Album Review: Malevolence – Where Only The Truth Is Spoken (MLVLTD / Nuclear Blast)

‘Where Only the Truth is Spoken’ is the brand-new album from Sheffield’s own Malevolence. Out on 20th June via MLVLTD / Nuclear Blast.

Riding high on years of success and sounding more confident than ever, Malevolence are back and holy hell, are they back with a banger. A record filled with riffs, hardcore slams, brutal breakdowns, and some serious groove metal energy. A record that seems to have been created with one eye on the live side of things, arguably where Malevolence truly excel.

Love ‘em or loathe ‘em, absolutely nobody can deny that Malevolence have worked their asses off to get to the stage that they’re at, and now, it’s all about solidifying their reputation and bolstering their setlist with head bangers that come with honest stories and relatable weight. Sure, you can lose your mind and go absolutely bonkers to this album but scratch the surface and you’ll find the side of Malevolence that makes them so much more than a heavy band.

A bloody great one too, and any worries that success would mean they start to change their sound and mellow out are put to bed immediately with a selection of stompy and aggressive efforts. Blood from the Leech brings the riffs, Trenches brings the riotous pit starting and crowd killing noise, and If It’s All the Same to You brings the Pantera-esqe groove with its catchier chorus.

Malevolence are sounding harder than ever, but they’re evolving too, and nowhere is that better showcased than with Salt the Wound. Here, the band lean into their more melodic side, albeit with plenty of their trademark fire and intensity too. Notably in the chorus, but also in a soaring guitar solo. Think a modern-day and more hardcore-attuned Cemetery Gates (another Pantera reference) and you’ll have an idea of what this song has to offer. Though that still won’t prepare you for the crushing breakdown. Although if we’re taking about breakdowns that might result in busted teeth, Counterfeit can’t be ignored.

What are we saying though? Is So Help Me God the heaviest track on the album? It sure feels like it, especially with an ending that has vocalist Alex roaring, gurgling, and spitting with such intensity. He’s really stepped his game up here, but so has the entire band, resulting in crushing efforts like Imperfect Picture and Heavens Shake. Then along comes a master of metal, Lamb of God’s Randy Blythe, to help give In Spite even more intensity. As if a track that has Malevolence playing so furiously needed it. Still, they work really well together and everything heavy is made that little bit better when Randy is involved.

It’s a noisy finish too, as a combo of screeching guitar riffs, furious drumbeats, and stompy groove makes Demonstration of Pain and With Dirt from My Grave two more memorable efforts. Broken bones, bloody noses, concussions galore, and a stupid sense of satisfaction, it’s a killer Malevolence record and all the proof anyone needs that their rise isn’t about to be halted.

Malevolence – Where Only the Truth is Spoken Track Listing:

1. Blood From the Leech
2. Trenches
3. If It’s All the Same to You
4. Counterfeit
5. Salt The Wound
6. So Help Me God
7. Imperfect Picture
8. Heavens Shake
9. In Spite (ft. Randy Blythe)
10. Demonstration Of Pain
11. With Dirt from My Grave

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