Crush the Dream

Bursting out of the gates with 23 brutal slabs of inspired grindcore, Malefaction exudes a horrific brilliance on their first record. Add into the equation the fact that only two of those tracks even make it past the two-minute mark, and it become clear just what a blistering set this is. The Canadian quartet takes buzz-saw guitars, frantic drumming, and impassioned screams and throws them headlong into tracks with titles including "Ensure Bloodlust Prospers," "The Great Annihilator," and "F**k the League for Life." Gives you a better idea of what you're dealing with here, doesn't it? While it's unarguably far from subtle, the boys in Malefaction are technically brilliant, mixing slow-driving, dirge-like breakdowns with frenetic metal at top speeds. Their prophecies of doom and bloodshed get a bit repetitive by, say, the 20th time around, but anyone who has made it that far is enjoying the punishment. ~ Peter J. D'Angelo, Rovi