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I need the attention of all so-called technical death metal bands. I direct you to Malignancy, so they can show you how it's fucking done. This is brutal, technical-as-fuck death metal done correctly, without any weakness and without any lack of heaviness. It's proper, tight, and menacing.
By now most of the death metal scene ought to be familiar with this band, and at least their classic Intrauterine Cannibalism record, their debut. Malignancy has been around forever, consistently and constantly plying their trade in the scene, and this is one band that always impresses me with each new release. They don't lean on trend - they bucked the trends in 1999 by leaning into technicality instead of slam riffs, and they're bucking it now by leaning into songwriting and memorable hooks instead of simply relying on complicated riffs strung together like beads by the drums. No, Malignancy writes songs, and memorable ones at that. They may not be verse-chorus-verse, but there are clear progressions in each song, and the riffs are good, not to mention the rest of the playing on offer here, including the inhuman vocal work.
I think one of the most difficult aspects of capturing a band like this on record (and, hell, onstage even) is having the right mix on the album. They've achieved what I think is a perfect production for them, with each instrument clear and separated with zero mud. The vocals soar clear above it all, and you can hear each drum and cymbal tone with each hit of the sticks. The bass guitar rumbles along with a unique tone of its own underneath everything, creating interesting textures, and not just mimicking the guitars. The incredibly tight performance on offer as a result of all this hard work (and it HAS to be tight with this style) stands head and shoulders above other bands trying similar things in this music style we all love.
This is one of the only technical death metal bands that I like, and they may well be my favorite in this style. I'm somewhat known for my harsh take on technicality in death metal, since I almost always feel it robs bands of an extra layer of heaviness. This is not true for Malignancy, and I'm glad they're still around and wrecking my eardrums all these years later.
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