Malevolence are an English heavy metal band formed in

Sheffield Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...

South Yorkshire South Yorkshire is a ceremonial and metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. The county has four council areas which are the cities of Doncaster and Sheffield as well as the boroughs of Barnsley and Rotherham. In N ...

, in 2010. They have released three studio albums and one EP and established their own record label called MLVLTD Music.

History

Guitarists Josh Baines and Konan Hall first bonded over a shared love of

heavy metal music Heavy metal (or simply metal) is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the United Kingdom and United States. With roots in blues rock, psychedelic rock and acid rock, heavy metal bands developed a ...

while attending primary school in

, beginning to perform live when they were twelve years old. Malevolence officially formed in 2010, when Alex Taylor joined as vocalist. They released a demo the next year. In June 2013, they signed to

Siege of Amida Records Ferret Music was an American independent record label turned Warner Music Group subsidiary, founded in 1996. The label is owned by NORA's vocalist, Carl Severson, and based in West Windsor, New Jersey. Ferret recently started an imprint called ...

. The label released the band's debut album ''Reign of Suffering'' on 23 November 2013. Between 3 April and 2 May 2014 they supported

Obey the Brave Obey the Brave was a Canadian hardcore punk band From Montreal, Quebec and Ottawa, Ontario. Formed in 2012, the band features Despised Icon singer Alex Erian on vocals as well as Blind Witness bassist Miguel Lepage, guitarists John Campbell a ...

on their European headline tour along with

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

and

Kublai Khan Kublai ; Mongolian script: ; (23 September 1215 – 18 February 1294), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Shizu of Yuan and his regnal name Setsen Khan, was the founder of the Yuan dynasty of China and the fifth khagan-emperor of th ...

. In the same year, from 8 November to 20 December, they supported

Dying Fetus Dying Fetus is an American death metal band originally from Greater Upper Marlboro, Maryland. Formed in 1991, the group is known for their consistently hook-laden song structures, characterized by blast beats, complex riffing, slam riffs and hea ...

on their European headline tour with

Goatwhore Goatwhore is an American extreme metal band formed in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1997. Biography Goatwhore was formed by guitarist/backing vocalist Sammy Duet, who was previously the lead guitarist for Louisiana sludge metal band Acid Bath. The ...

and

Fallujah Fallujah ( ar, ٱلْفَلُّوجَة, al-Fallūjah, Iraqi pronunciation: ) is a city in the Iraqi province of Al Anbar, located roughly west of Baghdad on the Euphrates. Fallujah dates from Babylonian times and was host to important Jew ...

. Between 7 August and 16 September 2016 the band toured the North America with Kublai Khan and Jesus Piece. On 19 May 2017, their second studio album ''Self Supremacy'' was released through Beatdown Hardwear Records. From 11 to 13 February 2018, they opened for

Despised Icon Despised Icon is a Canadian deathcore band from Montreal, Quebec. Formed in 2002, the band is noted for the talent of its drummer, Alex Pelletier, who makes frequent use of the blasting technique, as well as for its dual lead vocalists; Alex E ...

on their UK tour, along with Archspire and Vulvodynia. They played

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 ...

in June. From 21 March to 1 May 2019, they opened along with

Misery Signals Misery Signals is an American-Canadian metalcore band formed in Wisconsin in 2002. History Formation (2002–2003) Misery Signals was formed after the disbanding of several bands, including 7 Angels 7 Plagues, Hamartia, and Compromise. Having p ...

and Left Behind on Darkest Hour and

Unearth Unearth is an American metalcore band from Boston, Massachusetts. Formed in 1998, the group has released seven studio albums. History Early career (1998–2002) Unearth was formed by Trevor Phipps, Buz McGrath, Ken Susi, Mike Rudberg, a ...

