Malevolence are a band that is as hard as Sheffield steel. From their mindset to their riffs, this is a band that has mastered self-supremacy and woe betide anyone that stands in their way. Their unique blend of metallic hardcore with the grooves of NOLA sludge, alongside their ridiculously hard-working mentality has helped the band start a phenomenal rise to the to of the UK metal scene. Malevolence’s highly anticipated third album Malicious Intent sees the band up the ante with more aggression and more passionate emotion unlike anything we’ve seen from them before. Packed full of self-hype inducing energy, if you can remain in your seat for the duration of this album, then it is fair to say that you are not human.
Over the last decade Malevolence have been crafting their sound, evolving it to be bigger and better with each release, whilst gaining more and more dedicated fans in the process. Malicious Intent feels like the band have reached the pinnacle of their ascendancy. With features from Matt Honeycutt of hardcore legends Kublai Khan TX and Matt Heafy of all-conquering Trivium, this album already feels big and weighty before you even press play. Some will argue that in hindsight, it feels like 2020’s EP The Other Side was a small taste of what was to come on Malicious Intent. However, whilst in may ways that is true to an extent, this album conquers any and all preconceptions you may have of it. Transcending through the album is the signature Malevolence aggression that we have all come to know and come to expect, but throughout Malicious Intent you feel the band opening up, showing us the other, more heartfelt side. With increased cleaner singing and melodic lead parts alongside emotive, visceral and passionate lyrics supplied by Alex Taylor and Konan Hall, the band have pushed their sound further and have gone deeper than they have before.
Malicious Intent is an album of many different layers, one of self-reflection, one of unbridled self-confidence, one of self-supremacy and one of unrestricted passionate self-expression. There is something for everyone to take out of this album, and it will run your emotions around in a circle pit, rough them up a bit and then put them back forever changed. It also shows a band that has so much inner belief to remain positive and succeed in the face of adversity that you can’t help but pour your own emotions into Malicious Intent, and back Malevolence with every fibre of your being.
Title track and opening salvo ‘Malicious Intent’ is a short sharp introduction fully loaded with hardcore riffs and firing them off like artillery. This, which will come as no surprise, lays out the album’s intent and from here on in it gets bigger and better with each track. It leads perfectly onto the foaming-at-the-mouth aggressive ‘Life Sentence’ which is an all out thrasher that gives you an incredible rush of adrenaline as you bang your head with furious disregard to your environment. Lead single ‘On Broken Glass’ opens up the first of the groove-laden tracks on the album as well as introducing one of the most memorable choruses of the year. Alongside ‘Still Waters Run Deep’ you can really hear the Crowbar influence, that encompassed with the rhythmic battering of the chugged chords both tracks beat you into next week. ‘Higher Place’ offers a moment of calm, its sombre and emotive intro brilliantly showcasing the higher range of Konan’s vocals before launching into a near spiritual experience when the rest of the band come in. ‘Above All Else’ featuring Matt Honeycutt is a gritty, bludgeoning, all out hardcore track that would tear holes in arena roofs. ‘Salvation’ featuring Matt Heafy is simply epic. Whilst it tackles personal struggles lyrically, Matt’s clean vocals give the song a truly triumphant arena feel to the song. ‘Armageddon’ closes the album in all out sludge metal glory. Swampy, gritty and dirty it wraps up the album by giving you a final steel fisted punch to the gut.
Malicious Intent is Malevolence at their best. Raw, uncompromising and brutally honest, these Sheffield lads have left no stone unturned and given us a crushingly aggressive yet heartfelt album. This will no doubt be hailed as a classic of UK metal in the future.