Evile – Infected Nations 4.5/5

01. Infected Nation 5:33 02. Now Demolition 5:46 03. Nosphoros 5:30 04. Genocide 7:42 05. Plague To End All Plagues 5:55 06. Devoid of Thought 5:38 07. Time No More 4:00 08. Metamorphosis 7:41 09. Hundred Wrathful Deities 11:15

In this age of a rapidly accelerating music industry, the inevitable backlash to a burgeoning genre (or in this case, genre revival) seems to occur almost instantly. As soon as the ‘New Wave of Thrash’ grabbed metal press headlines in 2007, cynics and friendless naysayers were waiting to moan about bands “offering nothing new” or “cynically cashing-in on nostalgia”. Two years is a long time in the music world and it’s make or break time for many of this resurgence’s highly-publicised acts. Can they offer more than a mere throwback fix or is it all just another fad?

Huddersfield thrashers Evile can pat themselves on their leather-clad backs knowing that they’ve accomplished the former in spades. Displaying vast improvement on virtually every front, this is a very different, more mature beast to the snarling young creature that made us ‘Enter The Grave’; more battle-hardened, no less aggressive but knowing when to unleash its arsenal more effectively than simply firing all guns at once.

Okay, it’s definitely not 100% cynic proof – some critics will undoubtedly moan joylessly about the inevitable Sepultura comparisons that arise (no pun intended) from the Michael Whelan artwork, the lyrical subjects of social decay and destruction and bleak, apocalyptic overtones in numbers like ‘Plague To End All Plagues’ and ‘Genocide’. Heck, Matt Drake even seems to be channelling the spirit of a young Max Cavalera on the title track. Listeners blessed with both functioning ears and brains however will notice that this is no cynical imitation, simply an improved progression as Drake’s vocals now contain more menace and amazingly, more melody than the thuggish chants heard on the debut.

If you’re the type who needs a simple tagline in order to recommend an album to a mate then ‘Infected Nations’ is “‘Beneath The Remains’ crossed with ‘…And Justice For All’” and any sensible thrasher knows that’s a winning recipe. With such astonishing progress displayed between only two full-lengths, it’s a wonder what advancements Evile will make on their next album. They have the potential to deliver a timeless thrash classic and while this album arguably isn’t quite it, it’s a huge steel-capped step in the right direction. Put down your Bullet For My Valentine CDs, find out what real British heavy metal is all about and I’ll see you in the pit!

Infected Nations is available to buy at play.com

Genre : Thrash

Article by Gordy Jeans