's European co-headline tour. Between 1 and 6 December, the band opened for

Knocked Loose Knocked Loose is an American metalcore band from Oldham County, Kentucky, formed in 2013 and currently signed to Pure Noise Records. The band released its first studio album, ''Laugh Tracks'', in September 2016 through Pure Noise Records. His ...

on their UK headline tour along with Renounced and Justice for the Damned. In late 2019, the band established their own record label MLVLTD Music as a means to continue releasing music with as much control as possible. In January 2020, they played Invasion Festival in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

and toured Australia in support of Terror. On 28 February 2020, the released the song ''Keep Your Distance'', featuring Bryan Garris of Knocked Loose, as a single. On 26 March, they released a music video for their single ''Remain Unbeaten''. Both songs were included on their EP released 24 April titled ''The Other Side''. In reference to the released of an EP, Taylor stated that "We wanted to make a short body of work to put out whilst we continue writing for our next full-length album, whilst also trying to push ourselves out of our comfort zone as much as possible". In June 2021, the band played the Download Festival Pilot, the first music festival held the United Kingdom since March 2020 due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. On 23 February 2022, they announced that their third album ''Malicious Intent'' was set to be released on 20 May 2022 through

Nuclear Blast Nuclear Blast is a record label and mail order record distributor with subsidiaries in Germany, the United States and Brazil. The label was founded in 1987 by Markus Staiger in Germany. Originally releasing hardcore punk records, the label mov ...

, and released the album's first single "On Broken Glass". The album's second single "Life Sentence" was released on 24 March, followed by the third single "Still Waters Run Deep" on 28 April.

Musical style and influences

The band have been categorised as

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier punk ...

metalcore Metalcore (also known as metallic hardcore) is a fusion music genre that combines elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk. As with other styles blending metal and hardcore, such as crust punk and grindcore, metalcore is noted for its use of ...

beatdown hardcore Beatdown hardcore (also known as heavy hardcore, brutal hardcore, toughguy, moshcore, or simply beatdown) is a subgenre of hardcore punk with prominent elements of heavy metal. Beatdown hardcore features aggressive vocals, down-tuned electric ...

groove metal Groove metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music that began in the early 1990s. The genre achieved success in the 1990s and continued having success in the 2000s. Inspired by thrash metal and traditional heavy metal, groove metal features raspy ...

and

sludge metal Sludge metal (also known as sludge or sludge doom) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music that originated through combining elements of doom metal and hardcore punk. It is typically harsh and abrasive, often featuring shouted vocals, heavi ...

. Vocalist Alex Taylor described the band's sound upon forming as having "a weird, melodeath, kinda

At the Gates At the Gates is a Swedish death metal band from Gothenburg, formed in 1990. The band was a major progenitor of Gothenburg-style melodic death metal alongside In Flames and Dark Tranquillity. Prior to their first disbandment in 1996, At the Ga ...

vibe"

Rock Sound ''Rock Sound'' is a British magazine that covers rock music. The magazine aims at being more "underground" and less commercial, while also giving coverage to better-known acts. It generally focuses on pop punk, post-hardcore, metalcore, punk, e ...

described them as "the perfect crossover between hardcore and

metal A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typicall ...

", while Noizze described their music as a merger between hardcore punk, heavy metal, and

thrash metal Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and often fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, 2007, . ...

, as well as "a sludge-ridden, toxic hybrid of

post-hardcore Post-hardcore is a punk rock music genre that maintains the aggression and intensity of hardcore punk but emphasizes a greater degree of creative expression. It was initially inspired by post-punk and noise rock. Like post-punk, the term has been ...

, thrash, metalcore and

Texas blues Texas blues is blues music from Texas. As a regional style, its original form was characterized by jazz and swing influences. Later examples are often closer to blues rock and Southern rock. History Texas blues began to appear in the early 1900 ...

". They often make use of dual vocals between Taylor and Hall. Rob Barbour from

Metal Hammer ''Metal Hammer'' is a heavy metal music magazine and website founded in 1983, published in the United Kingdom by Future, with other language editions available in numerous other countries. ''Metal Hammer'' features news, reviews and long-form ...

described their music as "evok ngthe very best

whisky Whisky or whiskey is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. Various grains (which may be malted) are used for different varieties, including barley, corn, rye, and wheat. Whisky is typically aged in wooden c ...

-swiggin',

weed A weed is a plant considered undesirable in a particular situation, "a plant in the wrong place", or a plant growing where it is not wanted.Harlan, J. R., & deWet, J. M. (1965). Some thoughts about weeds. ''Economic botany'', ''19''(1), 16-24. ...

