Brutal death/tech-death/grind maniacs Malignancy are back with their third full length, though they have been at it for nearly 20 years now.  Their last album, Inhuman Grotesqueries, was one I remember listening to and seeing on the Willowip site, but the weak production left me wanting more as it hid the talent that was bubbling beneath the surface.

Fast forward to 2012, and what we have here is a spastic album that is equal parts Suffocation, Ion Dissonance and a dose of Phobia style blasting and fury.  This album darts all over the place, and with more time changes than a Seiko factory, it really takes a few listens to sink in.  When you do you notice a keen interplay between the guitars and the drums, with a stop start technical quality of the aforementioned bands.  You get pinch harmonics, sweeps, and blazing fret runs that can really leave you shaking your head.  But then on the best track of the album, “Separatists”, you get a massive Suffocation-esque groove that really fits in perfectly halfway through this outing and proves these guys aren’t all just technical wankery.  But things kick right back up into ADD mode for the remainder of the album, so the break doesn’t last long.

With so much going on the album can start to run together, but that’s a minor gripe to an otherwise punishing album.  Now that they have the benefit of a solid production, these guys really have a good blueprint to build on.  Be patient with this album, and you’ll likely find it’s worth it in the end.

[Visit the band's website]

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