On June 10th, Sheffield heavyweights Malevolence dropped a bombshell of a different kind—not a single, but a statement. Their music video for “Salt the Wound” had been forcibly removed from the Nuclear Blast YouTube channel after the band received threats of legal action from, of all places, the National Trust.
According to Malevolence, the offense? Filming a performance video on a public path “that thousands of tourists walk up every single day.” The band said they spent just a couple of hours at the location, miming instruments for a video celebrating their roots in the North of England. But that short shoot was enough to land them in hot water.
“Apparently pretending to play the guitar… is a criminal offence worth pursuing,” they wrote, frustrated. “Attempts were made by our team to find a resolution for the situation, which have been entirely refused.”
The video, pulled from the label’s official YouTube channel, has since been anonymously reuploaded elsewhere—cheekily credited to an account called “Trust Issues.”
In a response shared by Metal Hammer, a National Trust spokesperson explained that the issue wasn’t personal or genre-related, just procedural. They stated: “Any filming for commercial activity needs permission and sometimes a fee. Unfortunately, the video was uploaded before an agreement could be reached.”
While it’s clear the National Trust has the right to regulate commercial use of the land it manages, the situation has left many fans and artists scratching their heads. Is a low-impact shoot on a public footpath really something worth threatening legal action over?
Plenty online don’t think so. Critics have called the takedown “bizarre,” “overkill,” and “bureaucratic bullsh*t.” And with National Trust sites scattered all across the UK, some are wondering: who’s next?
That question might hit close to home for Neck Deep fans. The band’s “A Part of Me” video was filmed at Erddig Hall, a stunning historic site in North Wales—which, like many similar estates, is owned and managed by the National Trust. If Malevolence’s video was a problem, could a decade-old Neck Deep shoot technically be under threat too?
It’s hard to imagine the Trust launching a retrospective crackdown, but the situation highlights a broader tension: the clash between modern creative expression and institutional red tape. As more bands return to their hometowns to capture authentic, meaningful content, will they need to clear it with the same people who manage stately homes and walking trails?
For now, Malevolence are standing by their video—and their statement closes with the kind of defiance you’d expect from a band that has spent the past decade flying the flag for UK metal.
“We’re proud of what we made,” they said. “Thank you always for the support.”
Let’s hope the National Trust never sees the outtakes.
