Album Review: Malformity – Monumental Ruin (Unspeakable Axe Records)

It has been a long, torturous road for the veterans of Atlanta death metal band Malformity. Formed initially in 1991, when their own genre was still in its infancy, they created only a handful of demo recordings before calling it quits four years later. A long-overdue reformation happened in 2014, after which the band produced a couple of EPs and honed their craft.

At long last, 30 years after their initial formation, Malformity have produced a monstrous debut album, with the suitably forbidding title Monumental Ruin. Unspeakable Axe Records is proud to unveil Monumental Ruin on CD and cassette on April 19th 2021, with a vinyl release set to follow in early summer.

I absolutely love stories like this. Ahead of their time, over before they even get started. Then making their comeback at a time when death metal had lost its mainstream lustre (if it ever really had one) in favour of metalcore and the like. Then 7 years after that reformation, we find Malformity releasing their debut. 30 years after their formation… incredible.

…but…do they fit? Does Monumental Ruin impress? Does it have lasting impact after its initial play?

11 tracks long with 2 bonus tracks for extra measure, there’s a lot of juicy and succulent old school death metal meat to these bones.

The doomy intro of And I Beheld… leads into the crushing ferocity of Perverse Apotheosis and Facemelt Bloodgrinder. Malformity well and truly off and rolling and making age nothing more than a number. Uncompromising and unrelenting brutality, the guitars and drums are terrifying but the vocals are demonically charged to make even more impact.

If chunky riffs are what you’re after, say no more. Into Ruin and Monument to Decay has titanic slabs to drop on you. Before it’s all about raging speed and energy for the wildness of Degenerative Sequences. A guttural mess but an appealing one.

Immolated Archetype then builds horror and darkness with something much richer in a bleaker way before erupting like a pulsating sore. It’s followed sharply by even more chunky riffs, infused doom meatiness and deep, brutal death metal percussion and vocals. False Dichotomy, Lost Necropolis and Lifeless Mindless bringing plenty of bark and even more bite.

It’s the titanic sized In Corrosion that wraps up the album but fear not, there’s two more efforts to come with the bonus tracks. Rapturous Damnation and Unraveling, seeing Malformity making no effort to experiment or change. Instead just delivering two more thick and vicious efforts to leave things in a satisfying way.

Malformity – Monumental Ruin Full Track Listing:

1. And I Beheld…
2. Perverse Apotheosis
3. Facemelt Bloodgrinder
4. Into Ruin
5. Monument to Decay
6. Degenerative Sequences
7. Immolated Archetype
8. False Dichotomy
9. Lost Necropolis
10. Lifeless Mindless
11. In Corrosion
12. Rapturous Damnation (Bonus Track)
13. Unraveling (Bonus Track)

Links

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