Malevolence

Malicious Intent

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ft. Matt Honeycutt, Matt Heafy.
Genre: Groove Metal.
Released: 20/05/2022
Via Nuclear Blast

Album Review: Malevolence – Malicious Intent

Malevolence is a name that has been getting more and more attention over the last 12 months. From playing at the Download Pilot event to supporting Architects on their latest arena tour, the band are putting themselves out there and getting their unrelenting sound out to the masses as best they can. Here is my review of their latest album ‘Malicious Intent’.

Opening the album is the title track ‘Malicious Intent’. A heavy track that shows no mercy and lets the listener know just what to expect from the rest of the record. The blend of hardcore and metal makes for a slightly more defined sound that is quickly becoming synonymous with Malevolence. Following on from that is ‘Life Sentence’, one of the more impactful songs on the record. Boasting a powerful chorus matched with a real beat down attitude throughout the track. This song means business and it will beat the hell out of you if it gets the chance.

Continuing the aggression is ‘On Broken Glass’ which has one of the more memorable openings. The riffs and drumming complement each other nicely, while the songs transition into a more relentless feel once the verse kicks in. It’s worth a listen on its own. Fans are already in love with this song with thousands screaming the chorus back at the band every time they drop it live and it’s clear to see why it’s such a fan favourite! ‘Still Waters Run Deep’ comes in heavy as expected with its breakdown in the latter half of the track being one of my personal favourites on the entire album. This one is well worth a spin.

‘Higher Place’ is the first instance on the album where you will encounter the band’s capability to incorporate a softer touch to their music. Opening with quite a sombre feel, the song slowly builds to a climax of melodic melodies and heart wrenching gutturals. Dialling the aggression back up to 11, ‘Karma’ unleashes an unrelenting assault on the listener in the form of blast beats and chugging riffs that dominate the track.

As we near the end of the record ‘Above All Else’ brings quite a different sound as its intro boasts some reverberated vocals and a more hollow sound, before smoothly transitioning back into the band’s usual beat down nature. On the other hand ‘Do or Die’ is exactly what you’d expect to come from the band. A no-nonsense song that will put your neck muscles to the test at the first given opportunity.

Penultimate track ‘Salvation’ keeps the party alive with an extremely beefy beat which will send any metal fan into a headbanging frenzy. The feature of Matt Heafy’s vocals adds quite a nice bit of range to the track which gives it that little bit extra that helps it stand out from the pack. Unsurprisingly the album ends with a heavy one and ‘Armageddon’ is quite a fitting name for the track that lays this album to rest. A more methodical intro quickly turns into chaos as the song progresses and by the end, Malevolence have made sure there is nothing left to give.

I have nothing but praise for Malevolence after hearing this album. They have really honed in on their sound and capitalised on their strengths. It’s very clear to see why they are quickly becoming one of the UK’s fastest-growing names and with the momentum, they have generated from this album, I don’t expect it to stop any time soon.