About.com Rating
The British band Malefice (another word for "an evil deed") formed back in 2003 and released their debut a couple years back. After gaining popularity in Europe they attracted the attention of Metal Blade Records, which signed them for their sophomore effort Dawn Of Reprisal.
Dawn Of Reprisal finds Malefice exploring a plethora of different genres. Thrash and death are the major ones, although they also have moments of prog, metalcore and traditional metal.
"Abandon Hope" starts off fast and thrashy, then slows down into a catchy mid tempo death metal groove, then goes back and forth between the two before slowing down even more towards the end, and manages to do it all relatively smoothly.
"End Of Days" is a little more accessible and mixes in both melody and melodic singing amongst the screaming and intensity. Malefice shows a lot of range on this CD, going from tight, precise and technical to loose and groovy, but they could use a few more hooks.
Dale Butler is Malefice's vocalist. His style is aggressive and intense, but he varies his screams in pitch and emotion, adding diversity. The songs on Dawn Of Reprisal are constructed impressively, and while some are memorable, increasing that ratio would make Malefice an even stronger force.
(released March 3, 2009 on Metal Blade Records)