Review: “Unethical Creations” by Malfested

After their debut EP “Shallow Graves” told the story of a great battle between man and the undead in which they have to find a way to stop an overwhelming Evil there seemed little doubt that the follow up from Kortrijk Belgian Death Metal act Malfested would also be a concept record. Two years on from that very well received record, their sophomore release tells a dark tale about a genius scientist not appreciated in its time due to his unethical ways who goes on to create the perfect plague to set loose upon the world. Recorded, mixed and mastered by Cyril Hostyn, the band who cite influences in Edge of Sanity, Bloodbath and Deicide arise once more with evil on their minds and darkness in their hearts…

The crackle of vinyl and a macabre piano introduction bring in the frenzied riff attack of “By Hateful Design“, setting the scene for a blood bath in Death Metal as staccato riff breaks are followed by blast beats galore. The band take the finest elements of both Old and New School Death Metal and fuse them together to create their own hybrid sound, playing with sinister atmospheres in between violent bursts of pure venomous hatred. The cuts flow together nicely as if recorded as one with well crafted intertwining haunting melodies carved in the strongest of Oak to create the spine of the record as the tales of death and destruction unfold from the throat of Arne Vandoorne. There are moments that are Blackened and those that are steeped in the heritage of Doom that lurk in the dark creations of Malfested with intricate little details surfacing during each repeated listen, the title track being a particular tour de force of what this band has to offer. The hurricane continues into “The Abhorrent Arise” with drummer Peter Craeynest proving that he is a match for Igor Cavalera with some distinctly “Beneath The Remains” era Sepultura patterns in a powerhouse performance. While it’s not necessarily a formula, each cut has a sinister and foreboding melodic passage and that one goes a shade darker, unleashing a spoken word that is pure evil but not quite as evil as the shriller notes Vandoorne reaches on “Scorched Earth“. The bloodcurdling roar in the final third of the cut is immense but it’s the riff slinging with flavours of Gothenburg Melodic Death Metal in the vibrant leads that wins the day in spellbinding fashion. The return of the piano for the introduction of “Last Light of a Dying Ember” adds some more artistic flair before the onslaught begins again, driving down the darkness with a combination of aggression tempered with sinister melody. The record plays out like the chapters of a fast paced novel, the tale cleverly built around the foundations of the bands sound to give it an anchor and fans of the bands debut will find all of the things that made that so great here [7/10]

Track Listing

1. By Hateful Design
2. Unethical Creations
3. The Abhorrent Arise
4. Scorched Earth
5. Last Light of a Dying Ember

“Unethical Creations” by Malfested is out 10th June 2022 via Necktwister with pre-orders available over at bandcamp