eventim apollo (london, england)
01/15/23
British metallers Malevolence are on their third studio album, becoming a firm favorite among the metal and hardcore U.K. & Euro scenes. At last year’s Outbreak festival, it was hard to go twenty seconds without seeing a kid jumping offstage wearing a MLVLTD shirt – and that was before anyone knew about their secret surprise set.
Last year’s full length release, Malicious Intent, received a warm welcome from existing and new fans alike, with the band featuring on more varied lineups with a newfound popularity, considering their roots were firmly associated with grassroots hardcore. Tonight is no different as they open for Trivium. The two bands juxtapose each other – the headliners are veterans of the trade, with a twenty-year discography in their handbook while Malevolence has half that amount of years under their belt.
That being said, there is nothing naive or “promising” about this band – they’re already there. They know who they are, have no apologies about it, and demand a crowd. They play according to the well-oiled machine that is the entire Malev project. To call them a new or upcoming band is to disregard the respect they are due; their performance tonight scoffs in the face of the word “opener.”
Malevolence only had a 35-minute set, yet there are clearly many crowd members here purely for them. The band receive some of the biggest crowd reactions of the whole night, as vocalist Alex Taylor jolts to the barricade, hoisted up by security as he looks fans in the eye for “Still Waters Run Deep.” The audience illuminates the room with lighters for “Higher Place,” before opening some of the biggest circle pits of the night for “Keep Your Distance.”
Tonight’s performance and their moves in the past twelve months is a promise of this band finally breaking big, deservedly.
