Customer Reviews

Envenomed

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Wow, this album is just all kinds of fun. Where can I start?

This is officially my new "Pissed off" album. When I'm driving, when I just get off of work, and when my life just takes a turn for the worse, this CD has managed to find its way into my stereo. This is just FUN, ANGRY and BRUTAL music. The way it was meant to be. The lyrics... well... what do you want, it's a Death metal band. The lyrics don't measure up to the standards set by Nile, or Deicide, in the intelligence vein, but hey, they're angry, and they make you want to chew on some corpse... that's all I need.

And it's produced very well, might I add, which is my BIGGEST pet peeve to date with all the "Extreme" music bands running around out there, who believe recording onto a four track, in their basement in Norway.. is what keeps them "hardcore." Drums aplenty, with inhuman blast beats, might I add, and the cutting sawblade twin guitars, and the "Kill your cat and shove it in the oven" vocals are what makes me listen to this again and again. This band is the Napalm death for the new age. Dark, with a twist of violent humor, and just plain fun. Period.

phil fasciana sent me an advance copy of ENVENOMED and i was completely blown away by it...it is definitely the band's best album to date. the opening track "homicidal rant" is a catchy uncompromising miserable masterpiece. dave culross has improved his playing by not only getting faster but also becoming more tempo-consistent with fills, double bass, and his trademark human-metronome blast beats. brett hoffman's voice is without a doubt the sickest sounding gurgle i have ever heard in my life. although i would like to hear him one day return to his early day almost-melodic style heard on "the ten commandments", there is no lack of vocal firepower on ENVENOMED especially on the track "night of the long knives", where he belts out the most painful ear-piecing scream ever executed by any death metal vocalist. bottom line...this guy knows what he's doing and he does it well. guitarists phil fasciana and rob barrett are tighter and clearer than ever, and this time bassist gordan simms is finally heard in the mix unlike 1998's underproduced yet classic album THE FINE ART OF MURDER. other high points of ENVENOMED...the "manic demise"-style track "kill zone" and the catchy "deviant's march". if i had to say something negative about this record just to be fair, i would mention the low mix and lack of bite of the rythym guitars. also missing from the band's former formula are brett's intelligent and well crafted lyrics not heard since the band's quirky 1993 effort, STILLBORN. if this makes sense, a perfect record is never "perfect". ENVENOMED is a masterpiece and everyone that can handle death metal should get this. check out my other reviews of MALEVOLENT CREATION coming soon

Before I go over this, I have something to say to the one star reviewer below me. If you didn't like this album, why did you bother purchasing this CD? Only a total moron would do such a mistake like what you did. Please, just f**k off.

Now, back to this album. Malevolent Creation are such an underrated Death Metal band and they really deserve a lot of credit. Their talent must never be denied. This album still exemplifies their great talent. Brett Hoffmann's vocals may turn off some other newcomers but I love his vocal style. He is quite better than most other low-grunting vocalists in Death Metal because instead of just grunting out lyrics, he shapes his voice mostly around the songs and has the creatibility and complexity, making it much better. He's better than Jason Blaschowicz and Kyle Symons (don't get me wrong, Brett is way better than them but then I also like them too.). Brett is at his best when he sings in the song "Pursuit Revised." This song has a duet with a lower voiced singer, probably Kyle Symons (unless that's actually Brett?). Perhaps one of the sickest moments in Heavy (actually Death) Metal history is when Brett's voice starts to crack towards the end of the song, which is absolutely insane.

Another highlight of the album is the drummer, THE Dave Culross. I personally think that he is the most talented drummer in Death Metal. All of the songs shine very well with his drumming but he is at his best when he performs in the title track; there's this weird stutter step at around 1:40.

Time and time again, Malevolent Creation proves that they play second fiddle to no one else. They probably are among the best Death Metal bands in Metal history. Malevolent Creation are NOT disciples of Morbid Angel, Cannibal Corpse, Deicide, or anybody else. They have their own unique style that makes them really talented and almost perfect.

Death to all posers/preps, unoriginal Heavy and Thrash Metal loving Metalheads, and Metal Snobs.

Long live the Death Metal band that is my most favorite of them all, Malevolent Creation!!! \M/\M/

Envenomed has to be the best deathmetal CD i've ever owned, no doubt about it, and i have three cases full. Some have compared it to its predecessor, although they are similar, the playing has improved tenfold. The lyrics are great--not satanic like Marduk, but not soft like the contemporary "metal" artists like Linkin Park (not to badmouth them or anything). My suggestion::buy this CD

