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MALFORMED
Confinement Of Flesh

Extremely Rotten Productions / Dark Descent (2025)
Rating: 8/10

Three years after forming from the catacombs of Helsinki in Finland, death metal ensemble Malformed spits out its debut full-length album, Confinement Of Flesh. Eetu Hyvönen (lead vocals and guitar), Akseli Lindroos (guitar), Pauli Niemi (bass and vocals) and Jani Seppi (drums) have created a gross and ghastly affair consisting of macabre rushes of U.S.-styled death rot. The riffs are meaty, mouldy and manky, intermittently punctured by grisly and gloomy solos.

Malformed obviously recorded this hideous entity in an ossuary because the stench of morbidity fills the nostrils with the passing of every song. There are nine choice cuts to contend with, all delivered with an air of despondency and ghoulish glee. The vocals are effective gurgles and the songs are far hastier than I expected. In fact, the album barely slithers over the half-an-hour duration, so prepare for a rather engrossing if somewhat fleeting work.

The first song is ‘Within The Flesh’, a rattling amalgamation of jarring bass and punchy drums before the mid-tempo stream of riffage. The 90s death metal vibe is dominant as the band shift into a steady gale of foaming aggression. Malformed seek to not clog drains and veins, instead they have opted for the quick submission of its audience by applying nifty chokeholds. While the fog of foreboding does linger, songs like ‘Confinement Of Terror’ have only one intention and that’s to blow the wisps away with a tirade of thrashy structures.

At times, it feels as if some of the songs suffer from a degree of impatience, wanting to get away quick before the next barrage arrives. However, when Malformed do steady the rhythm we get treated with the grinding chug of ‘Eyes Torn Out’. The bass is a vital spine here, clanging along until the ferocity makes itself known. I like the vocals a lot; they veer towards a dehydrated throaty gasp, well suited to the severity of the music. There’s also the deft mention of intricacy, particularly with the scurrying dynamics of ‘Shattered Illusion’ and the technicality of the percussion too on ‘Obscure Wails From Beyond’.

The more I have played this opus the more appreciative I’ve been of each instrument. I deep dived into closing cut ‘The Incoming Rapture’ just to focus on the bass; such is its striking and complex presence. However, with ‘Return Of The Plague’ I couldn’t help but concentrate on the excellent drum patterns. Despite its old school nature, Malformed’s debut matures with each listen rather than wearing off. This is testament to this unit and their ability to create modest mind-mashing morbid death metal.

Neil Arnold

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