New song

The previous was a step in a direction I found the most interesting by this band since the debut. Gonna keep an eye on this.

I just heard the title track. Erm... Did they just pull a Metallica? Lol

Dog poop. Don't bother nothing here worth replaying. Watered down Reload imo.

So... where's the crap? There are instances where some of the songs kinda sound like Metallica, but so what? It's a good album.

Written by Metal Diogenes on 14.07.2023 at 12:10

So... where's the crap? There are instances where some of the songs kinda sound like Metallica, but so what? It's a good album.

They always sounded like old but GOOD Metallica. Much better than Metallica ever was after self-titled album.
Its nothing bad in that.

I dont care if they sound like metallica. It's a solid album

Good record, I am enjoying it, single The Unknown is great!!.

Imagine starting so strong as a thrash metal band and then becoming one of the lamest groove metal bands... actually that's probably a lot of thrash metal bands.

Written by flightoficarus on 15.07.2023 at 18:38

Imagine starting so strong as a thrash metal band and then becoming one of the lamest groove metal bands... actually that's probably a lot of thrash metal bands.

No wonder some 80's bands like Overkill, Testament are still tormenting our necks. We have discussed to death how revivalist thrash bands fade faster than you come to terms with and it is still prevalent like Havok.

I've been going to Evile gigs since they were playing to 30 people in Camden dive bars. For me, Skull was peak Evile, I got the last album because while it wasn't great it also wasn't terrible, and I figured it was the first in the new post-Matt era so probably more of an "Evile-2.0 beta" album.

I've listened to the whole of this album. For the first 4 songs, I kept waiting for them to get out of first gear, kick it up a notch or two and deliver a memorable hook of some sort. Instead, it turns out there's a gear zero and they've found it and explored it fully on those songs. Of these first four, Monolith is the one that I think could make a reasonable "slow song" on an Evile album, there's a bit more of an edge to his vocals which makes it more interesting. When Mortal Coils Shed I couldn't get through, it's Nothing Else Matters type balladry which I can't stand.

Things are looking up for tracks 5 and 6, they're decent Evile thrashers, better than the stuff on the last album I'd say. Track 7 slams on the brakes again and we're back to plodding through mud. At times the guitars are riffing fast even though the beat is slow, that could be intense if they kept it up, but it's just the odd burst. For track 8, Reap What You Sow, they go at double-plod for the verses and prechorus but then drop it back to slow-and-steady-wins-the-race for the chorus. It has the dubious merit of being relatively short at less than 4 minutes.

My heart sinks when track 9 starts at the now-usual 10bpm, but then suddenly it revs up to a more palatable tempo which they manage to maintain for a bit longer than on the last song - until the viagra wears off and they have to slow down again until a final burst for the outro.

Thankfully they stick to Evile tradition for the closer which is fast from the get go and shreds decently except for a brief, fun little palm muted Anthrax stomp before the final verse.

So overall, while it's hard for me to say it's a truly bad album, I can say it's not really my cup of tea. A fast song can be fun just by virtue of the energy of speed, but a slow song really needs to be pretty well crafted to be memorable, and unfortunately I feel they just don't manage it on this. I might get it for the sake of the four tracks or so I like, and listen to those as a makeshift EP, but otherwise I don't particularly see myself wanting to listen to this again until 20 years have passed and I've forgotten and wonder why I didn't like it.

Written by Cynic Metalhead on 17.07.2023 at 15:37

Written by flightoficarus on 15.07.2023 at 18:38

Imagine starting so strong as a thrash metal band and then becoming one of the lamest groove metal bands... actually that's probably a lot of thrash metal bands.

No wonder some 80's bands like Overkill, Testament are still tormenting our necks. We have discussed to death how revivalist thrash bands fade faster than you come to terms with and it is still prevalent like Havok.

Nah, I can name albums from like 7 new thrash bands off the top of my head that're better than those weakass weaksauce new Testament albums, and even Overkill have been slouching until their latest.

Written by A Real Mönkey on 18.07.2023 at 01:19

Written by Cynic Metalhead on 17.07.2023 at 15:37

Written by flightoficarus on 15.07.2023 at 18:38

Imagine starting so strong as a thrash metal band and then becoming one of the lamest groove metal bands... actually that's probably a lot of thrash metal bands.

No wonder some 80's bands like Overkill, Testament are still tormenting our necks. We have discussed to death how revivalist thrash bands fade faster than you come to terms with and it is still prevalent like Havok.

even Overkill have been slouching until their latest.

Go back and listen to Overkill modern records and it kicks 90% of the entire discography of revivalist thrash bands off the park.

And Overkill modern records are inferior to their 80s catalog.

Written by Cynic Metalhead on 18.07.2023 at 07:50

Go back and listen to Overkill modern records and it kicks 90% of the entire discography of revivalist thrash bands off the park.

Ironbound maybe, but after that... nah.

Written by Cynic Metalhead on 18.07.2023 at 07:50

And Overkill modern records are inferior to their 80s catalog.

That's not saying much. Their 80s stuff is overrated.

Written by A Real Mönkey on 18.07.2023 at 12:22

Their 80s stuff is overrated.

No.

Written by JoHn Doe on 18.07.2023 at 12:24

Written by A Real Mönkey on 18.07.2023 at 12:22

Their 80s stuff is overrated.

