CoC : Malamor - Condemn the Rising : Review

Malamor - _Condemn the Rising_
by: Alain M. Gaudrault (4 out of 5)

Agreed, this thing's a bit old now since it was released in 1996, but I came into possession of it at this summer's Michigan International Death Metal Fest after having enjoyed their set and spoken to a few of the members. It was still their current release at the time, although there was talk of upcoming material. I should really get off my butt and e-mail them to ask, but it then it becomes a matter of justifying why I haven't yet written a review of this thing yet, so I'll wait until this is published first. As it stands, Malamor (derived, I believe, from the Latin words for "hate" and "love"; you do the math) play fairly straightforward death metal; at times it is a tad homogenous and unimaginative, but it often displays a certain unmistakable flair that keeps me wanting more. Well built songs are strongly played and tightly woven, as the whole affair is quite professional and sports a good recording to boot. The vocals are traditional, though well-delivered and not grating, grunting death and the drums make solid use of double-bass and throw in plenty of interesting fills, but can get a bit sloppy at times. The bass isn't immediately audible, although it may be filling in the sound more than is readily perceivable, which would explain how they manage to get such a full sound with only a single guitarist. Layering is a possibility, of course, and wouldn't be surprising given the quality of the overall sound. I'm hoping for bigger and better things from them next time around, although this demo is certainly no slouch.

Contact: Ben Kolts, P.O. Box 483, Hurley, NY, USA 12443

(article published 1/1/1998)