Thirteen years ago, the now defunct Belgian hardcore band xVICIOUSx was preparing to release their first record Values. You might wonder why I’m bringing that up. Well, the release party of that album featured a small and upcoming band from the UK called Malevolence. It was their first ever show on this side of the English Channel, the first time they ever played mainland Europe. And here they are now, 13 years later, 500 meters down the road from the legendary Frontline in Ghent celebrating their own brand new release. Malevolence closed out their Where Only The Truth Is Spoken EU tour with a symbolic date, headlining Ghent’s VIERNULVIER on the 6th of November 2025, joined by SPEED, Dying Wish and Psycho-frame.
Time’s up. There’s no more running from me. – Psycho-Frame
First on the bill were the American deathcore newcomers Psycho-frame. I’ll keep it honest, they had an incredibly hard crowd to convince that they’re the new shit on the block. Founded in 2023 and recently signed to Sharptone Records, this American outfit boasts a sonority reminiscent of early deathcore like Suicide Silence with the djentified, clean production of modern acts like Lorna Shore or Distant.
The second they stepped on stage with ‘BLUEPRINTS FOR IDOL GENOCIDE’, it was clear that they’re soaked in that brutal, balls to the wall, oldschool sound. Their two vocalists trading lines allows for a constant wall of growls, saturated vocals and pigsqueals, managing to slowly but surely open up that pit.
From there on, it was a constant sonic assault. The 30-minutes setlist had no breaks. It was pure, unadulterated chaos. These guys have tons of potential, especially considering that they have a heavily visual thematic with their name referencing Gundam. Though, they still need to grow into full-blown performers in order to really get that crowd going. Musically, they’re already on the top.
Setlist: BLUEPRINTS FOR IDOL GENOCIDE – DRAGGING NAZARENE – NO REVIVES – BEATEN BEYOND IDENTIFICATION – RAINING GLASS – THE PORTAL – 24 HOURS LEFT
Fear is never forgotten – Dying Wish
It would be easy to lump Dying Wish in the same bag as early Arch Enemy. They both share a similar base DNA, especially when you listen to Dying Wish’s ‘Cowards Feed, Cowards Bleed’, ‘Watch My Promise Die’ or ‘Lost In the Fall’. You have that classic melodic riffing and mid-range, distorted but clear vocal delivery of Angela Gossow-era Arch Enemy, but there’s a bit more to it. Emma Boster’s vocals are so much more raw and gritty, you clearly have that hardcore spirit deeply infused into everything they write. That difference is even clearer when you hear those songs live.
They started out their set with the first track off of their latest record Flesh Stays Together: ‘I Don’t Belong Anywhere’. It was so cathartic to witness the pit slowly open during the intro and descend into chaos the millisecond they got into the main verse. It’s also the exact same moment that the crowd took advantage of the fact that the show had no barriers. People started flying from the stage into the crowd, the photographers at the front started ducking to protect their cameras, it got fun very quick.
It’s clear that Dying Wish is on an unstoppable path to conquer every stage they play on, especially when you look at how much alchemy all of the members have during their concerts. If I wasn’t paying attention to catch stagedivers, I was looking at whatever shenanigans the whole band was up to.
Setlist: I Don’t Belong Anywhere – Watch My Promise Die – A Curse Upon Iron – Symptoms of Survival – I Brought You My Soul – Cowards Feed , Cowards Bleed – Torn From Your Silhouette – Lost in the Fall – I’ll Know You’re Not Around
I know my team, one word… – SPEED
Whatever you’ve heard about Speed’s performances, multiply that thousandfold. As much as Malevolence obviously brought in terms of ticket sales, Speed has definitely contributed to a non-negligeable part of them. If you didn’t see M.L.V.L.T.D shirts, you saw Speed shirts in the crowd. The Sidney outfit has been on a monumental rise to popularity since their first Demo in 2019, and it’s for good reason. Their live performances, their fresh take on that Hatebreed/Madball sonic identity, their deeply engaged lyrics, everything feels so well melded together for a band with a single full-length release.
They’re not the most technically insane band out there, they say it themselves. But they make up for that with some absolutely wild energy on stage. As soon as ‘DON’T NEED’ kicked off, the venue went batshit. The first row was battling to get the mic, stagedivers and crowdsurfers were floating above the crowd, one thing was the most important at that moment. Putting up for the city and demonstrating your style.
That’s what hardcore is about; family and respect. And that’s exactly what Jem, their singer, demonstrated. Respect for his extended family from Belgium and the deeply rooted Hardcore scene, especially when talking about Flanders and the H8000 scene. He thanked the people for pioneering the genre with bands such as Arkangel, Congress and the many record labels
Speed obviously closed their set off with ‘THE FIRST TEST’. Two fans from the crowd ended up on vocals as Jem was cheering them on, letting them finish the song. And, as expected, the flute came out. It will never not be entertaining seeing such a buff guy dropping off a couple of flute notes, separated by high kicks and hardcore dancing.
Yes, we had a headlining tour last year in summer. Yes, they just closed out the EU leg of this Malevolence tour, but we need another headlining tour soon. I’m never going to get enough of their shows. Only a single full release, but they’ve already completely taken over the Hardcore radar.
Setlist: DON’T NEED – We See U – REAL LIFE LOVE – KILL CAP – PEACE – SHUT IT DOWN – Not That Nice – AIN’T MY GAME – THE FIRST TEST
M.L.V.L.T.D. We’re still fucking enemies. – Malevolence
By the time Malevolence hit the stage, VIERNULVIER was boiling. The humidity, the adrenaline, the anticipation, everything was reaching its breaking point. Thirteen years after their very first mainland show just down the street at Frontline, they were back in Ghent, headlining their own European tour in front of a completely packed room. Everyone knew what that meant.
They opened with ‘Blood To The Leech‘, first track off of their latest record, and the place instantly detonated. Straight into ‘Trenches’, that thick, rolling groove got the entire floor moving as Alex Taylor towered over the front row, trading screams with the crowd. There’s something caveman-like in getting to yell “M.L.V.L.T.D. We’re still fucking enemies.” The pit barely stopped expanding as they tore through ‘Life Sentence‘ and ‘Still Waters Run Deep‘, the audience bouncing off every note.
Then came ‘Self Supremacy‘. Back when they were still trying to get signed to a record label, this is the song they sent as a demo. Sadly, no one wanted to pick them up. Now, they play it to prove that they didn’t need them to get to where they are now. No barriers, no breaks, just movement. ‘Salt The Wound‘ hit even harder, proving how refined Malevolence has become without losing the rawness that defines them.
We were slowly getting to the end of the setlist, the most awaited songs of the night. ‘Higher Place’ felt like a celebration of everything this tour stood for: friendship, respect, and the unity between everyone in the crowd and on stage. The pit closed, lighters and phones lit up the venue. Soon after the solemn moment, ‘Keep Your Distance‘ started and Emma Boster from Dying Wish stepped on stage to take over Bryan Garris’ parts. The room absolutely erupted.
They ended the night with ‘If It’s All The Same To You‘, leaving everyone drained, sweaty, and smiling. Thirteen years ago, they were the new kids opening a local show. Now, they’re leading the charge for the next generation of heavy music. Malevolence has proved one thing beyond doubt: they’re not just part of the scene anymore. They are the scene.
Setlist: Blood To The Leech – Trenches – Life Sentence – Still Waters Run Deep – Self Supremacy – So Help Me god – Salt the Wound – On Broken Glass – Counterfeit – Karma – Higher Place – Keep Your Distance – If It’s All The Same To You