Evile - Five Serpent’s Teeth (Earache/Riot)

I don’t know if it’s really fair, but I expect an awful lot from Evile. I reviewed their second album, Infected Nations, and lamented the fact that it didn’t have the raw excellence of their debut, Enter The Grave. So now we have their third offering and, much as we really shouldn’t, it’s hard not to hope for a Master Of Puppets moment from Evile.
Release Date: 
26 Sep 2011 - 10:30am

Their first was awesome, their second was good, but not better. The third is most definitely a return to their top form. It opens with that doomy death thing Evile mix so well with their thrash, then kicks into some proper riffage with the title track. From there it goes straight into In Dreams Of Terror and the thrash is solid and just what it should be. This is a strong record. Of course, it’s no Master Of Puppets, but nothing really is. It’s a bit unfair to judge all thrash by that standard. But the similarities are there.

Five Serpent’s Teeth is as tight as the proverbial. The bass and drum combination works with the kind of throbbing drive we want. The guitars are at the perfect level in the mix and the solos shriek perfectly over the top. Some of the solo work is just inspired. Technically this record is bang on.

There are places where it doesn’t quite work. The melodic drop in track three, Cult, doesn’t quite gel. But there is some juvenile fun, as every time they yell, “CULT!” it sounds like Cunt! The few low points are offset by many highs, like the ripping solo in track five, Xaraya, and the entirety of track six, Origin Of Oblivion, which is just solid blistering thrash and exactly what we came for. Seriously, that track alone makes the album worth buying.

Evile is a fucking good band and we can expect big things from them. This release is definitely better than the last one and certainly touches some of the highs of their debut and surpasses that record in places. It’s another strong stage in what is certainly a stellar career. There’s variety, with tracks like In Memoriam slowing the pace and showing the band’s musical ability outside the thrash, and all the things we want from an album like this are there in spades.

Fans will be happy with this one and new converts will be sure to see what all the fuss is about. For an old-school thrash lover like me, it’s records like this that make me very excited and I’m pleased to see the flag being flown so well. Top work, lads – keep it up!