The long-running death metal band Malevolent Creation has seen a lot of lineup changes over the years. The return of vocalist Brett Hoffman means 80 percent of their classic Stillborn era lineup is intact (guitarists Jon Rubin and Phil Fasciana and bassist Jason Blachowicz), along with longtime drummer Dave Culross.
Doomsday X is Malevolent Creation's 10th album, a brutal effort with songs that barrel along at warp speed, but still have great grooves. In addition to the blast beats and usual death metal riffs there are some shredding guitar solos. There's also a guest guitar solo from Slipknot's Mick Thompson.
Although technically well executed with some memorable moments, overall the songs aren't as well-written and catchy as some of Malevolent Creation's past work. Doomsday X is an improvement over 2004's Warkult, but doesn't reach the consistent excellence of the band's early albums. Hopefully they'll be able to keep this lineup together and their next release will be even better.
