Evil is a heavy metal band from Denmark, forming during the early eighties along with countrymen Mercyful Fate and Artillery. While these two bands went on to enjoy lengthy and successful careers, sadly the same did not happen for Evil. After the release of their debut E.P. ‘Evil’s Message’ in 1984, the band broke up the following year – returning thirty years later with original drummer Freddie Wolf, now on guitars, leading a new line-up that released the band’s debut album ‘Shoot The Messenger’ (2015), after which the band again, broke up…
…reforming and returning in 2022 with a new album and (another) new line-up. Joining guitarist Freddie, are vocalist Martin Steene (Iron Fire), drummer Henrik Molin (ex Shadowspawn), bassist Jakob Haugaard (Iron Fire), and guitarist Nikolaj Ihlemann (ex Nightlight).
The band’s new album ‘Book Of Evil’ features eleven songs across forty-five very heavy minutes. Combining the European and British styles of metal, Evil‘s sophomore album is a crushing mix of power metallers Accept, and metal gods Judas Priest! With this combination, you can expect a heavy old-school flavor – as the band brings the album to life with the sub-one-minute ‘Intro (A Terrible Thing)’, a haunting and sinister, edge-of-your-seat tension-filled passage that leads straight into the heavy metal thunder of (album opener proper) ‘Divine Conspiracy’. The mighty power-driven metal to gallop so synonymous with Judas Priest is highly evident, as Evil hammer the senses with a barrage of boisterous, yet infectious, heavy metal. Picking up the pace and rocketing on at full tilt, ‘Evil Never Dies’ is a headbanger’s dream. The combination of blistering speed and heaviness will keep the mosh pits moshing from start to finish, as ‘Evil Never Dies’ struts its stuff with crushing precision.
The iconic guitar sound so familiar with the legendary NWOBHM evolution greets the ears as Evil power on with the traditional metaller ‘Future Densed’. The bold, brash, and menacing style of the Danish band is full of thunder, fire, and brimstone. If you’re not head banging and flipping the metal horns – you ain’t deserving of such heavy metal! Go and listen to some hard rock music instead! Meanwhile, for the die-hard heavy metallers (like myself), the album takes a speedy direction, with the all-out galloper ‘The Raven Throne’. Take the fastest and heaviest songs Priest and Iron Maiden have to offer, and you’ll have some idea of how fucking great ‘The Raven Throne’ sounds. And after just five songs, ‘Book Of Evil’ (the album) is turning in a terrific performance. Returning to the menacing sound of earlier, the band imparts a sinister tone for the intro to ‘King Of The Dead’ – adopting a more melodic march as it begins to unfold. Yet the band retains the album’s overall heaviness – a heaviness that’ll make rock fans reach for the aspirin! And metal fans reach for the volume control…
…turning it up on what is fast becoming one of the best releases this year. Evil is by no means evil, they’re just a very heavy, heavy metal band. Combining pace and foot-stomping heaviness, the band storm on with ‘Beyond Mind Control’ – the intensity the album began with not dropping for a single second! If you’re looking for a ground shuddering, wall crumbling, building collapsing album – this is it! Bulldozers take a back seat – Evil is here for all the demolition work. With ‘Sanctuary’, the band displays a new level of heaviness, heavier than anything heard so far. The slow burn is incredible, ‘Sanctuary’ building to a burst of explosive speed. Imposing the most melodic feel the album has to offer, ‘Storm Warning’ strolls into sight and then explodes into life in a fast-paced fury of fiery fierceness. ‘Storm Warning’ may seem to offer some respite from the phenomenal intensity of the album – but the band level the field with thundering accuracy, steaming forth at a high rate of knots.
Chiming in at over seven minutes in length, ‘Evils Message’ is a reprise of the band’s opening two songs from their 1984 debut E.P. ‘Evil’s Message’. The meld of ‘Evil’s Message’ and ‘Evil’ into one longer song ‘Evils Message’, is incredible. The band has kept to the speed of the originals, with the heaviness even heavier, and if you didn’t know the band’s history, you’d swear it was a brand new song. Absolutely breathtaking stuff from Evil. The album’s final hurrah is another seven-minute plus offering – a more epic and glory-filled majestic march.
The all-out pace of the entire album so far has now been shelved, in favor of an anthemic and hymn-like pairing.
Retaining a lot of the album’s overall heaviness, ‘Book Of Evil’ (the song) is a swaggering march of bands such as Iron Maiden, Sabaton, and HammerFall – with added oomph! What an absolute cracker to close a fantastic album.
Overall, galloping metal of the fast and very heavy variety, Evil has delivered a barnstorming and infectious album of great songs.
TRACKLIST
Intro (A Terrible Thing)
Divine Conspiracy
Evil Never Dies
Future Denied
The Raven Throne
King Of The Undead
Beyond Mind Control
Sanctuary
Storm Warning
Evils Message
Book Of Evil
Evil: Facebook
Release Year: 2022
Label: From The Vaults
Category: Album
Country: Denmark
Reviewed by Iron Mathew for Frenzy Fire, and Metal-Roos.
