MALEVOLENT CREATION - Dead Man's Path
October 6, 2015, 8 years ago
(Century Media)
Malevolent Creation is legion - a battalion of death metal warriors that has been marching into battle for nearly three decades. Like any company of soldiers, many will be lost fighting the good fight; where one is struck down, another rises in his place. It is the job of an adept commander to ensure that his men stay motivated, strong - ready to advance through enemy territories without so much as a flinch. Phil Fasciana is that fearless commander. One look at the history of his squadron is proof enough that the man is steadfast in his love for thrash-ified death metal. No fewer than twenty-four commandos have been struck down on the battleground. That is an unprecedented amount of casualties - a lot of history written in blood. Not unlike Dave 'The General' Mustaine, Fasciana has risen the ranks, becoming a highly decorated veteran of his craft. Sure, there are those that will call out his methods as being ruthless or self-serving, attacking his very character; but, in the end, it is men like Fasciana and Mustaine that persevere. For, without them, we would have no history... no battles won... no paths forged.
Opening the Malevolent Creation history book to Chapter 12, and it is immediately apparent that the title, Dead Man's Path, reflects the thirty-year narrative archive that Fasciana and comrades have authored. Newly enlisted drummer, Justin Dipinto, specializing in his very own energetic-yet-crushingly-downtrodden percussive style, maniacally carries the Malevolent Creation war standard - an emblem of honor and tradition of the men who heralded in The Ten Commandments of death metal. Dead Man's Path is met with track after bleeding track that coalesce into a soundtrack of war. As a psychological weapon, Fasciana has penned some truly terrifying mid-paced death metal tracks, such as "Imperium (Kill Force Rising"), "Corporate Weaponry", "Blood Of The Fallen", and "Resistance Is Victory". Each of these tracks are imbued with the essence of ancient martial music that was preserved and refined by the Eastern empire in Byzantium after the collapse of Rome in the West; and one can almost hear the powerful and foreboding bellow of a Ram's Horn evoking musical warfare.
The Italian Renaissance philosopher, Niccolò Machiavelli, once wrote that 'the commanding officer should issue orders by means of the trumpet because its piercing tone and great volume enabled it to be heard above the pandemonium of combat.' With Dead Man's Path, substitute the trumpet with galloping, death-groove, half-time, dramatic thrash riffs, and one can clearly see the faint-yet-heroic silhouettes of General Fasciana and regiment rising from the fog of war to claim decisive victory.