The Will To Kill (Nuclear Blast~2002)
One of the more accomplished bands of its kind over the past decade, Malevolent Creation is back with another dose of aggressive, murderous U.S. death metal. The making of this record wasn´t the smoothest, with several problems plaguing the band. For starters, vocalist Brett Hoffmann´s personal problems led to jail time and kept him from getting the job done upon his release, so he was replaced by Hateplow´s Kyle Symons. Also, Jean-Francois Dagenais of Katakylsm was slated to produce the album, but he wasn´t able to get everything in order to get into the U.S. from Canada in time for the recording, so the band produced "The Will To Kill". Dagenais was able to mix the album. Even some major lightning storms interrupted the recording process, yet with all of the obstacles, the results are quite impressive. The songs, performances and sound are excellent. It´s nice to hear death metal played with speed and power, and complemented by vocals that are both brutal and understandable. In a scene that sees new bands sprouting up everywhere, this album reminds us not to forget to check out what veterans like Malevolent Creation are up to.