Kev Rowland It is difficult to believe that Evile have been going for nearly 20 years now, but here they are back with their sixth album. There have been some changes over the years of course, with original bassist Mike Alexander dying from a pulmonary embolism back in 2009, founding lead guitarist Ol Drake leaving in 2013 for five years, and then him taking over on lead vocals in 2020 when his brother Matt also left. These days Ol Drake is on lead vocals and guitar, Ben Carter (the only musician to stay the course) is on drums, Mike’s replacement Joel Graham is on bass while Adam Smith joined on guitars in 2020, and this is their second album together, following on from ‘Hell Unleashed’.

Evile seemed to be everywhere when they released ‘Enter The Grave’ in 2007, but after 2013’s ‘The Skull’ they had a break from the recording process, which means Ol Drake has appeared on all the albums even though he was not in the band for five years. I didn’t hear the last one, but there is no doubt that the guys have carried on with their earlier Metallica fixation, but like that band one must wonder if their best years are behind them. It is easy to argue that the first four Metallica albums are truly essential, but nothing since, and here we find Evile finding inspiration from ‘Metallica’ and ‘Load’ which is not where I would be headed if it were me. There is undoubtedly a market for that style of music, or at least there was, given that ‘Metallica’ (seems strange to write that, I always think of it as ‘The Black Album’) has sold more than 31 million copies, and many kids grew up playing “Enter Sandman”. The frustrating thing is in the likes of “Sleepless Eyes”, “Out of Sight” and “Balance of Time” the guys show us they have not forgotten they know how to thrash like good ‘uns and they stand out incredibly clearly against the banality and middle of the road style they play for most of the album. If it had been all like this then I know I would have been raving over this as something to discover, but sadly it isn’t. At one point, Evile were showing Metallica and others the way to play meaningful thrash in the 21st Century, let us hope they remember how to do that again in future.

UMUR "Skull" is the 4th full-length studio album by UK thrash metal act Evile. The album was released through Earache Records in May 2013. Evile originally started under the Metal Militia monicker and played eighties Metallica covers...

...and while I may be a bit out of line saying this, I´d say they are more or less still playing eighties Metallica covers on "Skull". Lead vocalist/guitarist Matt Drake has a voice and singing style that´s very similar to the voice and singing style of James Hetfield (Metallica), the riffing style and guitar sound are also very similar to the sound of vintage Metallica (with a slight nod towards Testament too), but if you´re familiar with the preceding releases by the band, it shouldn´t come as a surprise.

So it´s safe to say that Evile are not that original soundingact out there, but they are a really well playing band (especially lead guitarist Ol Drake needs a mention for his skillfully played solos) and their materiel are very well written too. Add to that a high quality professional sound production, that is, clear, hard hitting, and powerful, and "Skull" comes off as a really great thrash metal album, despite the clone factor issue. Tracks like "Underworld" and "Words of the Dead" are crushingly heavy and powerful thrash metal assaults, but Evile are also able to write more varied material like "Tomb", which is structurally quite challenging and features a couple of acoustic sections.

"Skull" is arguably a strong and powerful thrash metal release, but it´s a release that´ll most likely divide the waters because of how much Evile are influenced by Metallica. Some people will probably adore this while others will wrinkle their noses because of the clone factor involved. Objectively seen a 3.5 - 4 star (75%) rating isn´t all wrong.

optisailor2002 When Metallica released their "comeback" album, Death Magnetic in 2008, Evile came highly recommended by a friend who was into bands like Metallica as well, claiming that Evile sounded exactly like Metallica. Despite that, and numerous recommendations to listen to Evile, I kept putting it off since Death Magnetic bore me out easily with the long and almost uninspired sounding tracks. However, with Five Serpent's Teeth (and my recent foray into thrash metal), I decided to finally give Evile a chance and gave it a few good listens.

And right from the opening track Five Serpent's Teeth, the comparisons to Metallica became extremely clear to me. The introductory section sounded like what the band would have written back in the 80s, and as the song begins proper, the riffs sound like it could easily come off a track like Battery. If that wasn't sufficient enough to prove the comparisons, just wait for Matt's vocals to come in, sounding extremely similar to James Hetfield not only in terms of his vocal quality, but also in how he chooses to articulate his words and his style of barking out of the lyrics. The riffs of Matt and Ol all sound like Metallica-worship, with references to earlier Metallica material extremely clear and obvious in most of the tracks, and Ol's guitar solos alternate between the chaotic style of Slayer's Kerry King and that of Kirk Hammett. Even drummer Ben's style is reminiscent of Lars Ulrich, with drumming patterns that are a fitting tribute to him., though Ben includes a considerably higher amount of energy in his drumming.

