DEMO REVIEW: Malignant – Purity Through Putrefaction

Here I review the latest reissue of the debut demo from MALIGNANT, out on CD via Maggot Stomp Records. Time for some gruelling Death Metal brutality!

1. Purity begins with sci-fi style ambience which is a really interesting way to set in a Death Metal album, one I really liked. The eerie soundscapes they generate set an unnerving yet also pretty tranquil mood for the beginning of the album, something I am sure the following extremities is going to uproot. This was a surprisingly gorgeous start to the album.
2. Set In Flesh kicks in with some killer drum fills and drops us in with crushingly distorted guitar and thunderous bass. The stampeding attack of the instrumentals is perfectly raw in an old school way that is just decimating. The grinding groove of the riffs is ferocious as are the pulverising drums that underline them. The hideously snarled vocals soon join the cascading and thrashing darkness of the brutal assaults, an odiously heavy mix. This is some high quality, unrelenting and bruising Death Metal. The solo from the bass sounded killer and added to the vitriolic groove of the piece beautifully. A fantastic way to kick the record in.
3. Depolarisation Of The Spine drives out more grooving riffs that are maddeningly heavy, precise drums and a really unhinging and pulverising attack from the whole band. There is some really nice technicality shining through in the songwriting but in a way that does not hinder the harsh aggression of the music nor become pretentious. The doomy paces in parts really allow the momentum to grow as does the short whammy guitar solo, a sick addition. This track was as atmospheric as it was obliterating with some fantastic execution from the band! Brilliant stuff.
4. Forced Asphyxiation follows up with more blistering riffs that slam into fruition with punchy drums and a wonderful sense of aggression from the onset. The upbeat, crashing cymbals and low tremolo riffs create a wretchedly heavy soundscape that transfers into cave-dwelling monstrosities very quickly. Using solo drums can be risky, but damn it sounded awesome in this track, as did the shredding guitar solo. The savage vocal performance adds to this filthy cataclysmic assault with everything working together in perfect synchronicity to create an abyss of harsh Death Metal, another absolutely amazing piece.
5. With Odious Disgust… closes the demo. Bringing us in with faded in blasting drums, a really cool way to start off. The ferocious guitars soon come back, as do the monstrous vocals. This song takes the darkness of the demo to a whole new plain of brutality with even lower, monolithic riffing and drums. The abyss driven vocal assaults are as unrelenting as the music they are performed with. A totally obliterating final piece of Death Metal mastery to close a crushing demo. Absolutely killer!

This is some hideously heavy and raw old school Death Metal, just the way it should be. The drums are fierce and the guitar/bass is savage with the tormenting grunts of the frontman perfecting the full mix. The production is perfectly suited to the bands style and is actually pretty excellent for a first demo. A storming start for the band, keep an eye on them! -8.5/10