October 12, 2007 | , | 4.5

Evile, Enter the Grave

Like a mad scientist holed away in some hidden, underground basement laboratory mixing various chemicals in every attempt at global conquest, Evile have taken equal parts of some of the most legendary thrash bands of years past and built their very own Frankenstein — a beast worthy of destroying crowds in the same era of the bands their debut album emulates.

Early Metallica, Megadeth and Testament all make an appearance here and there throughout this high paced throwback of an album. Some of Evile’s material is so uncannily similar to their heroes that you often mistake it for some of your favorite classics.

With a sound that brings back memories of ripped denim jackets and seas of headbangers, Evile have resurrected a sound long lost and added in their own, modern style to it. The result is a thrash album that’ll leave you bruised and grinning insanely from ear to ear.

Enter the Grave
The title track opens up with some chugging thrash that’ll have your head banging instantly upon hearing the first notes. Matt Drake’s vocals are clean with a little rasp, but very powerful and well performed. The first sick solo of the album hits at the 1:30 mark.

Thrasher
The opening riff of “Thrasher” is simply classic and will be immediately identifiable by fans as years pass. This track is a fast paced, aural onslaught that’ll bring back memories of Testament’s The Legacy. There’s a good bit of Slayer thrown in there as well for added emphasis. The solo at the 2:30 mark is pretty damned bad ass.

First Blood
“First Blood” starts off a little slower than the previous two tracks with big hits from the drums and guitar before settling into a nice mid-paced tempo. The great part about this track is that it lyrics deal with the Rambo movie series — I absolutely love it!

Man Against Machine
An eerie bit of guitar work starts off this song slowly and dramatically. That “intro” lasts about a minute before big riffs permeate the air and shift into a chugging monstrosity with pounding drums. There’s a good dose of Slayer throughout this track, but it’s not simply worship — there’s a lot of originality deep in the song’s sound as well. It’s a bit slower than the rest of the album at this point.

Burned Alive
More speedy, thrash goodness awaits us after “Man Against Machine.” This one shifts tempos smoothly from chugging riffs to a flesh peeling pace and back again several times throughout it’s nearly 6 minutes.

Killer From the Deep
“Killer From the Deep” first appeared on the band’s All Hallows Eve EP, but is presented here again in all it’s thrashing glory. It’s a hellish monolith of a song comprised of pounding drums and ripping guitars.

We Who Are About To Die
The 7 minute plus epic “We Who Are About To Die” starts off slowly with some Slayer worshiping guitar work (think “Dead Skin Mask” mixed with “Seasons in the Abyss”). It’s a good minute before some thundering drums and big riffs kick in. It’s a much slower paced track and helps break up the pace a good bit before shifting into high gear again later in the track.

Schizophrenia
Chugging riffs and faster-than-balls drumming get “Schizophrenia” moving quickly through the speakers as you try and keep up. This is one of the more aggressive tracks on the album with a sharp edge that some of the other songs just don’t have. I love the chorus as well — easy to shout at with and catchy.

Bathe In Blood
“Bathe In Blood” fades in quickly with mid tempo riffs and drumming. It’s also that aggressive tinge to it that we heard on “Schizophrenia,” but there’s also a healthy dose of maniacal evil thrown into the mix.

Armoured Assault
The final track starts with some brief sound effects and movie clips before literally erupting violently with some insanely fast riffing and drum work. What a hell of way to end an amazing album — with easily the fastest song contained in it’s 53 minutes of music.

~ ~ ~

Thrash has been making a huge come back the past couple of years and I couldn’t be happier. Evile is one of the relatively newer bands that are hefting the genre on their shoulders and running with it. Instead of trying to create something new, the band has embraced the genre’s legendary history and incorporated its musical roots into their own interpretation of the style. The outcome is Enter The Grave, an album sure to be a classic like the band’s they emulate with their on take on thrash metal. If you don’t already have this disc, go get it now.

Favorite Tracks:
Enter the Grave
Man Against Machine
Killer From the Deep
Schizophrenia
Armoured Assault

Additional Notes:
n/a