__ __
_()__::_ _::_ ___:::___ ___:::____ _::_ _()_
||_> <__::__> <_,_) _ (_ __) _ (_ _> <________:||
|| \/ _/ | \_/ | \| \||
|| | | | | | ||
|| | | | | | ||
|| | | | | | ||
|| __ _ | | | | | __ ||
|| ||\/| | | | | | |\ ||
|| || | | | | | || ||
|| _:_ixxu | _:_:\____:::_____/\____:::____//_:____||_____||
||_> <_____!__> '|_> _ <_ _) _ (_ <__! ||
|| \! | | \/ | \! /______ ||
|| \ | | | | | //||
|| __ / | | | | | \\|
|| |> \ | | | | | | ||
|| |------ \ | | | | | | ||
== |> / | ____:____ | | | |> ==
|| | / |\ \ | | | | ||
|| / ------ \ | | ||
||\__ _____/| _ _______:_____/ \_____ _____// ___________||
`/ | _> | _> | > | _> | _> \'
|/ |/ |/ |/ |/
! ! ! ! !
Artist......: Malformed
Album.......: Confinement of Flesh
Year........: 2025
Genre.......: Death Metal
Type........: Album
Label.......: Dark Descent
Language....: English
Source......: WEB
Encoder.....: libFLAC
Quality.....: 1083kbps avg. / 44.1kHz / 2 channels
Tracks......: 9
Playtime....: 00:32:49
Size........: 267.01MB
R.Date......: 2025-07-27
S.Date......: 2025-07-25
Url.........: http://play.qobuz.com/album/j17v5bc3ri2ac
01. Within the Flesh 4:15
02. Confinement of Terror 3:13
03. Obscure Wails from Beyond 3:37
04. Abnormal Eulogy 4:14
05. Eyes Torn Out 2:55
06. Depredate the Divine 3:30
07. Return of the Plague 2:55
08. Shattered Illusion 3:55
09. The Incoming Rapture 4:15
An eyeless, shrieking abomination mutated several
generations beyond a long forgotten contamination
event now wrestles away from the captivity of its own
torturous, everliving wretchedness as Helsinki,
Finland-based death metal quartet MALFORMED present a
soundtrack to the sloughing of flesh and howling rip
of transcendental gore on this pro-level debut
full-length album. Aiming for total extinction
æConfinement of Fleshæ rips itself apart
sinew-from-bone in portraying a realm cursed with
despairing minds and decayed senses which generally
avoids the too-typical tropes of ænew old schoolÆ
death metal slop via prime guitar work and a
respectable stack of riffs throughout. Though theyÆve
not yet outpaced the estranged furor of classics with
this record the standard achieved here is choice and
should readily appeal to pure death metal skulls
attuned to mid-90Æs European and North American death
metal.
Malformed, uh, formed back in 2022 by way of folks
associated with pandemic era death and thrash metal
crews Connected, Exigenced and the somewhat better
known Azatoth where theyÆd built some general
capability. The demo tape (æUncontrollable
Malformityæ, 2022) theyÆd released that same year was
somewhat non-specific in its approach though itÆd
featured some decent semi-melodic leads and a very
strong bass guitar presence. Their work had tightened
up in terms of pacing and riffcraft on a follow-up EP
(æThe Gathering of Soulsæ, 2023) not long after and
there IÆd say the potential of their work was more
clearly stated as substantive underground death metal
per a rotten sound and much improved rhythm guitar
work. It wasnÆt exactly æBlasphemy Made Fleshæ or
Adramelech for that matter but there was a sort of
frantic mid-90Æs sprawl to that recording which IÆd
appreciated in short review. I donÆt know how
important that context is in hindsight as those
formative recordings generally communicated æold
schoolÆ death metal inspired intent and a strong bass
guitar hand but I wouldnÆt say the demo or EP signaled
all that clearly the impending compositional leap that
æConfinement of Fleshæ now presents.
Described as a fusion of classic United States death
metal severity alongside the gloom of early Finndeath
Malformed donÆt necessarily read as a recreation of
æShadows of the Pastæ as that description might
suggest though opener ôWithin the Fleshö and its
opening leads might briefly hint at the
Atheist-inspired rushes found in the first half of
æNorth From Hereæ. The lead guitarists here bring some
sense of Scandinavian heavy rock inspired early 90Æs
death metal muse on the first half of the LP and the
riff that hits around ~1:36 minutes in (plus the solo
that follows) should speak directly to those
sensibilities. The opener doesnÆt fully reveal the
kinda militant æTomb of the Mutilatedæ spank of the
record which we find as we push through ôConfinement
of Terrorö and beyond but youÆve got the general idea
of USDM-meets-Scandinavian death-gloom presented
herein, all of it kicked at high energy with plenty
enough riffs and lead firing off. The first impression
is intense, serious death metal designed to crush out
riffs that crawl and slither through the senses and
(eventually) worm into mind.
Rather than bang out the same type of riff fifty times
across nine songs Malformed start to develop more of
their ouevre immediately with standout ôAbnormal
Eulogyö, a mid-paced piece which gives some breathing
room for the bass guitar to present more than a spike
or pop around the edges of the riff. The loop-ready
bap of nowadays death metal kinda creeps into some of
these movements but never in a sluggish manner, though
the swagger is there it usually acts as a precipice to
dive from as we find ~2:31 minutes into the song, a
progression which escalates in speed and culls some
repetition with each riff change. Rather than recreate
the frantic choke-points of classic death-thrash
progressions this more deliberate alignment comes
across moreso in the vein of Æ93-Æ94 death metal
guitar work where a blunt but technical edge and
studied interplay between two guitarists was part of
the arms race of the time (re: æSolstice of
Oppressionæ). Though these are relatively short and
impatient songs in direct comparison with the auld
underground IÆd still felt songs like ôDepredate the
Divineö speak to an often under-appreciated era of raw
sophistication of pure death metal.
The only bummer here for my own taste is that
Malformed have more-or-less left behind any sense for
creeped and obscure atmosphere beyond ôAbnormal
Eulogyö as they go on hoarking meat-and-potatoes
chunks throughout the bulk of the second half of
æConfinement of Fleshæ. While I appreciate their blood
spraying chainsawÆd whip through Ætil the end closer
ôThe Incoming Raptureö almost stands out too much
after four ~shorter rippers mill past. At just ~33
minutes it feels like they had one more pensive, or,
slightly more patient cut in Æem but either way though
IÆd found that final song did well to seal off the
experience. If the whole of the experience wasnÆt all
up to a well above-average standard, sharply
presented, and cutting in every statement itÆd feel
lesser-than but I found myself goaded back to the
start from the first listen.
The overall quality of experience presented by
æConfinement of Fleshæ was undeniable on my part and
not only for the sake of strong curation (cover art
via thee Ska≡valdur) and steel-girded production
values but the bullheaded impact of its
higher-standard guitar work clicked with me as a fan
who still readily recalls the non-remastered riff
obsessed history of 90Æs death metal. So, nostalgic
sensibilities admittedly carry some appeal here but
moreso for an older, better standard upheld in their
work. Malformed could go further with it and do more
with this sound, theyÆve clearly got the compositional
hand(s) in the right geared-up state, but as a debut
LP this one does well to introduce a band in rare form
and with the right idea.