REVIEW: EVILE, ENTER THE GRAVE

If you’re not sick of the thrash revival yet, Evile’s Enter the Grave should scratch your itch for a little while. Like Merciless Death, Dekapitator and their ilk, Evile isn’t one of those bands that updates the thrash sound – they’re one of those bands that sounds exactly like an 80’s thrash act. In other words, this album is completely unoriginal, which is not the same thing as saying that it’s not good.

Enter the Grave was produced by the legendary Flemming Rasmussen – he of Ride the Lightning and, yes, Master of Puppets fame – and, well, it sure shows. The guitars have the same satisfyingly crunchy tone as those albums, the drums and bass are just as sharp, and the guitar solos, by Oli Drake, may be even more blistering.

And since Demiricous take so much shit for sounding like Slayer, it’s worth noting that lead singer/rhythm guitarist Matt Drake sounds exactly like a young Tom Araya. Not that that’s necessarily a bad thing.

(three out of five horns)

-AR