Brett Hoffman  

Vocals

Gio Geraca  

Guitars

Phil Fasciana 

Guitars

Jason Blachowicz  

Bass 

Gus Rios  

Drums

: "Invidious Dominion"  

Recorded at Mana Recording Studios (CANNIBAL CORPSE, VITAL REMAINS, GOATWHORE) in St. Petersburg, Florida,  with producer Erik Rutan (MORBID ANGEL, HATE ETERNAL, CANNIBAL CORPSE).

review  by dalia  di giacomo ___          

Can you torpedo this battle-machinery ?

Florida based Death Metal veterans Malevolent Creation "release" a relentless album which is  a perfect comeback and seals the good era in working situation  which began with Doomsday X. Moreover Malevolent Creation has now a solid line up (traceable back to Buffalo days), this to say that the band gets a real "band- configuration" that goes beyond the mere presence of guitarist Phil Fasciana. All this can be perceived by listening to  Invidious Dominion. After more than 20 years in career, the band sounds incredibly young in Invidious Dominion, confirming a phenomenon that is involving many veteran bands from North America. This album is ...how can i say...a brutal fountain of youth whose fragrance is a blend of possessed bone -breaking riffs, poisonous (yet intelligible) growls, artillery guitars and typical MC ferocity. In "Invidious Dominion" vocalist Brett Hoffmann occupies a central role which is anyway perfectly integrated with the sound carpet. Every instrument can be clearly distinguished yet they are amalgamated and let no empty space. Rhythmic is enough low tuned , heavy as lead , right in the way i like. Cymbals unleashes eruptions only in the right moments, so that the spectrum of high  and low sounds is complete. And Invidious Dominion is effective. An effective enjoyable ride. Yet right  this virtue can turn out into a problem : the mixture of Death/Thrash is not very complicated , well balanced, catchy, and this is why the album goes straight in our ears and necks, yes, but  it's too effective. Songs are generally shorter . Too concentrated to be pleased by the extreme listeners. How can i say...a fast food although full of taste. And this is where you can torpedo this battle-machinery. A bit more effort , just  an ounce more of effort  in the composition (in particular in the composition of a couple of tracks) and we would have reached the apotheosis even because the production is excellent. Fortunately there are some songs that absolutely stand out like a monument: for example Antagonized, a great powerful track that combines monster strength with pit-friendship and blasting mood.  In Antagonized i find the best of this album , moreover here the music is not always very speed because the band  can also slow down with memorable cadenced and hyper heavy patterns.  

The other side of the moon now: there is a track like  Born Again Hard  (cool title anyway) which, in spite of solos and lava-like riffs, cannot hide the  poor composition . If we make a comparison between Born Hard Again and Compulsive Face Breaker (two songs almost  in the same wave-length),  we  come to the conclusion that Compulsive Face Breaker is hell while Born Again Hard is boredom. Conflict Finalized and titletrack Invidious Dominion are a return to the roots of old school. Corruptor is another track that stands out, a powerful flirt between Death and Thrash. 

All in all "Invidious Dominion", the eleventh MC album, is an album made by warriors for warriors, one of the best extreme albums of the year, ready to be (ab)used.

9/10   

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