MALEVOLENT CREATION

Emerging from the flourishing Florida heavy metal scene in the early ’90s (originally hailing from Buffalo, New York), Malevolent Creation played a pivotal role in shaping the sound and style of American death metal. Their influential debut album, the gore-infused «Ten Commandments,» released in 1991, laid the foundation for the band’s trajectory. Over the years, Malevolent Creation underwent personnel changes and embraced a more progressive and technically intricate death metal sound, a direction they pursued in subsequent releases such as «Eternal» (1995), «Warkult» (2004), «Invidious Dominion» (2010), and «The 13th Beast» (2019).

Initially drawing inspiration from the sonic intensity and lyrical darkness of Slayer, Malevolent Creation secured a record deal with Roadrunner Records in the early ’90s. The band consisted of vocalist Brett Hoffmann, guitarists Phil Fasciana and Jeff Juskiewicz, bassist Jason Blachowicz, and drummer Mark Simpson. Their debut album, «The Ten Commandments» (1991), became a significant milestone in the death metal underground, building upon the early works of Slayer and fellow Floridian band Death. Their second album, «Retribution» (1992), was equally powerful, introducing two new members from Solstice—guitarist Rob Barrett, who replaced Juskiewicz, and drummer Alex Marquez. However, Barrett and Marquez were later substituted by John Rubin (previously part of an early Malevolent Creation lineup) and «Crazy» Larry Hawke for the release of «Stillborn» in 1993. The album failed to meet the expectations of their loyal fanbase and marked a tumultuous end to their partnership with Roadrunner Records.

The band faced considerable challenges due to label difficulties, almost leading to their disintegration. However, they resurfaced on Pavement Music with a revitalized lineup and a more progressive and technical approach, showcased in their album «Eternal» (1995). Hoffmann departed, with Blachowicz assuming vocal duties alongside guitarists Fasciana and Rubin, and ex-Suffocation drummer Dave Culross joining the band. A compilation album titled «Joe Black,» featuring remixes, outtakes, and demos, was released in 1996. The following year, Malevolent Creation delivered «In Cold Blood,» which saw guitarist John Paul Soars replacing Rubin and drummer Derek Roddy taking over from Culross. The return of Hoffmann, along with Barrett on guitar, Culross on drums, and new bassist Gordon Simms, marked the lineup for «The Fine Art of Murder» in 1998. The retrospective collection «Manifestation,» released by Pavement Records, arrived in 2000, followed by the new album «Envenomed» later that year. A sequel to «Envenomed» arrived in 2002, followed shortly by drummer Justin DiPinto’s final album with the band, «The Will to Kill.» Malevolent Creation maintained their productivity with the releases of «Warkult» in 2004 and «Doomsday X» in 2007. In 2010, they unveiled their 11th studio album, «Invidious Dominion.» In 2014, the band signed an international record deal with Century Media and released their first studio album for the label, «Dead Man’s Path,» in 2015. Tragically, this would be the final Malevolent Creation record featuring Hoffmann, who departed the band in the subsequent year and later passed away in 2018 due to complications related to colon cancer. In January 2019, the group released their 13th studio album.