Malicious Onslaught
Brutal Gore

THE REVIEW

Before reading the following review, know that the reason I bought the CD in question at the time is due to the fact that a reviewer from an Italian specialized magazine dismissed this work by describing it as noise, and that while listening to it, it seemed as if a machete was hitting him directly in the brain. I agree with this statement, but the judgment that arises from it is diametrically opposed.

The Malicious Onslaught, whose activity ceased after the suicide of one of the members, offer an atypical brutal death metal that leaves listeners quite bewildered due to the sound proposal offered. First of all, one immediately notices the use of unconventional growls, which sound more like snarls or barks often loaded with echo and reverb effects, frequently accompanied by other vocalizations/snorts, with a lower tone, that often lead into bizarre and prolonged gurgles. The music at times shows interesting technical qualities and is not limited to four chords played at the paroxysmal speeds typical of this genre; the tracks are very different from one another thanks to pseudo-melodic/symphonic inserts, slowdowns, and accelerations, as well as a mix that changes depending on the tracks, intentionally in my opinion, emphasizing one instrument rather than another (at certain points the guitar is reduced to a hum). The riffs are cacophonous and dissonant, distortion and effects often leading the way, and during listening, one can hear sounds whose origin is hard to pinpoint. The last track, "Positive Destruction," devolves into an orgy of sounds that make them closer to Hijokaidan than to a death group. The only negative note is the lyrics, which do not differ from those of the genre (the most childish, to be precise).

Overall, a unique work that, more than ten years later, always manages to charm me with its perverse and grotesque allure. A masterpiece.