REVIEWER – GRAEME WRIGHT
There have been so many great releases from bands at the heavier end of the spectrum this year that competition has been fierce for who will eventually emerge at the end of 2025 with the crown for best album. Killswitch Engage, Arch Enemy and Sodom will be right up there in the running (at least for me), but I’m here to tell you now that the new record from Malevolence is going to take some beating. This is the fourth album from the Sheffield based band and it’s easily the best thing they have ever done. It’s a brutal, cathartic record that contains eleven of the finest ultra heavy songs you are likely to hear all year.
From the first few beats of opener ‘Blood To The Leach’ it’s clear that Malevolence are in no mood to be taking prisoners. It’s a thunderous start to the proceedings with its aggressive vocal, a hammering drum beat and an overall sense of doom and anger that really hits the sweet spot for me. ‘Trenches’ grinds along like a freight train and pulls no punches, with vocalist Alex Taylor sounding so furious and contemptuous of the current state of the world. Malevolence have always had the knack of containing enough melody within their songs to attract a wider audience than the usual die hard Thrash Metal fan, and ‘If Its All The Same To You’ displays this in spades. It’s the best song the band have ever released and this is going to be a live song for the masses when Malevolence hit the road. I love this song and I suspect necks will be hurting in the middle of the pit very soon.
The band have worked with master producer Josh Wilbur on this record, and the man is a perfect fit for Malevolence who will soon be spoken of in the same breath as the other bands he has worked with (Lamb Of God, Gojira, Trivium) if they continue progressing at this rate. ‘Counterfeit’ is a song that displays the intelligence held within the lyrics (something the band haven’t always received full credit for), with this being prevalent right across this album. ‘Salt The Wound’ starts out with an almost Seventies Sabbath vibe before it morphs into a super heavy grinder then back again to the chilled tone. Marvellous stuff. ‘So Help Me God’ is a thing of beauty with heavy riffage, massive hooks and a monster chorus wrapped up with pace, power and aggression. ‘Imperfect Picture’ is both complex and accessible with a heavy bass line throughout, while ‘Heavens Shake’ is melodic, powerful and relentless.
We are in the home straight now and there is no let up for the listener. ‘In Spite’ features a guest vocal from Randy Blythe which shows you how this band are now perceived by their peers. It’s a bloody brilliant slab of genius that I’ve been playing incessantly at a loud enough volume to attract the ire of the missus and the dogs have long since left the man-cave. ‘Demonstration Of Pain’ is the penultimate song on the album and is the equivalent of a panic attack laid down on vinyl. The album closes with ‘With Dirt From My Grave’ which is an insanely paced assault on the senses that finishes off the proceedings in fine style. This is a fabulous album from an amazing, hard-working outfit who have progressed so much in such a short period of time it’s just unreal. There’s no doubt this will be competing to be my album of the year in December and if your tastes veer towards the heavier side of things this is quite simply manna from heaven.
BAND
Alex Taylor – Vocals
Konan Hall – Guitars, vocals
Josh Baines – Guitars
Wilkie Robinson – Bass
Charlie Thorpe – Drums
ALBUM TRACK LIST
1. Blood From The Leach
2. Trenches
3. If It’s All The Same To You
4. Counterfeit
5. Salt The Wound
6. So Help Me God
7. Imperfect Picture
8. Heavens Shake
9. In Spite (feat. Randy Blythe)
10. Demonstration Of Pain
11. With Dirt From My Grave
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