Known as one of the leaders of the thrash revival scene, UK’s Evile have shown great promise to thrashers worldwide since the 2007 release of Enter the Grave. Drawing from major old school thrash metal influences, especially that of Slayer, Evile breathe a fresh interpretation of the thrash metal of yesteryear.
With three full-length CDs under their belt, Evile are readying a fourth effort, Skull, to be released on May 27th. The band seemed to have fallen off the face of the Earth after not touring North America recently and not promoting its third record, Five Serpent’s Teeth, very well. That was a true shame, because it contained some impressive material. However, it is extremely difficult to find, even online.
Anyway, the album teaser for Skull provokes a hope for a big Evile comeback. With Earache Records on the helm again, perhaps Skull will receive the praise and acclaim which Five Serpent’s Teeth also deserved.
Five Evile tracks to check out are “Thrasher,” “Infected Nation,” “In Dreams of Terror,” “Descent Into Madness,” and “Cemetery Gates.” “Thrasher” can be found on the band’s debut album, Enter The Grave. It is the potentially the most well-known Evile song, appearing on a few compilation albums, such as Thrashing Like A Maniac. Like the rest of Enter The Grave, “Thrasher” is heavy, fast, and extremely aggressive. On the band’s sophomore effort, 2009’s Infected Nations, Evile sound more mature and rely more heavily on crunchy riffs and heavy, hard-hitting rhythms. “Infected Nation” has fast points but still follows the formula of the overall album on which it appears.
While staying true to Evile’s signature sound, “In Dreams of Terror” and “Descent Into Madness” come off a bit less aggressive than the songs on the band’s previous two albums. Perhaps, this has to do with the loss of long-time bassist, Mike Alexander, who passed away shortly after Infected Nations was released. Therefore, Five Serpent’s Teeth was the first studio release without Alexander. With that said, Evile’s cover of Pantera’s “Cemetery Gates” is a phenomenal tribute to Pantera, the late “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott [of Pantera], and Alexander.
Judging from the Skull album teaser, Evile have rekindled their aggression, maintained the brutal thrash, and recorded an album worth endlessly promoting.
For more information about Evile, check out their website and look out for Skull next month.
Photo courtesy of earache.com
The MusicTalker 