Malefice was an English
heavy metal band from
Reading
Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch.
For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...
,
Berkshire
Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...
, formed in 2003. They disbanded in 2017.
History
The original members consisted of college friends Dale Butler, Alex Vuskans, Craig Thomas and Craig Fenner. After formation they began writing their songs straight away. Their first major break was to open a four band bill charity gig at the Rivermead Centre in Reading. Henceforth their fanbase began to grow. Through constant touring around Reading and London, they managed to get a distribution deal for their first EP ''Relentless'' through Hangman's Joke.
Then in early 2007 they signed to Anticulture Records. They then recorded their debut album ''Entities'' under the production team of Dan Weller and Justin Hill of WellerHill at Craig's parents home in South Wales. The album has been highly praised by the British metal press . The band eventually announced their amicable split from the Anticulture label via their Myspace page.
Since the album's release they have been support for the successful
SikTh tour as well as
DevilDriver
DevilDriver is an American heavy metal band from Santa Barbara, California, formed in 2002, consisting of vocalist Dez Fafara, lead guitarist Mike Spreitzer, drummer Davier Pérez, bassist Jon Miller and rhythm guitarist Alex Lee. The band was ...
and
God Forbid
God Forbid is an American heavy metal band formed in East Brunswick, New Jersey in 1996.
History Early career (1999-2004)
Building up a following in the late 1990s by touring with bands such as GWAR, Nile, Cradle of Filth and Candiria, God Fo ...
and have played shows with the likes of
Soulfly
Soulfly is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1997, and later based out of Phoenix, Arizona. Soulfly is led by former Sepultura frontman Max Cavalera, who formed the band after he left the Brazilian group in 199 ...
.
In January 2008, they played a show at
The Wedgewood Rooms
The Wedgewood Rooms is an independent live music venue, in Southsea, Portsmouth, England, which hosts both music and comedy events.
It has a capacity of 400 people, and is located on Albert Road in Southsea. Recently it has hosted events from ...
in
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council.
Portsmouth is the most dens ...
, which was recorded, and is due to be released as the band's first ever DVD.
In June 2008, Malefice opened the second stage of the prestigious
Download Festival
Download Festival is a British-created rock festival created by Terrance Gough, held annually at the Donington Park motorsport circuit in Leicestershire, England (since 2003); in Paris, France (since 2016); at Parramatta Park, Sydney (since 201 ...
on the Saturday.
November 2008, Malefice announced through thei
Myspacepage that they had signed a worldwide deal with
Metal Blade Records
Metal Blade Records is an American independent record label founded by Brian Slagel in 1982. The US office for Metal Blade is located in Agoura Hills, California. It also has offices in Germany, Japan, Canada, and the UK. The label is distrib ...
. In February 2009 they released their second album ''
Dawn of Reprisal''. On 12 September, they played at Butserfest alongside
Go:Audio and
We Are the Ocean.
On 26 September 2009, they played in India at the annual cultural fest
Rendezvous of
IIT Delhi
The Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi is a public institute of technology located in New Delhi, India. It is one of the 23 IITs created to be Centres of Excellence for training, research and development in science, engineering and technolo ...
.
In March 2010 the band featured on the BBC TV show "''
The Bubble''". The following month it was announced that drummer Craig Thomas had left the band, to be replaced by Chris Allan-Whyte.
Following this Malefice also played on the Jager stage at Sonisphere UK, playing a 30-minute set on Saturday evening. In 2012 they recorded a song with
Everton goalkeeper
Marcus Hahnemann
Marcus Stephen Hahnemann (born June 15, 1972) is an American former professional soccer player who played as a goalkeeper.
Graduating out of Seattle Pacific University, he played for the Seattle Sounders between 1994 and 1996. Between 1997 and ...
for the Jägermeister UK "Ice Cold Session", titled ''Omega'' and released on 1 February 2012.
In June 2012, the band signed to
Transcend Music
Transcend Music, is a British record label and artist management company. Founded in 2007 by Rob Ferguson, they have signed acts such as Malefice and The Dirty Youth.
History
Transcend Music was founded as Transcend Records in Milton Keynes, Un ...
.
In March 2017, the group disbanded, in order to pursue solo careers.
Band members
Current members
* Dale Butler – vocals (2003–2017)
* Ben Symons – guitar (2003–2017)
* Tom Hynes – bass (2006–2017)
* Andrew Wilson – guitar (2011–2017)
* James Cook – drums (2014–2017)
Former members
* Lloyd Griffiths – bass (2003–2006)
* Craig Thomas – drums (2003–2010)
* Alex Vuskans – guitar(2003–2011)
* Chris Allan-Whyte – drums (2010–2014)
Timeline
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bar:Chris from:01/01/2010 till:01/01/2014 color:drums
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Discography
Studio albums and EPs
* 2006 – ''Relentless'' (Hangmans Joke)
* 2007 – ''
Entities
An entity is something that exists as itself, as a subject or as an object, actually or potentially, concretely or abstractly, physically or not. It need not be of material existence. In particular, abstractions and legal fictions are usually ...
'' (Anticulture Records)
* 2009 – ''
Dawn of Reprisal'' (
Metal Blade Records
Metal Blade Records is an American independent record label founded by Brian Slagel in 1982. The US office for Metal Blade is located in Agoura Hills, California. It also has offices in Germany, Japan, Canada, and the UK. The label is distrib ...
)
* 2011 – ''
Awaken the Tides'' (
Metal Blade Records
Metal Blade Records is an American independent record label founded by Brian Slagel in 1982. The US office for Metal Blade is located in Agoura Hills, California. It also has offices in Germany, Japan, Canada, and the UK. The label is distrib ...
)
* 2013 – ''Five'' (Transcend Music)
MALEFICE REVEAL DETAILS & ARTWORK FOR NEW ALBUM
Promotional videos
* 2006 – "The Force That You Fear"
* 2007 – "Risen Through the Ashes"
* 2009 – "An Architect of Your Demise"
* 2011 – "Awaken the Tides"
* 2012 – "Omega" (feat. Marcus Hahnemann
Marcus Stephen Hahnemann (born June 15, 1972) is an American former professional soccer player who played as a goalkeeper.
Graduating out of Seattle Pacific University, he played for the Seattle Sounders between 1994 and 1996. Between 1997 and ...
)
* 2013 – "V"
* 2013 – "Blueprints"
* 2014 – "Heroes"
References
External links
*
Malefice TV on YouTube
{{Authority control
British alternative metal musical groups
English heavy metal musical groups
Musical groups established in 2003
Musical groups from Reading, Berkshire
Metal Blade Records artists