Review

Sheffield's finest metalcore exports have done it again. Four albums deep into what has become one of British metal's most compelling success stories, Malevolence deliver their most cohesive statement yet with *Where Only The Truth Is Spoken*—a record that sees the Yorkshire outfit grappling with expectation whilst staying true to the values that have carried them from grimy basement shows to festival main stages. Recorded at Dave Grohl's legendary Studio 606 in California, the album immediately announces itself with the punishing opener "Blood To The Leech," a track that crystallises everything Malevolence do best: crushing metallic hardcore that borrows equally from the pit-friendly brutality of Terror and the groove-laden menace of Crowbar. It's a statement of intent that reverberates through the album's 11 tracks like a declaration of war against complacency. The band's evolution is most evident in the title track's thematic coherence. Where previous efforts occasionally felt scattershot in their approach, *Where Only The Truth Is Spoken* finds Malevolence exploring themes of integrity, loyalty, and authenticity with the kind of focus that suggests genuine artistic maturation. "Trenches" and "Salt The Wound" showcase this newfound clarity, with Alex Taylor's vocals striking a balance between hardcore bark and metal roar that feels both natural and commanding. Yet it's the album's guest appearance that proves most telling. Randy Blythe's contribution to "In Spite" serves as both blessing and curse—whilst the Lamb of God frontman's presence lends gravitas to proceedings, it also highlights certain limitations in Taylor's own vocal approach. It's a minor quibble, but one that suggests Malevolence are still finding their voice at this level of the game. Musically, the band remain uncompromising. "Counterfeit" and "Demonstration Of Pain" deliver the kind of neck-breaking heaviness that has made Malevolence festival favourites, whilst "Imperfect Picture" demonstrates their ability to incorporate melody without sacrificing brutality. The rhythm section, anchored by bassist Josh Baines and drummer Dan Rotherham, provides a foundation that's both technically proficient and utterly destructive. What's most impressive about *Where Only The Truth Is Spoken* is how it manages to feel both familiar and ambitious. This is unmistakably a Malevolence record—no one else combines metalcore's technical prowess with hardcore's emotional directness quite like this—but it's also their most confident work to date. The production, courtesy of their California sojourn, gives these songs room to breathe whilst maintaining the claustrophobic intensity that has become their calling card. The album does suffer from occasional pacing issues, particularly in its middle section where tracks like "So Help Me God" feel somewhat perfunctory compared to the fire and brimstone elsewhere. But these are minor complaints about a record that succeeds more often than it stumbles. Malevolence have crafted something genuinely special here—a record that should see them ascend to the upper echelons of British metal whilst remaining true to the underground ethos that made them so compelling in the first place. In an era where authenticity often feels manufactured, *Where Only The Truth Is Spoken* delivers exactly what its title promises: unvarnished honesty wrapped in some of the heaviest music these shores have produced. The truth, as Malevolence would have it, is that British metalcore has rarely sounded this vital.

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