A few years back, Reading metallers Malefice were hailed as one of Britain’s greatest hopes to make waves; and with the patronage of some influential metal figures and a penchant for colossal grooves it was unsurprising. Fast forward to the present day and whilst some of their peers such as Sylosis and The Defiled have grown bigger and bigger, Malefice seemed to get left behind despite (or perhaps because of) their refusal to stagnate, their 2011 album Awaken The Tides (Metal Blade) especially being a slight curveball with a change of vocal delivery and a greater focus on melody.
Latest EP Gravitas is their first release since a brief hiatus that followed 2012’s Five (both Transcend) and finds them invigorated and back on full throttle. This is back to writing the same kind of grooves that once saw them spoken in the same breath as the likes of Devildriver, but at the same time is not just a back to basics effort. Throughout there are slight shades of a tech metal tone, reminiscent of Heart Of A Coward’s straight for the throat usage, keeping towards pit fodder rather than prog drifting. Their ace once again proves to be vocalist Dale Butler who sounds as passionate and genuinely pissed off as ever.
This may only be a brief four track EP, but for a returning band this is a great statement of intent, and evidence that they could still have the bright future that perhaps eluded them to this day.
A soaring return to one of Britain’s true juggernauts.
8.0/10
CHRIS TIPPELL