This new Malevolent Creation album is similar to its predecessor, "The Fine Art Of Murder". The line-up is the same, the sound is the same, the general feel of the songs is the same. It is still brutal Death Metal with insane double bass drums and great riffs. MC went into a line-up chage after the "In Cold Blood" album. It seems that ex-vocalist/bassist Jason Blachovicz wore a KKK shirt at a gig, which guitarist Phil Fasciana (of Hateplow fame) of course didn't appreciate, so blah blah blah... Jason and other MC members went on to form Divine Empire, which is in the same vein as MC's "Eternal" and "In Cold Blood", Check it out! Phil was then joined by ex-vocalist ("The Ten Commandments", MC's first album) Brett Hoffman, and Hateplow-mate Rob Barrett (also ex-Cannibal Corpse). The sound on "Envenomed" is also similar to that of TFAOM, the drums are a bit better, due to the fact that they had a lot more time for this album for the drums. The guitars still have that Mesa Boogie trademark sound, similar to TFAOM, or Cannibal Corpse's "Gallery Of Suicide". Brett Hoffman's voice is also similar to TFAOM. So, my conclusion is : if you liked TFAOM, you'll surely appreciate "Envenomed". But if you're more into "In Cold Blood" or "Eternal", check out Divine Empire.

I have everyone of Malevolent Creation's CD'S and you can chalk it up that Evenomed is no different there one of the BEST at what they create. Definitly a cd for your Death Metal/Black Metal collection. Thanx

If it's not, it will be when you finish this album!

By far my favorite death metal band, this band has it all, the killer fast as hell riffs, the sludgy heavy as hell riffs, pissed off vocals, pissed off lyrics, oh yes.

'Homicidal Rant' kicks things right off, set your neck on auto-pilot, because from here on, it will be banging, blast beats about, but still not TOO much, Dave Culross knows how to fill it up for sure, one of the best in the business, Brett Hoffmans vocals have always been killer, and this is nothing short of, of course we all know Phil Fasciana and Rob Barrett have always been killer, Gordom Simms does a nice job on bass, you can hear it too, nice!

'Kill Zone' the song that got me into them, I heard it, and realized I had to get this album, you listen to this song when you're playing a killing game, it just fits.

Bottom line, if you are a death metal fan, this album, and this band are a must, also check out 'The Ten Commandments' and 'Retribution' from MC, you'll hear where they came from.

Keep 'em bangin'!

Malevolent Creation created a feat on this album by having two albums with the same lineup. (If you know anything about this band's history you know that it is rare having two consecutive albums with even three of the same members.) Not only does this beat the prior release with same lineup, this beats most of their mid-90s output as well.

The album starts out with the full force "Homicidal Rant" with the cool backing vocals on the chorus line. The guitars aren't as overbearing as in the past couple of releases and the return of wild solos is welcomed. Brett Hoffmann sounds at his most possessed, as good as on "Retribution" or the debut, still intelligible but even more of a projected cackle than before. A rough edge exists to the style that was only slight before. He must of worked pretty hard at it, because it does sound pretty convincing. With "Night of the Long Knives" it doesn't look like the assault gives up. Dave Culross gives a much better performance than in prior efforts with more double bass marathons and much more groove (something most DM bands lack) than before. Some of the smaller interlude parts are pretty cool (check out during the first solo on the second track the doubling up on the ride and playing the snare at the 1/2 point...pretty cool.) More harmonized guitar beginnings like on "Halved" add a different character to the music that blends well. Every song has at least three cool guitar riffs.

They don't try to do too much on this album (like on "Fine Art of Murder", no DM ballads here!), they mostly keep things up tempo but occasionally do throw things in that most Death Metal bands would not think up. The songs are hard, mostly fast but with even space for slower moments, have tons of groove, and don't mindlessly blast along. All the songs are the proper length and all the instruments are mixed in well (including the twangy low end bass guitar). Future MC vocalist, then of Hate Plow, Kyle Symons makes an appearance as guest vocals on the album.

"Envenomed" is as good as their early 90s output but doesn't sound like they're trying to rehash old formulas -this all sounds incredibly contemporary and can hold up to all the other albums of the same genre released the same year. You know an album is great when you ask yourself when it is over, "What? It's already over?" One of the best Malevolent Creation albums and one of the more listenable DM albums from the early '00s, no joke.

No question that this has to be Malevolent Creation's finest hour in their turbulent (constant line-up changes) career. This is not only metal in it's most extreme form, but the songs are well constructed, the music is heavy, fast, & tight & the production is excellent! On an extra note, I just wanted to point out that on this album (& the 1 before it) that Brett Hoffman's vocals are so different from his early days in the band, but they fit the music perfectly for what it is. Also, I would have to say that the album after 'Envenomed'---'The Will to Kill' is also a masterpiece & is one of the band's best.

wow, speachless, perfect cd, great lyrics, guitairs kill drums are top notch, and brett hoffmans vocals are better that ever. i love this cd. ill present it to folks who think slipknot is the s*it, and have them to bow before Envenomed, and Malevolent Creation alltogether. this is purity at its best and twisted form, perfection. the band is at the center of their own vortex of sound, breathing in their own creation, and exhailing out the sounds of fury you hear before you. this cd is great...goodbye my friends...