Live Review : Malevolence + Sylosis + Guilt Trip + Justice For The Damned @ O2 Ritz, Manchester on November 8th 2023

When Bloodstock Svengali Vicki Hungerford decreed that Malevolence would be bestowed a coveted special guest slot at next year's festival, there were many of us who were sceptical about the leap of faith that she was taking. After all, it was only yesterday that the Sheffield upstarts were cavorting about at the lower echelons of the Sophie stage. 

What a difference three months make. Vicki was right and we were wrong. The O2 Ritz is sold out and spare tickets are changing hands for silly money on the secondary market. The buzz about the band has increased to the point where it is now a screeching air raid siren. I have not felt an atmosphere of expectation like this since that point in the early noughties when Slipknot careered out of the underground and made an unfathomable leap into the mainstream.

One of the most astonishing things is who Malevolence have actually attracted to Manchester's favourite decaying dance hall. Yes, there are plenty of the usual suspects who you see at each and every Mancunian metal gig, but there is also a hefty chunk of teenaged first-timers who are taking their teetering first steps into our world. Malevolence is far from the boy band demographic as you can get, But there is something about the lyrical honesty and emotional fragility that seems to have attracted people who would usually not be seen dead at a metal show. 

For those who are new to all this shebang, Justice For The Damned must serve as rather a rude awakening. This is uncompromising Australian deathcore. Corrosive, crunching and full of nihilistic neglect. The Fisher Price “my first metal gig” brigade hug the outskirts of the dancefloor, whilst the wasp-chasing crowd killers take charge of the pit. There is a savagery at play that seems to be being neutered out of modern Deathcore. However with Justice For The Damned nothing feels polished or overproduced. Instead, there is a wanton brutality to their sound that rips through the rapidly filling venue. The roundhouse-kicking veterans who have marked out their territory up-front take to them instantly and the warm reaction stays intact for their entire performance.

There is no genre splicing at play with Guilt Trip. This is proper hardcore and any of those pesky metallic elements are left to their tour mates to deploy. It's direct, in-your-face and full of righteous anger. They hail from this very city, so vocalist Jane Valentine partakes in a fair bit of mate spotting, calling out various people from the crowd. For ‘Eyes Wide Shut ‘ he requests a circle pit, but the crowd is way ahead of him and are already swirling around in a cylindrical formation. By the time that they reach final track ‘Thin Ice’ the majority of the crowd are singing along like they have been fans for years. Jay takes up position on the security barrier ushering forth a further tsunami of crowd surfers. Homecomings don't come sweeter than this.

The history of Sylosis is one of dogged determination and ferment resilience. A long long time ago they were at the forefront of the British thrash revival. Evolution in their sound, a revolving door of members, and a couple of years on hiatus whilst Josh Middleton was a member of Architects meant that whilst they still smoulder, their flame never fully burst through. From the amount of Sylosis shirts in the crowd, it’s obvious that there is still a committed contingent that holds a candle for them.

The 2023 version of the band is probably the strongest variant that has ever existed. Josh has stepped back from Architects and in “A Sign of Things to Come” they have created the album that Slipknot should have made after “Iowa”. The roar that greets them is deafening and their 9-song strong set is an evocative mix of old and new material. When they wheel out the ‘Blackest Skyline’ from the 2008 debut, Josh jokes about them being old and certainly veterans compared to their touring compatriots.

However, no matter how much mileage there is in the clock they are still a stunningly good live proposition. Rather than jar, the variances in style feel organic and interwoven. The older stuff is grand but it is with newer tracks like ‘Worship Decay’ and closer ‘Deadwood’, that they really excel. It's been a long time coming, but this might finally be the moment that Sylosis get their just deserts.

It's very clear to those driving past the Ritz who tonight’s headliners are. Malevolence’s logo is embossed on ten foot letters across their emperor-sized tour bus. They emerge to a lustful chant of Yorkshire,  which continues between songs. Alex Taylor revels in this, especially given that they are in Lancastrian enemy territory. He states numerous times how much this tour means to the band, and it is obvious that whilst they have blown up in the most hyperbole of ways, they are not taking any of this for granted.

The pit protrudes well beyond the confines of the Ritz's notorious bouncy dancefloor. It sucks in everybody bar those desperately clinging to the sides of the venue. Alex is aware of the mixed demographics and experience levels present and therefore ensures we are all aware of pit etiquette and constantly refrains that if someone goes down we need to help them up. The reaction from the crowd is astonishing and they sing every word and utter every syllable. They are firmly within Alex's control, jumping when he screeches jump and screaming when he commands scream. It is obvious that this level of adoration emotionally touches him, and he seems close to tears when he states that it's taken 10 years to get here.

Karma starts with a big sing-along that echoes across the whole venue, it then descends into another incendiary pit-churning anthemic moment. Essentially there are no down points, even the drum solo which I would usually sneer at feels like a necessary and vital part of the setup. It allows both the audience and the band to re-group and steely themselves for the final push.

There is no encore instead we get a concluding one-two of ‘Keep Your Distance’ and ‘On Broken Glass’ that sends the atmosphere into the stratosphere. The simple point is Malevolence have managed to successfully blend brutality with accessibility. They are on a clear trajectory towards being arena bothers and they are doing this without compromising their sound or their authenticity. They seem to have burrowed into the zeitgeist and produce heavy music that speaks directly to the disenfranchised Generation Z. They are a success story without once changing who they are.

Check the “In The Flesh” page for more photos!
Malevolence, Sylosis, Guilt Trip, Justice For The Damned