Artist: Malevolence
Release: Reign of Suffering (Album)
Release Date: Out now!
Known for their unfathomable energy, renowned noise-makers Malevolence are back with ‘Reign of Suffering’. At just eight tracks long and totalling just over 35 minutes, is it possible for this rough and ready group to capture the raucous brilliance of their live performance within a set of Mp3s?
Staying true to their guitar-heavy sound they open the eight-track release with the ballsy ‘In The Face Of Death’. For those of you who haven’t yet been acquainted with these Sheffield shredders, this track will swiftly rectify that. Encapsulating the essence of the band in under four minutes, it’s destined to have you hooked. Thankfully the following tracks are there to reel you in further. Throughout, we are hit with breakdown after breakdown, a pattern which is kept from going stale through their sheer knack for writing fantastically brutal tracks.
It’s clear from one listen to ‘Eternal Torment’ that this is a band built for live shows. Even through our speakers, the chaos and energy of a Malevolence gig is oozing. We can almost see the quintet using every inch of a stage in a packed room to its full potential, and to get such strong imagery whilst just sat at a desk is quite something.
The group tone things down for the melancholic ‘Turn To Stone’, the stripped introduction of which smacks us in the face harder than any of its aggressive predecessors have done. Shining the spotlight on a more emotive side to the band, frontman Alex’s vocals stun on another level. With his distinct grit remaining, he achieves a softer, more sing-song tone that moulds perfectly with the stand-out point of the album. After six unrelenting, high-octane anthems, it is a bit of a surprise to be met with this moodier manner. Thankfully, the surprise paid off.
If this album has proved anything negative, it’s that Malevolence isn’t a band made for studio releases. The raw power and balls-out energy they possess in the flesh cannot be contained in this all-too-short album. That being said, Reign of Suffering is still a fantastic offering that does manage to encapsulate at least some of what the band is about and a fraction of what they’re capable of.
8/10
Reviewer: Freya Cochrane
