Malevolence - The Other Side

Key Facts

Country:🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

Genre: Hardcore/Sludge

Release Date: 24th April 2020

Record Label(s): MLVLTD Records, Blood Blast Distribution

Band Members

Alex Taylor - Vocals

Konan Hall - Guitar, Vocals

Josh Baines - Guitar

Wilkie Robinson - Bass

Charlie Thorpe - Drums

Malevolence - Keep Your Distance (Ft. Bryan Garris of Knocked Loose)

Review

Rating (out of 5🤘): 🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘

Favourite Track(s): Keep Your Distance

Everyone's favourite Steely City riff masters have returned with a world beating EP that will knock you through to The Other Side. After hearing about the band going independent and releasing this themselves, to free themselves form the confines of a record label, I had high hopes for The Other Side and I was not disappointed! I was first introduced to the band way back in 2016/17, and have followed them ever since, both previous albums 2013's Reign Of Suffering and 2017's Self Supremacy have become permanent staples in my gym playlist. The timing of this release has also paid off for the band, with true British humour in the wake of Coronavirus the song Keep Your Distance is rather apt and the alternative, limited edition Quarantine Edition cover (pictured above right) made me laugh. If you can't laugh in desperate times, then what can you do?

Musically, I've always enjoyed Malevolence's fusion of sludge and groove style riffs and brutal hardcore chugging, in my opinion it sets them apart from a lot of bands in that sphere of influence. By this I mean, you know when you're listening to a Malevolence song, it's instantly recognisable. Combined with Konan Hall's vocals sounding similar to Kirk Windstein of Crowbar, for me it is a winning combination. In the case of The Other Side, it is another No Holds Barred effort form the Sheffield lads. It's 12 minutes of domination music, I couldn't help myself from one man moshing round the room and venting some caged up rage on the air particles around me. The band also show off their versatility as well, I really loved the acoustic intro and first verse section of title track  The Other Side, especially the Spanish/classical style lead melody over the chords. The passion in the vocals and lyrics of that song resonated with me on another level. The quieter intros really give a good contrast to the heavier distorted sections, so when they come in they have such a big impact it's like a freight train hitting you. Considering it is only a 3 track EP, the band have packed so much into those 3 tracks it leaves you completely satisfied with what you heard but when those 12 minutes finish you also want to be a glutton and eat up more of those cataclysmic grooves. I thing the song that stands out most is Keep Your Distance for me, it is a signature Malevolence riff packed with aggression, groove and power, and with Bryan Garris of Knocked Loose supplying some of his trademark vocals, it is a brutal combination and adds an extra dynamic to the Malevolence sound. I'd love to see them feature a few more higher range vocalists in the future as there is something about higher and lower screams together that sounds so punchy and relentless. Overall, the EP is written really well, it doesn't beat around the bush, it's straight to the point and gets it's message across. An excellent effort from the band. 

The production is just as good as the songwriting, it is clean and polished but still captures that raw and uncompromising energy that a Malevolence live show has (I am yet to see them but from videos and people I know that have seen them, they put on an awesome show). The guitar tones have a warm overdrive, almost valve like, that makes them sound chunky for the rhythm sections. The effect that valve like sound has on the lead parts makes them clear but with a little but fuzz to give it some edge. The kick and bass have such a heavy push to them that there is not gaps in the low end, the bass tone is thick and really reinforces the guitar sound. The snare has this booming, hollow quality to it that I really like as it adds to this thunderous relentlessness of the songs and allows the cymbals to do most of the cutting through the mix. The panning of the drums is awesome too as you can really feel the fills move around you. Overall its an incredibly well mixed EP that delivers the Malevolence sound with devastating efficiency.

If you fancy supporting some epic riff writers from up north head over to Malevolence's socials and grab a copy of one of their vinyls. I really enjoyed this EP, big riffs, bigger atmosphere and I'm super excited for what the future holds for Malevolence. 

Malevolence - The Other Side