I had no idea that that this legendary Death Metal band was releasing their new full-length this year until I saw the promo list, and I simply couldn't resist grabbing the opportunity with both my arms and ears! Oh boy; to be very frank, I haven't listened to much of MALEVOLENT CREATION so far, but the little that I had, blew my mind, and the constant mentioning of the band's previous works on the internet made me realize that this band was a force to reckoned with. So this criminally underrated Florida Death Metal giant released their 12^th full-length, "Dead Man's Path", this October 2^nd through Century Media Records, and the fans can rejoice.

"Dead Man's Path" hits you right from the first song with no mercy. It's a relentless 44 minutes full of juicy, pulpy mix of Technical and Old School Death Metal full of fast paced Heavy riffs and growling vocals; just what the doctor ordered. The riffs are groovy like in "Resistance Is Victory", and in songs like "12th Prophecy", they are of Brutal Death Metal just waiting to plummet your ears. Each song packs in so much meat in those crunchy-neck breaking-groovy riffs, that even a 4-minute song feels like an 8-minute song and still manages to make it enjoyable. It's also worth mentioning that most of the songs here clock 4 minutes, which I would assume is not deliberate, but somehow makes each song a little more predictable of its timing. Its also worth noting for MALEVOLENT CREATION's fans that former drummer Justin DiPinto also returns to the fold with this album. I also mention that the album artwork largely resonates the album title and the lyrical themes used in here, which works really great for the listener in me.

For a band that was formed way back in 1987 (I wasn't even born), to do this kind of music so consistently, even after 2 and half decades and still manage to stick to their original sound and stand tall even among the old and new bands, is no small task. The album offers something to every Death Metal connoisseur, and if you are not, I would still recommend this, as this album has what it takes to even please fans of other sub-genres. While the album doesn't try to reinvent the wheel, and rightly so, they do achieve playing punishing, relentless death metal that will stand the test of time. It's a "Dead Man's Path" and is of 44 minutes of beautiful, dark mad journey, worth every minute of your time. The filth is beautiful.<