Maleveller

MALEVELLER is a new Dallas based Four-piece band that will unintentionally be branded ‘hipster-metal’ for those wanting to easily lump them with similar-style acts, such as Early Man, High On Fire, Saviours and The Sword. Building a “word-of-mouth” following from show to show, Maleveller has steadily grown more confident and aggressive with each performance; especially the lead Guitar and Vocals. A little bit more “evil” in the stage presence of the Bassist and Drummer would add panache, but again, this is a fresh act that is still “working things out”.

Suggestion to any new bands: Try donning masks, then no one will care about the faces the drummer makes or the lack of interest by band members. Some bands that wear masks who are successful: Disturbed, Gwar, Hollywood Undead, The Locust, Midnight (okay, not successful, but really cool), Mudvayne and Slipknot. - OR - add some shtick or gimmick to the performance . . . Fire and pyrotechnics seem to win fans over; (google “Great White at The Station nightclub”).

MALEVELLER - DEMO EP - 2009
1.) “Oath Breaker” mp3
2.) “Promethean” mp3
3.) “The Man Who Would Be King” mp3

The most untrue, yet coolest, part about Maleveller is that their name can be used in verb form, which is fun to try; you should too!! Two examples:
1). Malevelling - the act of Maleveller playing Maleveller songs - OR - the act of listening to Maleveller.
2). Malevelled - the aftermath of a Maleveller performance. For example, a drunk band member could say at the end of a show “You’ve been Malevelled!!”. - paradeofflesh.com

Quickly becoming one of Dallas metal's best acts (SEE: not trying to be Pantera), Maleveller has been teasing new tracks -- for a limited time only! -- on its MySpace page for the past few weeks.


After unleashing the stoner fantasy metal of "Astronomer's Fyre" before Thanksgiving, the group recently posted the dark vision quest "Ancient Heart."



The song's first breaths -- a mystical exhale of spooky, spiraling acoustic guitar layers -- betray the chug-chug-chugging death march to follow. But Maleveller revels in making abrupt, no-look turns. While most of the track is a valiantly charging, straightforward melody, the group clenches its fists and releases just enough; spotlighting sections of fret-wizardry and thundering tom rolls, without bogging down the rest of the song. But the doom reckoning finale is the biggest pay-off. A stuttering rhythm guitar summons the storm, and after the lead rings out a high-end solo, the two harmonize -- raining fire on all of creation.

- www.quickdfw.com

Now let’s talk about the greatness of
Maleveller. These local amp-slayers are
just starting to make the rounds, so if you
see them listed somewhere, be there and
be ready to throw horns. Wielding a lethal
twin-guitar attack plus a thundering rhythm
section, the quartet is a great addition to
the scene alongside Mitra, Hellgoat, House
Harkonnen and Blood Of The Sun. Their
burly bruise is full of big riffs as catchy
as they are corrosive. Maleveller’s nods to
timeless Metal greats like Priest, Maiden
and Thin Lizzy are instantly head-bang
inducing. Some greasy, Southern growl
also finds its way into the throttle which
makes their sound even more likeable.
Everything they churn out gushes with
heated vigor and high voltage. Hopefully,
Maleveller’s feverish energy will get
captured in the studio sometime soon - Lit Monthly, Dallas, TX

The crowd at Lakewood Bar and Grill Saturday probably didn’t suspect that
Maleveller was only playing its fifth live show. The Dallas heavy-metal foursome —
singer/guitarist Brian Smith, guitarist Jeff Biehler,
drummer T.J. Prendergast and bassist Luke Harnden
— displayed the confidence and tightness of a veteran act.
Smith says the guys have been honing their sound
for much longer.
“We practiced for right at a year before we played
a live show,” he said in a phone interview this week.
“T.J., Jeff and I were the first three members, and we
tried a couple of bass players before we got Luke, who
is awesome. But we had to be patient and not jump
the gun before playing live.”
The sheer volume of the music coming from the
Lakewood stage was exciting, not to mention Smith’s
gruff vocals and the synchronicity of his and Biehler’s
intricate guitar parts. Even nonmetal fans will find
something to appreciate here.
“We’re trying not to sound exactly like anyone
else,” Smith says. “I really like a combination of early
’80s thrash-metal structures combined with ’70s
Sabbath and Deep Purple. … I want something where
people can hear the melody in it, so we’re not just
playing fast all the time.”
Here’s more from the 36-year-old frontman.

Q: Tell me a little about your background.
Smith: I wound up in Denton for about seven years in my 20s and
came to Dallas about six years ago. Played with Lift to Experience for
about a year. Also was in Mandarin with [Dove Hunter’s] Jayson
Wortham. After that stuff ran its course, I came to Dallas. I felt like I
was too old to hang out in Denton anymore, even though there are
people I know who still live there who are happy as ever.
Q: Is this the first purely metal band you’ve played in?
Smith: I’ve always been a fan, and played in metal bands in high
school starting in ninth grade. I guess as I got older, I started exploring
other styles of music. It’s the first time I’ve played in a metal band as
an adult. In a way, when I was a teenager, I had a lot more time to
practice. But now I have more experience with gigs in general. I did
have to relearn a lot of things … metal-like abilities. [Laughs.]
Q: Just getting your guitar parts with Jeff down has to be a
challenge. What does that involve?
Smith: We spend a lot of time. It’s different for us — the whole
project has been a learning experience for all of us. I spent a couple of
years with guitar and writing before even playing this stuff in a band,
so Jeff’s going through that kind of curve as well, even though he was
playing in a hard-rock band [Max Cady] prior to this. It’s not foreign to
either of us, but it’s definitely different. We do spend time outside of
practices working on stuff.
Q: And do you write all the songs?
Smith: T.J. and I have started doing this thing where he’ll come up
with a song title and I’ll find something that works, whether vaguely
related to the title or not. As far as subject matter, it’s nothing very
personal or introspective. It’s all pretty escapist. That’s just what I like
about metal. It’s so unrealistic. You can have fun with it.
Q: Do you think metal gets a bad rap?
Smith: In the ’90s, metal got crushed by grunge. It had run its
course in mainstream music at the time, and some people say the
integrity was lower. But now it’s had a huge resurgence. People
aren’t dismissing it as much now. There are subgenres and
something for everybody — fast stuff and Sabbath-influenced stuff.
Q: Did you set out to incorporate different types of metal in
your material?
Smith: I think it’s just happening naturally as we play together
more, but any new band usually starts out flashing their influences
more than they would probably like to. We’re starting to find
different ways to construct our songs using more contrasting
melodies, making complexities more subtle. We’ve got plans to
start recording our first album pretty soon, maybe in November.
Q: Does singing in that low, throaty style wear on you?
Smith: That was another challenge, because I haven’t really sang
before. I had to record stuff, play with it and figure out what I’m
able to do. The only thing I have to do to keep it sounding good is
to drink a lot of beer, so that’s easy. - Quick DFW