No.

Yes.

Just like most 80s thrash metal: Stupidly overrated.

Written by A Real Mönkey on 18.07.2023 at 13:13

Just like most 80s thrash metal: Stupidly overrated.

Most of it?!
I disagree.
I could agree there are overrated albums, but overrated as a genre, that's a generalization.

Written by JoHn Doe on 18.07.2023 at 13:36

Written by A Real Mönkey on 18.07.2023 at 13:13

Just like most 80s thrash metal: Stupidly overrated.

I could agree there are overrated albums, but overrated as a genre, that's a generalization.

You're feeding another warble who may have gone bonkers on listening to few modern thrash albums. You can't fix it.

Written by Cynic Metalhead on 18.07.2023 at 14:07

You're feeding another warble who may have gone bonkers on listening to few modern thrash albums. You can't fix it.

Yeesh get with the times old man. Sorry your favorite bands aren’t as great as you think they are.

Not that I know too much about this band, but to me this sounds like a watered down post-black album Metallica, especially the vocals, and the songwriting isn't all that interesting for me tbh.

What the actual fuck has happened to Evile? Hell Unleashed felt like a legit comeback; this is incredibly boring, and Ol Drake's vocals are not a good fit for doing this kind of plodding Black Album-style singing in contrast to how well his gruff barks fit with Hell Unleashed's material. It's just plodder after plodder for the first half; When Mortal Coils Shed is a bit on-the-nose with the Nothing Else Matters cues, and the heavier ones feel like they last twice as long as they actually do. There's some more energy with Sleepless Eyes onwards, but even that doesn't really save it (really can't deal with the vocals on this track in particular)

Written by AndyMetalFreak on 19.07.2023 at 09:19

Not that I know too much about this band, but to me this sounds like a watered down post-black album Metallica, especially the vocals, and the songwriting isn't all that interesting for me tbh.

They used to be more of a watered down pre-Black Album Metallica, so it's not surprising that they took this route.

Idk why everyone keeps comparing Evile to Metallica. Sure they were a Metallica tribute band before writing original music. Maybe "Things That Should Not Be"-like Metallica, but definitely not Metallica lol. But I've always felt they sounded more like Arise-era Sepultura when fast-paced or even Overkill when slowed down, musically. I think Ol Drake wanted to hone his non-thrash voice, similar to his brother Matt Drake, and go back to their slower sound on "Infected Nations". But I can agree, 6/10. Lyrics are so bland & the slower songs are super straightforward & too short. Could've added much more solos & breakdowns instead of repeating the choruses more than 3 times per song. Matt Drake needs to get out of his depression & get back into this band lol. But there are some good songs on here. The fast ones "Sleepless" & "Balance" are good. "Mask, Reap" & "Mirror" have slight Slayer vibes, though his voice can sound like Hetfield at time, which is annoying. The instrumentation is great, especially the drums.

This sounds like a decent Metallica album

Written by Novas on 20.07.2023 at 19:45

Idk why everyone keeps comparing Evile to Metallica. Sure they were a Metallica tribute band before writing original music. Maybe "Things That Should Not Be"-like Metallica, but definitely not Metallica lol. But I've always felt they sounded more like Arise-era Sepultura when fast-paced or even Overkill when slowed down, musically.

Back when Metal Hammer orgasming on Evile in 2010 or 2011, I read somewhere Drake was a huge Metallica-worshipping lad. He pushed his bandmates to carbon copy Metallica records while putting new directions in and that somehow gained a huge popularity back then. I never get to hear about Evile post-2011.

Oooof... What a step back for this band, this is not the 90's... Im bored listening to this and that is not good.

Written by Cynic Metalhead on 21.07.2023 at 11:39

Written by Novas on 20.07.2023 at 19:45

Idk why everyone keeps comparing Evile to Metallica. Sure they were a Metallica tribute band before writing original music. Maybe "Things That Should Not Be"-like Metallica, but definitely not Metallica lol. But I've always felt they sounded more like Arise-era Sepultura when fast-paced or even Overkill when slowed down, musically.

Back when Metal Hammer orgasming on Evile in 2010 or 2011, I read somewhere Drake was a huge Metallica-worshipping lad. He pushed his bandmates to carbon copy Metallica records while putting new directions in and that somehow gained a huge popularity back then. I never get to hear about Evile post-2011.

In the slower songs of the album, I can definitely hear like James Hetfield is in his 20s again & like the band sounds like Metallica, in a way. But once it kicks in gear on the faster songs (and previous album), I don't hear Metallica at all. I guess I'm saying the intensity is heavier than Metallica, like on BtR/Arise-Sepultura or even Slayer level. Definitely all the other albums have been heavier sounding than Metallica. Definitely different on vocals between Matt Drake & Ol Drake. Matt was more melodic & sharp, fit the music, didn't sound like Metallica, even with their rock ballads. But at least it's an experiment I hope they don't repeat...

Skull is where it's at, this was way too mid tempo and the vocals don't do them any favors either

It reminds me a lot of 90s era of Metallica and that is for sure not good. The Unknown continues the bordomness of the previous album and it's a pitty for the band that released an album like Enter The Grave.

Good one, not so thrash but they tock best insipratins from Metallica black album, I enjoy this, coold song writing. Album has higher value as we all say it has. Listen to it more times.