My, how times and tastes change. When I first signed on as a newbie writer for Angry Metal Guy Industries, I was happy and content with all the musical trends in the metalsphere (save anything core, of course). Now, a scant year and a half later, I’m pretty much burned out on black metal and I’m even getting weary of my (formerly)  beloved retro-thrash wave. At this point, the trend feels beaten back to life then back to death again. While a few of the recent thrash releases stood out (Toxic Holocaust for one), as a rule the scene feels tired and old like it did toward the end of the original wave. That brings us to the U.K.’s Evile. Their 2007 release Enter the Grave was a nice shot in the arm of vintage thrash but their follow-up Infected Nations took on too much of a progressive mid-period Metallica vibe and bored more bashed (although AMG dug it well enough). I was hopeful they would return to their more aggressive style on Five Serpent’s Teeth and while they did, this ended up too generic and unoriginal to really get me worked up into a thrashy lather. However, its undeniably well-executed, generally engaging speed with enough technical ability to impress and a few standout cuts.

The opening title track is an aggressive stomper and clearly isn’t lacking in energy. It has more than its share of storming thrash riffs akin to my beloved Wargasm paired with In Flames-esque leads and solos but something about it results in a disconnect for me. I want to like it but  feel cold and distant toward it. Other songs like “Cult,” ”Xaraya” and “Centurion” are straight-forward thrash but throw in interesting harmonies and excellent guitar solos (check out “Xaraya” at 3:50) and engage the listener. Others like “In Dreams of Terror,” ”Eternal Empire” and “Long Live the New Flesh” feel generic and tedious and don’t hold my attention. Power-ballad “In Memoriam” has a huge Metallica influence, from the guitar phraseology to the Hetfieldy vocals (its so close to something off the Black Album, it’s nearly a cover song) but it works fairly well and the emotional guitar-work is an album high point. The rest of the songs either fall into the “entertaining but unoriginal” or “generic and not too entertaining” baskets. Fortunately, the balance falls in the entertaining bin and more songs work than don’t.

The saving grace for much of Five Serpent’s is the guitar-work of brothers-o-metal Ol and Matt Drake. While most of the riffing is standard-issue thrash that you’ve heard elsewhere since 1983′, they do it with enough conviction  and heart to put it over. Where they really shine is in the solo department. They clearly have chops and some of their lead-work is beautiful and classy-as-fuck. Vocally, Matt Drake has been labelled a Hetfield clone and there are some similarities but here, he tends to sound more like Bob Mayo (Wargasm). His delivery and tone is tougher than Hetfield’s and that usually helps retain the heavy factor even when they move into mid-paced tempos. He’s not the best vocalist out there but he gets it done. Together, Evile sounds tight and proficient musically but the songwriting doesn’t always keep up with the technical flair.

The production is a typically overblown, overly clean, modern one and although the guitars sound big and beefy, the sterile sound takes away much of the edge and danger thrash should have. It has the same sound as many recent metalcore/modern metal releases and while that doesn’t completely ruin the impact, it isn’t helping much either.

Between the sound, sometimes generic songwriting and the oversaturation of retro-thrash, this just doesn’t have a real wow factor for me. In all fairness, this late in the game, only the very best thrash releases can standout and avoid a feeling of malaise and been-there-got-the-Slayer-shirt. Evile was never a top dog in the genre IMHO and this release doesn’t elevate them there. Its decent, solid thrash and you can tell they mean it, but its been done, and done. I would recommend tracking down the old Wargasm albums instead but if you want new thrash, Evile is the lesser of other retro evils out there.

Related posts:

1. Evile – Infected Nations Review
2. RIP Mike Alexander
3. Toxic Holocaust – Conjure and Command Review

Thrash revival has been a big deal of late.  I mean, thrash is the biggest thing since.. well, thrash, in the metal scene right now.  Bands from all over the world, particularly in the underground, are donning tight jeans, jean jackets, Kreator and Exodus patches and looking for the next big thrash prodigy.  Earache is not the only label releasing thrash revival stuff, it’s coming from everywhere (Candlelight has been particularly prolific with the thrash revival).  Evile is on that bandwagon, whether they like it or not, but they have a different take on it.  That is: they sound a lot more like the mature Bay Area.

Infected Nations is a pretty solid album, with excellent riffing in the classic thrash style that so many of us grew up.  With riffs that bring to mind …and Justice for All and The American Way (by the ever-overlooked Sacred Reich), UK metallers Evile have really brought back a sound of thrash metal that has been missing in the revival.  While bands like have been ripping it up in the old school style of Slayer, Kreator, Destruction and bands of this sort, Evile sounds a lot more like late-80s/early 90s thrash than that.   The introduction to the title track should be a dead give-away for most listeners: beautifully harmonized clean guitars that fade in and lead to a kick ass thrash triplets.

And the whole record is chock-full of kick ass riffs and headbanging monstrosities that bring a guy back to being 9 and discovering Metallica.   There is definitely a certain charm in this and many have lauded praises on the band for “carrying the revival” on their shoulders and stuff like that.   And yeah, Evile is good at what they do!  They really are.. but where’s the progress that we’re supposed to be finding in new metal bands?  Why are we always looking back instead of forward.  Bands like Evile and Havok are almost evidence for a metal scene that doesn’t have anywhere new to go and a generation of metalheads that are disappointed with the state of modern metal: so they’re imitating what’s already been done.

Of course, why stop them?  Metallica quit making good music years ago and even Megadeth has only just regained its glory with a good album: but Evile has put out its second critically acclaimed record in a row and somehow manages to keep a 20 year old sound fresh, for the most part.

Of course, there are some things I’d change about this album.  I like the faster, heavier and techy-er parts, but I find a lot of the mid-paced riffs to be a little bit mind-numbing and I tend to lose myself in them.  Another issue that I have is the vocals, which are classic thrash and also very, very monotonous.  Matt Drake (rhythm guitar / vocals) does his best classic James Hetfield/Chuck Billy impression over every track and after a while it just feels like droning.  There are way better thrash vocalists out there, and I strongly suggest that Drake work on varying his vocals a little.

Honestly, Infected Nations is a good album, but it’s not a whole lot better than that considering everything.  The production is fantastic, the song-writing is pretty good, but it’s missing out on the originality that I’m always hoping for.  Maybe it’s just me, but I like to see bands that use their thrash metal roots for new things.  Even looking at a band like Dragonforce or Luna Mortis that obviously have thrash metal influences, but are able to blend them into other styles to make them new and interesting gives a road-map to thrash influenced bands, because I have trouble imagining how a lot of these bands are going to survive the trend.

Related posts:

1. Evile – Five Serpent’s Teeth Review
2. RIP Mike Alexander
3. Toxic Holocaust – Conjure and Command Review