 15 years ago, why would they make it again? This album is nicely spliced with their early album eras, with a pinch of "Envenomed" and a dash of "The Will to Kill". A remarkable album to sum up their career as one the leading bands of their genre. Any Malevolent Creation fan should buy this. Fuck it, any death metal fan should buy this.

Doomsday X (DX) marks Malevolent Creation as the most prolific purveyors of Florida death metal (though they were still in New York for their first demo), with more full length albums than longer running peers Obituary and Morbid Angel.

They return with an unrelenting attack from the glory days of death metal, ignoring the current mindless trappings of who has the fastest blast beats or lowest growls, focusing instead on song craft. It's non-stop aggression even in the slower moments, one aural assault after another. There is a massive amount of variety in each song as they are never content to play the same riffs or tempo for very long. Except for the modern sound this could have come out in the early 90s. It's refreshingly under-produced with a live and crushing sound that highlights the musicianship. Overall the best comparison from their past would be The Fine Art of Murder and Envenomed era. DX takes some time to absorb, it is the kind of album that continues improve with each listen. This is because there are no instant stand out tracks. All the songs are of equal quality, if you like one you'll like them all. That could be said of all their albums as consistency is one of their trademarks.

The most important part of DX is the return, for a third time, of original vocalist Brett Hoffman, the true voice of Malevolent Creation. He delivers a similar performance as his previous stint, only utilizing monotone mid-range growls. The vocals are vicious but he is capable of more. The Ten Commandments (TTC) showcased Hoffman at his most dynamic, with a greater range and variety. He is still their best vocalist and pens some intelligent lyrics on humanity. Previous vocalist Kyle Symons contributes some low growls on the last track Bio-Terror, which gives a hint at what could have been with some more variety. Guitars are the driving force of the aggression, precise and intense. They are slightly louder in the mix than everything else making them even more domineering. You can count on multiple solos in every song as well. Original bassist Jay Blackhowicz has also returned to the fold. He has a good presence at times but mostly you have to concentrate to hear the bass as it can blend in with the drums or get drowned out by the guitars. The drums are more powerful than any I've heard in a long time. The double bass is pummeling. The drums were not altered digitally so they sound very natural, showing what a real drummer can do. In general, they just sound much more appealing than the clicking of bands like Nile.

Seventeen years after TTC and Malevolent Creation are almost in the same place as they started. They really haven't changed that much since Retribution. This could be a blessing or a curse, depending on your point of view. There will always be those who want advancement and those who hate change. Damned if you do, damned if you don't. My opinion on that varies from band to band. I was expecting something more, something grandiose for their tenth full length but it's just another Malevolent Creation album. At first I was disappointed with DX as it didn't live up to my initial expectations, yet the more I listen to it the more pleased I am that haven't deviated from their Florida death metal roots. It's a welcome piece of nostalgia. The Motörhead mentality suits them.

Highly recommended for old school death metal fans. I was going to say this is their best release since Retribution but after repeated listens I find DX rivals it in many ways. DX is only surpassed by the unbeatable classic TTC.