Disguised Malignance are a Finnish death metal band and this is their debut album.
Disguised Malignance serve up 34 minutes of disgusting old-school death metal, and they do so with undisguised talent. Entering the Gateways is shockingly good fun.
All eight tracks on Entering the Gateways are soaked in classic death metal’s vibes, sounds, and feel. This is so authentically 90s it’s absurd to think that it’s actually a product of 2023. Take elements from bands such as Morbid Angel, Bolt Thrower, and Cannibal Corpse, and you’ll have a decent starting point for Disguised Malignance’s style.
The songs are brutally well-written. Mangled hooks and hammer smashed riffs tear out from the music with merciless abandon. The band’s macabre melodies, when used, are exquisitely wrought, and create the sort of malignant atmospheric immersion that’s impressive. Beneath this gloomy shroud the band trade punishing blast beats with crushing mid-paced destruction and brutal groove. Disguised Malignance know how to write a killer death metal tune, that’s for sure.
The band’s passion for their material is obvious, and plagues the songs with an unhealthy glow that’s infectious. Every single song on Entering the Gateways is a monstrous exemplar of old-school death metal, and if you crave this sort of timeless barbarity then what Disguised Malignance get up to on their debut album is simply irresistible.
Fans of old-school death metal need to pay attention to this. Entering the Gateways is brutal, moreish, affecting, and crushing. It’s classic death metal played extremely well. No frills, no filler, just pure old-school death metal carnage.
Very highly recommended.
Wonderbox Metal 