UMUR
"Empress of Evil" is a one-track single release by US, California based thrash metal act Nukem. The single was independently released in April 2023. It´s the first release from Nukem since they released their debut full-length studio album "The Unholy Trinity" in 2016. It´s worth a mention that Gary Holt (Exodus, Slayer) plays guitar solos on "Empress of Evil".
Stylistically Nukem have changed quite a bit since "The Unholy Trinity" which was a thrash metal release with many nods toward speed metal and traditional heavy metal. "Empress of Evil" is instead an aggressive and brutal thrash metal song and it´s fans of an artist like Power Trip rather than fans of the more melodic thrash/heavy metal style of the debut album who are gonna appreciate this single. The vocals are raw, snarling, and angry and the riffs are sharp, intense, and brutal. The same with the drumming.
"Empress of Evil" features a fat, massive, and powerful sounding production job. If this turns out to be a teaser release for a forthcoming album, there is plenty to look forward to. Personally I thought Nukem had found their own charming thrash/heavy metal niche with "The Unholy Trinity" and had hoped they would continue down that road on future releases, but this is pretty intense and powerful thrash metal too and definitely worth a listen. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.
