UMUR "Rise Above" is an EP release by US, California based thrash metal act Evildead. The EP was recorded and mixed in two days and was released through SPV GmbH/Steamhammer in July 1988. Evildead formed in 1987 and released "The Awakening" demo later in the year. The band was founded by guitarist Juan Garcia, when his former band Agent Steel disbanded.

"Rise Above" features 4 tracks and a full playing time of 11:00 minutes. The title track is a Black Flag cover, and is therefore a hardcore oriented track featuring riot gang vocals. "Run Again" and "Sloe - Death" are original compositions, which both show that Evildead have quite a few tricks up their sleeve. Bay Area influenced thrash metal riffs and rhythms, a flair for melodic guitar themes, but also a more raw crossover thrash metal influence. The latter is also heard in the short closing track "S.T. Riff", which is basically the main riff from "Institutionalized" by Suicidal Tendencies being played.

The EP is well produced, featuring a powerful and detailed sound production, which suits the material well. So upon conclusion "Rise Above" is a promising first label release by Evildead. Only two original compositions are a maybe a couple too few, to really get an idea what Evildead are about, but on the other hand the quality of the release is pretty high throughout and therefore a 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating isn´t all wrong.