UMUR
"In Cold Blood" is the 5th full-length studio album by US death metal act Malevolent Creation. The album was released through Pavement Music in June 1997. It´s the second and last studio album with bassist Jason Blachowicz also providing vocals. Just as the case was on "Eternal (1995)", the band are a four-piece on "In Cold Blood". In addition to Blachowicz on bass and vocals, the band consist of guitarist and main composer Phil Fasciana, guitarist John Paul Soars and drummer Derek Roddy (Hate Eternal, Aurora Borealis, Blotted Science, Council of the Fallen). The two latter mentioned are new in the lineup replacing guitarist Jon Rubin and drummer Dave Culross (who had joined Suffocation for a short notice).
"In Cold Blood" pretty much continues down the same US death metal path as "Eternal (1995)". The music is more brutal and less thrashy compared to the first three albums. Jason Blachowicz´s semi-growling vocals are also quite different from the vocal style by Brett Hoffmann. What isn´t different is the relentless aggression and brutal riffing, which is a trademark of the band´s sound. Compared to the predecessor, "In Cold Blood" is a bit one-dimensional though and while we´re of course talking quality US death metal, I wouldn´t mention "In Cold Blood" as one of the band´s better releases. The sound production isn´t that dynamic either and also contributes to the overall feeling that "In Cold Blood" is lacking something to really entertain all the way through the 42:03 minutes long playing time. A 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is warranted.