O2 Academy Brixton, London, November 9 2025
If you perchance frequented the South Yorkshire metal scene around 2007, you would most probably have come into contact with a group of 14-year-olds playing Lamb Of God covers in many of the county’s underground venues. That is just how deep Malevolence's roots run. This has been a lifelong marathon, fuelled by the sheer adoration for the heavier side of music. Their ascent from UKHC favourites to undisputed heavy metal champions is a marker for what sticking to your guns, digging your own path and never letting anyone tell you how to do things will get you, if you just keep on pushing.
And this very special weekender, rounding out a European tour of astronomical proportions, taking over Manchester last night and South London tonight, serves as the ultimate celebration. And in taking their crown in the most guttural manner, they have also allowed their supporting cast, a true who’s who of global heaviness, to have their moment as well.
That begins with PSYCHO-FRAME, making their debut on these shores and making sure that nobody will ever forget them. Their seething, belligerent, and unforgiving deathcore style feels glorious on this prestigious stage, delivered with a tightness and technicality that shows they aren’t here to mess around. ‘BEATEN BEYOND IDENTIFICATION’ is wonderfully evil,’ NO REVIVES’ beautifully brash and ‘THE PORTAL’ dizzyingly intense, all equating to half an hour of unrelenting power, the sort that will have cemented their place as many a mosher’s new favourite band.
Before the bruises have even had time to blacken, Dying Wish take up residence and keep the violence flowing. Their undeniable take on mid-00s metalcore smashed together with soaring hard rock melody, defined by Emma Boster’s spine-tingling knack for switching from bile-drenched dissonance to crystalline croons, is an almighty watch, with ‘I Don’t Belong Anywhere’ and ‘Lost In The Fall’ showing off both sides of the coin in shimmering style. Noticeably appreciative of being able to deal out the blows in front of thousands but doing it with the same pit-spinning intent as if it were hundreds, a skin-splitting ‘Cowards Feed, Cowards Bleed’ doing a stellar job of hammering that home, it’s a crushing reminder of never letting what you stand for dull, no matter the context.
And then, if that wasn’t enough, Speed takes things to another level of euphoria altogether. Showing exactly why they are the hottest property in hardcore in all four corners of the planet right now, their time in the spotlight is as infectious as it is outrageously brash. From the fresh ferocity of ‘PEACE’ and ‘AIN’T MY GAME’ to the bludgeoning heft of ‘REAL LIFE LOVE’ and grooving joy of ‘THE FIRST TEST’, flute and all, it is as close to a perfect set as you’re ever going to see. Inspiring, invigorating and smile-inducing in equally wonderful measures.
Such a weighty display would be difficult for some bands to follow. Yet when you have Alan ‘Brick Top’ Ford introducing you, you already know that Malev are well and truly prepared. “Open the pits, let’s have a fucking tear up,” he bellows, and as the band take his place and tear into a crushing ‘Blood To The Leech’, such a demand is obliged in style. It’s at this moment that the weight of what is taking place truly starts to sink in. That music as hard-hitting, hedonistic and stupidly heavy as this now belongs on stages and in spaces such as that. The glass ceiling has been well and truly shattered, and absolutely anything is possible.
But there isn’t much time for sentimentality when the hits come as thick and fast as this. ‘Trenches’ is deafening, ‘Salt The Wound’ is brilliantly bold and ‘So Help Me God’ is as emotionally vulnerable as it is utterly volatile. Every meaty riff, every towering snare, every throat-shredding call out is delivered with a tenacity that is impossible to deny.
And the reaction on the floor goes a long way to reinforcing the carnage. The sing-alongs that accompany an imposing’ On Broken Glass’ and a glistening ‘Higher Place’ can be heard all the way back in S10, whilst the number of bodies being passed over the barricade verges on monumental, almost matching the numbers of fists being thrown in the pit, particularly during a savage ‘Life Sentence’.
Rounding this off with a glorious one-two of ‘Keep Your Distance’ and ‘If It’s All The Same To You’, this is a victory not just for Malev but for everyone who has found a part of themselves in heavy music. Everyone in attendance here has their own story, their own path to how they fell so head over heels with this sound and this community. Everyone has scraped and scratched their way through their passion for seeing metal written off time and time again. But tonight, the vindication is unified. A sign that you have never, and will never, be alone in feeling this way, not as long as there are bands with a desire to push the limits like this.
And for Malevolence, this may be another bucket list tick, but it also feels like fuel for the fire. Because they haven’t made it this far by resting on any of their laurels. For those 14-year-old kids with floppy hair, playing ‘Laid To Rest’ to whoever would listen, they will keep on pushing. Keep on fighting. Keep on being exactly who they are.
They’ve made it this far, so why would they slow down?
