Time flies fast and deals cruel hand. For death metal legends Malevolent Creation, however, Father Time is weak and feeble, his scythe a cane and his hourglass long broken. To wit: it's been 24 years since The Ten Commandments shocked media outlets and found wide-spread acceptance in death metal's ardent fanbase. Since then, the Floridians never gave in. Not to waning interest in the genre, not to black metal's near-takeover of extreme metal, not to nu-metal's commercial viability. No prevailing force - supernatural or otherwise - has diminished Malevolent Creation's aggressive spirit and inexhaustible fire. Certainly, the three original members - guitarist Phil Fasciana, vocalist Bret Hoffmannn, and bassist Jason Blachowicz - didn't think they'd still be writing, recording, and touring in a band when they formed in Buffalo in 1987, but their tenacity and perseverance over the years has shown dedication to the art of death. And all that comes with it. "We're meaner!" exclaims Fasciana. "More pissed off and heavier than ever! This is a lot of years of aggression built up. This is Malevolent Creation 2015 not Malevolent Creation 1990! 2015 also brings a lot of new changes for Malevolent Creation." Change is, in fact, in the air. Not only have Malevolent Creation jumped over to Century Media Records after a three-album stint with Nuclear Blast Records, but former drummer Justin DiPinto also returns to the fold. The last time they crossed paths with DiPinto was on 2002's barnstorming The Will to Kill effort. And last but certainly not least, Malevolent Creation have a new album, Dead Man's Path, on offer. Lyrically, Dead Man's Path is commentary on our own brutal reality. Written by and through the lens of Hoffmann, the lyrics on Malevolent Creation's newest reflect mankind's relentless cruelty rather than valorize it. Songs like "Corporate Weaponry," "Extinction Personified" and "Blood Of The Fallen" aren't of legend or folklore - no zombies or mythology here. Rather, they're straight out of nightly newscasts or horrific stories from social media feeds. There's also a personal side to Hoffmann's cutthroat lines. On the first as well as the 100th listen, it sounds like a band revitalized, re-energized, and ready to ravage. Dead Man's Path was produced by Malevolent Creation and Dan Swan- (Aeon, Bloodbath, Asphyx) with mixing duties also being handled by Swan-. The team ensured songs like "Soul Razer", "Resistance Is Victory" or "Fragmental Sanity" are as punishing digitally as they are pumped through a stereo, something Malevolent Creation needed to stay vital in an ever-changing sonic landscape.
