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From Snapcase to Malevolent Creation, the heavy music
scene in Buffalo, NY throughout the ages has been
highly disregarded. It’s a pretty fertile birthing
ground and the fact that 20 years later a band like
this is still around is solid evidence of my argument.
Primed for greatness in the renowned Florida death
metal scene, Malevolent Creation’s name will
always be synonymous with that of Morbid Angel and
Obituary, possibly the three best death metal bands
of all time. Doomsday X is the band’s second
full length for Nuclear Blast Records and is, for
all intents and purposes, the album we all expected
Warkult to be.
For longtime fans this album will be welcome return
to form. On again/off again vocalist Brett Hoffman
returns to the fold for Doomsday X and to say that
it makes all the difference in the world would be
a massive understatement. I enjoy most of MC’s
albums but Hoffman has this spark that brings out
the best in his bandmates, elevating even the lesser
songs to classic status with a simple growl and bark.
Don’t ask me why it is so, it just is.
Much like the last Obituary album or Exodus’
Tempo of the Damned record, this delivers everything
you want to hear on a MC record. Ripping guitar solos?
Check. Spirited vocals? Check. A rhythm section that
knows when to kick you in the teeth and when to lay
down some groove? Check. It screams “Classic!”
from the very first moment.
Perhaps the most impressive part is how well the
songs are written though; this ain’t your average
death metal band, brother. Pretty much every moment
here is as punishing as the next so it’s hard
to pick favorites or mention songs that turn the tide
of the album. Some of my personal favorites include
“Dawn of Defeat,” a crushing number with
one of the wickedest leads unleashed in a very long
time, the borderline grindcore fist pumper “Strength
in Numbers,” as well as the twisted “Deliver
My Enemy,” which features a guest appearance
from MC fan Mick Thompson (Slipknot).
There are absolutely no missteps on this album, making
2007 an even more amazing year for heavy music. If
you like heavy music then you must own this album.
Key Tracks: All of them…no…seriously…all
of them.
Reviewed by Mark Fisher
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