Songwriting-wise, the band also seems to follow the path in the later Metallica stuff, with half of the material on the album being rather mid-paced, rather than the frantic pace that bands like Exodus and Slayer prefer, though the influences from these other Bay Area thrash bands also appear throughout the album, such as on Origin of Oblivion where a Slayer-esque riff greets the listener. Songs like In Dreams of Terror also bring in some melodic moments in the middle of the track, preventing things from getting too dry on the album. There is even a ballad In Memoriam present, like most Metallica albums do.

Unfortunately, the album suffers from being slightly too repetitive, and Matt's vocals tend to get slightly irritating after a few songs, with his monotonous style, and songs on Five Serpent's Teeth lack the charm and hooks that make it memorable, with few songs and moments that really stick in the listener's head even after numerous listens, though the brilliant guitar solo work on the album by Ol and the few faster and energetic tracks like Eternal Empire certainly save the album.

If you found Metallica's Death Magnetic, and the shit that is Lulu disappointing, perhaps you could find some solace in Evile's Five Serpent's Teeth, as they do the Metallica worship extremely convincingly. Or you could simply go back to the early Metallica albums when they did not suck yet.

Originally written for http://www.heavymetaltribune.com/

Stephen EVILE turns their head to METALLICA here and what I'm trying to say is that EVILE probably sounds more METALLICA than the original band themselves, just like GRAND DESIGN and DEF LEPPARD case. Not only the whole sound but even Matt Drake sang like James Hetfield. Last time I checked, 'Infected Nations' did have that Bay Area vibe, but 'Five Serpent's Teeth' really worship that single god and the output is very much a cross of 'Kill em All' and '..and Justice For All', with a hint of KREATOR and SLAYER's aggressive stance.

I don't have any issue with that, a young band playing something classic they love, and me hearing something I love, is definitely what we called 'a click'. Looks like EVILE intended to stay in the Bay thrash revival scene and don't wanna mess with any modern ground. The title track, the grooviness of 'In Dreams of Terror', or the best song here, ‘Cult’, are among the winners. 'Origin of Oblivion' is also fantastic, the assaulting tempo with acrobatic riffs is too good to be true.

I must admit there are few bumpy tracks. 'Eternal Empire' is quite decent and 'Xaraya' is a failed attempt of EVILE tickling with modern thrash style. That only strengthen the fact that they excel at playing the old style. The last four tracks pick up the momentum. 'Centurion' is my fave, the tempo is cleverly building up and the chorus is just excellent. 'In Memoriam' kinda reminds me to 'Nothing Else Matter', 'Descent Into Madness' and 'Long Live New Flesh' are precious as well.

If you think you had enough with METALLICA's descendants or simply prefer to just listen to their old albums, 'Five Serpent's Teeth' might not a good idea to buy, but if you appreciate the current thrash revival scene and eager to see how the young band evolve, I'll say this album won't disappoint you at all. 80%

Stephen "Infected Nations" is the sophomore album of the British young thrash act that's released in 2009 under Earache. This is sadly, the last album with Mike Alexander who died while on tour just weeks after the release. Joel Graham replaced the spot to make sure the continuity of Evile's existence. Their debut, "Enter The Grave", was praised by fans as a great thrash album but also was criticized for being too close to the American Bay Area bands, and now "Infected Nations" answered the call by introducing a more original approach but still rooted to their influences, Sepultura, Metallica, and Testament.

The problem with this album is probably they're just too young and less-experienced to be experimenting with a high dose of original compositions, making most of the songs lack of something punchy, memorable, and potential to become classics. Out of 9 tracks presented here, I found three strong tracks : the title track with an explosive chorus and featured a smart combination of brutal and relaxing tempo; "Devoid of Thought", with a brutal rhythm and in a corridor of classic thrash riffage; and the peak of the album, "Time No More", an upbeat classic headbanging tune with a terrorizing riffs. Matt Drake's singing style is a cross of Max Cavalera and James Hetfield which made this album sounded close to early 90s Sepultura and Metallica.

Several potential songs that should have done better are the mid-tempo "Now Demolition", the 7-minutes piece of "Genocide", and the grinding "Plague To End All Plagues". The last two songs, in my opinion, are a wasteful effort. "Metamorphosis" actually has a good moment and lots of changing tempo, but somewhat I felt it's just too long and tends to be boring. The closing track is also a dull and skippable instrumental track. Bottom line, "Infected Nations" is still an enjoyable release but still far from essential. However, this album shows their bravery of inventing their own sound, probably the next album will be better.