“British Steel”, “Powerslave”, “Hysteria”, “Led Zeppelin II”, “Machine Head”, “Dark Side Of The Moon”, “London Calling”, “Nevermind The Bollocks”, no doubt you're crossing those albums off in your head, they are all considered classics in their own right, but in recent years there really has been nothing coming out of the UK to match these magnificent albums, until now… 

Malefice's “Entities” is a slab of breakneck, melodic, crushing metal, worthy of being up there with the greats of British music. The five piece Reading mob  have successfully recorded a CD, with the help of former Sikth men Dan Weller and Justin Hill, that leaves you feeling pummelled but still wanting more.The album as a whole doesn’t have a duff track on it and shows that, not only that the band can write killer songs, but as a unit they are very talented, tight musicians. 

The standout tracks on the album, i.e. the ones that hurt your neck the most, include “Risen Through The Ashes”, “Dreams Without Courage”, which features guest vocals from Justin Hill, the semi-melodic “Traitor to All You Know” and the gut-wrenching “As Skies Turn Black”.  Combining a whole host of styles, it is a mystery as to why Malefice aren’t intergalactic. Soon enough Reading will be added to the Metal map as the town that spawned the best UK band the world has ever seen!

John Consterdine