Evil Hunter is a heavy metal band from Spain formed in 2017, releasing their self-titled album the following year. The band’s sophomore album ‘Lockdown’ was released in 2021.
Featuring eight songs in a little under forty minutes, Evil Hunter scorches the Earth with a blend of traditional, and power metal fury. The band’s new album is quick to get into its stride with ‘Guardian Angel’ setting the album alight with a thundering fast pace. The traditional metal gallop shows its mettle, and ‘Lockdown’ is well and truly underway. ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ adopts a more mid-tempo pace, yet thunders just as heavily as the album opener. And the vocal snarl, scowl, and rasp of the band’s lead singer Damian Chicano are full of grit and aggression – giving the songs a little flavor of thrash.
The pace quickens with the introduction of ‘Get Up’ – a much more anthemic style romp, still maintaining the album’s overall traditional come power metal feel. Very much driven by the power and pace of eighties heavy metal, Evil Hunter includes modern-day touches so as not to sound too “old school”. And the pace quickens yet again for the power metaller ‘Burning In Flames’, giving the headbangers of the world more reasons to furiously bang their heads. As if they’d need more reasons – the album has been head bang-able since it began! Adopting a mid-tempo pace once again, the album moves into the most melodious sound heard so far, courtesy of the hard-rocking ‘Fear Them All’ – and it highly sings a long-able chorus. This is gonna be a great crowd participation moment for an in-concert singalong – come on everyone “fear them all, read their eyes, they need souls, you can’t rely on”.
And now the fastest song on the album explodes into life – ‘Beyond The Dark’ a thundering high-velocity rampage. Traditional, power, and speed metal all collide with an almighty bang, with fireworks going off left-right, and center. ‘Locked Down’ (presumably the album’s title song) moves away from all the thunder that has gone before, adopting a more mellow, ahem, ballad feel. So raise your lighters high and salute an emotionally driven power ballad – for its first two minutes at least!
For ‘Locked Down’ changes pace, bringing back the thunder, charging forth with a purpose and intent. Very sly Evil Hunter, very sly. The album is brought to a close with an anthemic feel courtesy of the mid-tempo ‘Blown With The Wind’. The rabble-rousing call-to-arms feels of bands such as Saxon, Sabaton, and Manowar rise high, to end what has been a very good album.
Overall, a glorious traditional come power metal gallop, Evil Hunter excites and delights with their second album.
Evil Hunter: Facebook
Release Year: 2021
Label: Demons Records
Category: Album
Country: Spain
Reviewed by Iron Mathew for Frenzy Fire, Metal Gods TV, and Metal-Roos.
