UMUR "Demo 1990" (or just "1990" as it says on the cover of the cassette tape demo) is the third and last demo recording by US, Buffalo, New York based thrash/death metal act Malevolent Creation. The demo was released in April 1990 and was originally limited to 1.000 cassette tape copies. It was on the grounds of this demo that Malevolent Creation were signed by Roadrunner Records for the release of their 1991 debut full-length studio album "The Ten Commandments".

The three tracks on the 11:41 minutes long demo were recorded at Morrisound Recording, Tampa, Florida, and they feature a professional, powerful, and brutal sounding production, which helps make the tracks shine. All three tracks from the demo would be re-recorded and included on "The Ten Commandments" (1991), but actually appear here in versions which are more or less identical to the album versions (the guitar solos are sligthly different). Compared to the first two demos, the music has become even faster, heavier, more brutal, and most important of all lead vocalist Brett Hoffmann has developed his vocal style to become more brutal. He is still not a traditional death metal growler, but instead employs a semi-growling snarling vocal style which is probably still closer to thrash metal style vocals, but slightly more brutal than the average thrash metal singer´s vocal repertoire.

Upon conclusion this is an absolutely killer demo recording, which in some ways is even more powerful, raw, and savage than the debut album featuring the same tracks. A 4 star (80%) rating is fully deserved. This is one of the most well sounding death/thrash metal demos of the era (along with the Demolition Hammer´s 1989 "Necrology" demo).

UMUR "Malevolent Creation" (or just demo 1989) is the second demo recording by US, Buffalo, New York based thrash/death metal act Malevolent Creation. The demo was released in June 1989 on cassette tape and the original batch was limited to 100 copies.

The demo features three tracks and a total playing time of 10:17 minutes. "Injected Sufferage" opens the demo. It was re-recorded an included on the band´s 1991 debut full-length studio album "The Ten Commandments", but appears here in a more unpolished and thrashy version, which lead vocalist Brett Hoffmann delivering a more shouting thrash metal influenced vocal performance, than the semi-growling vocal style he would later be known for. Other than that "Injected Sufferage" actually sounds a lot like it would sound on the debut album.

The two other tracks on the demo are "Epileptic Seizure" and "Violent Offspring". None of them made the cut for the debut album. Stylistically they also display the more thrashy side of Malevolent Creation. Although this is certainly both aggressive and brutal thrash metal, Malevolent Creation had no dipped their toes much in death metal yet. The demo features a relatively well sounding production, and it´s overall a good quality demo by Malevolent Creation, but it would take one further demo before they would be signed by Roadrunner Records for the release of "The Ten Commandments" (1991). A 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "Live Demo" is a live demo recording by US, Buffalo, New York based thrash/death metal act Malevolent Creation. The demo was recorded and released in 1989. It predominantly features tracks which would subsequently be recorded and included on their 1991 debut full-length studio album "The Ten Commandments", and a couple of tracks from their second demo tape, which didn´t make the cut for the debut album ("Epileptic Seizure" and "Violent Offspring"), or at least didn´t make the cut in the versions from this live demo ("Decadence Within" is for example titled "Decadence Within Within the Human Corporation" on this live demo). The demo also features a track titled "Scott´s Woman", which is a "fun" (or inappropriate for others) and pretty simple track, about wanting to have sex with bassist Scott O´Dell´s girlfriend. Naturally that one has never been included on later releases.

The sound qualiy is raw and unpolished, but the demo sounds authentic and the raw sound suits the material perfectly. It´s great to hear how well playing and enthusiastic the band sound on stage, and this is an example of a live demo recording which actually is worth listening to. A 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "Demo 1987" is a remixed and remastered EP version of US death/thrash metal act Malevolent Creation´s first demo from 1987. The original demo from 1987 featured three tracks and a total playing time of 8:35 minutes. This 2011 reissue of the demo features six tracks. The original versions of "Sacrificial Annihilation", "The Traitor Must Pay", and "Confirmed Kill", and the remixed versions of the two former and a remastered "live in the studio" version of "Confirmed Kill".

Stylistically Malevolent Creation pretty much found their signature brutal thrash/death metal style right away, alhough lead vocalist Brett Hoffmann has a more thrashy raw delivery than a death metal growling style. So this is not death metal, but rather an aggressive and brutal take on thrash metal. "Sacrificial Annihilation" pretty much sounds like it would on the band´s 1991 debut full-length studio album "The Ten Commandments", although more unpolished and less brutal. But the ideas and the structures are there.

The two other tracks on the demo are "The Traitor Must Pay" and "Confirmed Kill". None of them were included on subsequent album releases in the form they are presented here, but the former features some of the riffs and structure of what would become "Remnants of Withered Decay" (from "The Ten Commandments"). "Confirmed Kill" would be re-recorded and included on Malevolent Creation´s 2000 seventh full-length studio album "Envenomed" (well actually not on the original version of the album, the track is only available on the reissue of the album, which is titled "Envenomed II"), but sounds quite different from the almost crossover thrash metal sounding demo version.

The original versions of the three tracks features a relatively thin and trembly sounding production job, which isn´t unusual considering that this is a thrash metal demo from 1987, while the remixed/remastered versions of the tracks sound a lot more powerful, well defined, and brutal. It´s interesting how modern technology can sometimes bring out things in old recordings which you hadn´t noticed was there. I´m usually not a huge fan of remixes, but in this case it actually makes sense. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.

UMUR The aptly titled "Demo" is the first demo recording by US, Buffalo, New York based thrash/death metal act Malevolent Creation. The demo was released in 1987 and was originally released on a single-sided cassette tape.

The demo features three tracks and a total playing time of 8:35 minutes. Stylistically Malevolent Creation pretty much found their signature brutal thrash/death metal style right away, alhough lead vocalist Brett Hoffmann has a more thrashy raw delivery than a death metal growling style. So this is not death metal, but rather an aggressive and brutal take on thrash metal. "Sacrificial Annihilation" pretty much sounds like it would on the band´s 1991 debut full-length studio album "The Ten Commandments", although more unpolished and less brutal. But the ideas and the structures are there.

The two other tracks on the demo are "The Traitor Must Pay" and "Confirmed Kill". None of them were included on subsequent album releases in the form they are presented here, but the former features some of the riffs and structure of what would become "Remnants of Withered Decay" (from "The Ten Commandments"). "Confirmed Kill" would be re-recorded and included on Malevolent Creation´s 2000 seventh full-length studio album "Envenomed" (well actually not on the original version of the album, the track is only available on the reissue of the album, which is titled "Envenomed II"), but sounds quite different from the almost crossover thrash metal sounding demo version.

The sound quality is decent, although a bit on the thin trembly side. Some reissues of "The Ten Commandments" feature the three tracks from this demo as bonus material, but those are remixed versions, which sound much heavier and well produced. The original demo did not sound like the remixed versions. Overall it´s a good quality first demo by Malevolent Creation, and already this early on, it was obvious that these guys had something great going on. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.