-smoking bands that ever swaggered out of states like

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

and

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

. Although their King Kong-size riffs are backed by brutal rhythms from the no-frills hardcore playbook, there's no mistaking their origin. Of course they're from the Deep South... of Yorkshire." Writer Stephen Hill described their sound as "like

Dimebag Darrell Darrell Lance Abbott (August 20, 1966 – December 8, 2004), best known by his stage name Dimebag Darrell, was an American musician. He was the guitarist of the heavy metal bands Pantera and Damageplan, both of which he co-founded alongside his ...

has joined

Hatebreed Hatebreed is an American hardcore band from Bridgeport, Connecticut, formed in 1994. The band released its debut album '' Satisfaction is the Death of Desire'' in 1997, which gave the band a cult following. The band signed to Universal Records ...

to work on a sludge album". The Sound Board Review described how "Malevolence unquestionably shine, laying down riffs that switch between pounding metallic hardcore and filthy sludge-metal with consummate ease and equal proficiency". Distorted Sound Magazine described it as a "confident combination of the shredding riffs of metal and the belligerent slam of hardcore meant that they were able to straddle both genres with confidence". They have cited influences including Terror,

Madball Madball is an American New York hardcore band formed in New York City, that originated in the late 1980s as a side project of Agnostic Front. The band developed after Agnostic Front's front man Roger Miret would let his younger half-brother Fr ...

, Down,

Pantera Pantera () is an American heavy metal music, heavy metal band from Arlington, Texas formed in 1981, and currently comprised of vocalist Phil Anselmo, bassist Rex Brown, and touring musicians Zakk Wylde and Charlie Benante. The group's best-kn ...

, Crowbar, and

. In an article for

The Quietus ''The Quietus'' is a British online music and pop culture magazine founded by John Doran and Luke Turner. The site is an editorially independent publication led by Doran with a group of freelance journalists and critics. Content ''The Quiet ...

, Dan Franklin described their music as "rooted in the beefed-up chuggery of the turn-of-the-millennium

New Wave of American Heavy Metal The new wave of American heavy metal (also known as NWOAHM and new wave of American metal) was a heavy metal music movement that originated in the United States during the early–mid 1990s and expanded most in the early to mid-2000s. Some of the b ...

–

Chimaira Chimaira () is an American heavy metal band from Cleveland, Ohio. Formed in August 1998, the group was a member of the New Wave of American Heavy Metal scene. The band's name is derived from the word Chimera, a monstrous creature in Greek myth ...

's ''

The Impossibility of Reason ''The Impossibility of Reason'' is the second studio album by the American heavy metal band Chimaira, released on May 13, 2003. It is the first album to feature Matt DeVries on rhythm guitar. The album is a noted for its groove metal-oriented s ...

'', Hatebreed's '' Satisfaction Is the Death of Desire'' and ''

Perseverance Perseverance may refer to: Behaviour * Psychological resilience * Perseverance of the saints, a Protestant Christian teaching * Assurance (theology) Geography * Perseverance, Queensland, a locality in Australia * Perseverance Island, Seychelles ...

'', with a dollop of Crowbar's '' Sonic Excess in Its Purest Form''".

Members

File:Malevolence Full Force 2019 03.jpg, Alex Taylor File:Malevolence Full Force 2019 01.jpg, Josh Baines File:Malevolence Full Force 2019 07.jpg, Konan Hall File:Malevolence Full Force 2019 02.jpg, Wilkie Robinson File:Malevolence Full Force 2019 04.jpg, Charlie Thorpe *Alex Taylor – lead vocals *Josh Baines – guitar *Konan Hall – guitar, co-lead vocals *Wilkie Robinson – bass *Charlie Thorpe – drums

Discography

Studio albums *''Reign of Suffering'' (2013) *''Self Supremacy'' (2017) *''Malicious Intent'' (2022) EPs *''The Other Side'' (2020) *''The Aggression Sessions'' with

Thy Art Is Murder Thy Art Is Murder is an Australian deathcore band from Blacktown, Sydney, that formed in 2006. The band consists of vocalist Chris "CJ" McMahon, guitarists Sean Delander and Andy Marsh, drummer Jesse Beahler and bassist Kevin Butler. Thy Art I ...

and

Fit for an Autopsy Fit for an Autopsy is an American deathcore band from Jersey City, New Jersey, formed in 2008. The band consists of guitarists Pat Sheridan, Will Putney and Tim Howley, drummer Josean Orta, vocalist Joe Badolato, and bassist Peter "Blue" Spinaz ...

(2023) Demos *''Demo'' (2011)

References

External links

*{{allmusic 2010 establishments in England English metalcore musical groups Musical groups from Sheffield Musical groups established in 2010 Musical quintets British hardcore punk groups Sludge metal musical groups