Malevolence’s ‘Salt the Wound’ video has been pulled from YouTube after the National Trust threatened legal action over land use without permission.
Sheffield metalcore outfit Malevolence have found themselves in unexpected conflict with one of the UK’s largest conservation charities. Their latest music video for the single ‘Salt the Wound’ was removed from YouTube after the National Trust objected to the band filming on its land without prior authorisation.
The video was originally uploaded to Nuclear Blast’s YouTube channel but was taken down on June 10 following threats of legal action from the National Trust.
According to a statement from Malevolence, the charity refused any attempts to find a compromise and demanded the video’s removal outright.
In a statement shared via Instagram, Malevolence wrote:
“Sadly, our latest video for ‘Salt the Wound’ has been forcibly removed from the Nuclear Blast YouTube channel due to threats of legal action made by @NationalTrust. Apparently pretending to play guitar for a couple of hours on a public path that thousands of tourists walk up every single day is a criminal offence worth pursuing. Attempts were made by our team to find a resolution for the situation, which have been entirely refused.”
They continued: “The video is a celebration of where we come from and we’re proud of what we’ve made. Fortunately… someone has anonymously uploaded a version back to YouTube. You can watch it now at the link in our bio. Thank you always for the support, Love Malev.”
When asked for comment, a National Trust spokesperson told Metal Hammer: “We always have to balance the needs of people with the needs of nature and wildlife, and our costs as a charity. Any filming for commercial activity needs permission and sometimes a fee, which will go toward the landscapes and nature.”
They added that the footage was “uploaded before an agreement could be reached.”
At the time of writing, the official Malevolence video remains down on Nuclear Blast’s channel, although unofficial versions continue to circulate online.
Malevolence’s new album Where Only the Trust Is Spoken arrives on Friday, June 20.
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