Band:	Evile
Album:	All Hallows Eve
Style:	Thrash metal
Release date:	May 2004

01. Killer From The Deep
02. Dawn Of Destruction
03. Prophecy
04. The Living Dead
05. All Hallows Eve
06. Torment [instrumental]

Highly recommended!!

I'm not afraid at all for the future of European thrash metal. With such young and go-ahead bands as the German Reckless Tide, the French Insane and now the English Evile to name but a few, the sky is bright and cloudless. Let's focus on Evile. Originally formed as Metal Militia, a Metallica cover band, these young Brits decided it was high time to use their thrash background and the years spent listening to the Great Ancients in order to create some more personal music. The result is simply astounding: All Hallows Eve EP is one of the best thrash beginnings I've heard for long.

If you're expecting another modern thrash/death mix full of Gothenburg influences, you're going to be highly disappointed. On the other hand, if you're a Bay Area nostalgic, if you believe 80's thrash was THE shit, then I have what you long for. The opener "Killer From The Deep" will convince you at once. The traditional two-minute long intro à la Annihilator is enough to start a frantic and automatic headbanging that won't stop for 32 minutes. The vocals, albeit quite limited, really do the job. After all, thrash metal has never been about great singing - with the exception of a few bands of course. The important thing in this style is the riffs. And no problem here, Ol Drake's guitar playing is nothing less than amazing. His solos are on a par with those of any great band you can think of (listen to the intro of "Dawn Of Destruction"?). All Hallows Eve EP is like a stall where all the possibilities of thrash are displayed, from fast epic galloping to slow, heavy, neck-crushing transitions. Be sure you'll find something you like.

Of course All Hallows Eve EP won't revolutionize the whole genre, it's all very classical, but you get what you're asking for: riff after riff after riff of great thrash metal. Evile finds inspiration in the likes of Annihilator (the biggest influence), Metallica, Exodus and Testament. You can have a few more modern touches here and there but overall this album is like a travel through time. "The Living Dead" and its slow-paced riffing remind of the heaviest songs of And Justice For All-era Metallica, while All Hallows Eve - my favourite song - wouldn't have been out of tune in Alice In Hell or Never Neverland. The instrumental "Torment" is a tribute to the typical dark atmospheres of Testament and "Dawn Of Destruction" can remind of the harsh sounds of Dark Angel. Sounds like something you could like, doesn't it?

I could go on and on about the greatness of this demo, about how it reminds me of the bands I love, about how catchy every single riff is, about the talent of these young guys coming from nowhere, but all you need to know is this: consider the quality of this demo, consider the young age of the members (21 to 23), consider the lack of new sensations on the European thrash scene, consider that they are fully supported by Jeff Waters (you know the bald guy who plays the guitar in this underground band whose name I can't remember), and now believe me, the only conclusion you can come up with after listening to All Hallows Eve EP is that Evile is bound to be huge and become one of the references on the global metal scene. I honestly can't see how it could be any other way.

Highlights: Killer From The Deep (full mp3 available on their site), All Hallows Eve