Album Review: Evil – Possessed by Evil

Evil – Possessed by Evil
February 1st, 2021
Blackened Thrash / Speed Metal
Nuclear War Now! Productions
Tokyo, Japan

I took one goddamned look at this album art and decided almost instantaneously that I was going to love this album, and dammit I wasn’t wrong. As soon as this record starts up with the opening track, “The Cycle of Pain”, which just bombards you with a cacophony of blast beats, it promises to be a ride you won’t regret. Indeed this Japanese blackened speed / blackened thrash quartet, of whom I forget how I initially discovered them, have delivered one hell of a kick to the gut with this sophomore record.

This album combines the raw attitude of first wave black metal with the ferocity of Teutonic thrash metal and the rock n’ roll vibes of the New Wave of Traditional Heavy Metal to create a delectably brutal and fantastic concoction of utterly unholy music. Boasting twelve tracks of relentless blackened thrash, Evil are here to possess you… with evil!

The vocals on this thing are mostly the kind of wretched, unholy barking you’d expect from a band in the black n’ roll or blackened punk genre. There’s a serrated edge to each snarl, sounding somewhere between the yelled vocals of thrash, the retched vocals of black metal, and the guttural “oughs!” so commonly found in first wave revival bands as well as hardcore punk and d-beat groups of the modern era. Every now and then though, such as on the song “Yaksa”, Evil’s vocalist deigns to dip into the falsetto range for a high-pitched Slayer-esque scream, addition some much welcomed variety to the band’s sonic palette.

The riffs here are relentless and cutthroat, as you would hope. As with the vocals they sit somewhere in between thrash and black metal as well as punk. It certainly feels like the riffage is mostly rooted in Teutonic thrash with the speed at which these strings are being tremolo picked, though some of the guitar work certainly dips into rock n’ roll territory no doubt inspired by groups like Midnight, especially when it comes to the soloing.

Perhaps one of this record’s greatest strengths is just how much variety is presented to the listener here. Not every song is a fast-as-fuck, bash-you-over-the-head ripper, though most of them are. Still, each song on this album has its own unique vibe, and they all manage to stay apart from one another while still sounding cohesive. It’s impressive how this record moves on from one track to the next, almost feeling like one long song, while never really lingering on any sonic motif for too long. Yet, with righteous thundercracks and demonic yelling, this record’s unbridled fury is unquestioned.

The drumming as well is fantastic. Just loaded up to the brim with fast-as-fuck thrashy beats that waste no time in pulverizing the listener into absolute mince-meat with a combination of blasting, skank beats and the occasional slower groove to break things up. Whoever is behind the kit here is a fucking madman and may Satan bless their blackened soul.

I also love how raw and loud this record sounds. The production on here is massive and thunderous and cacophonous without pushing the boundary of overproduction. Everything sounds like it’s real and present and right there for the taking. The volume knows no bounds as the guitars squeal out over barbaric drums and villainous vocals. This is exactly how I want an album in this genre to sound, so whoever was responsible for the production side of things knew what the fuck they were doing.

This is an excellent example of blackened thrash metal, and while it’s only Evil’s second record, I really hope they continue to build on this uncompromising, catchy, and relentless brand of violent speed. If you’re a fan of bands like Bathory and Hellhammer then you owe it to yourself to give this thing a listen. It’s almost guaranteed to be up your alley. Don’t miss out.

Final Verdict: 9/10
Awesome

Favourite Tracks:
“Yaksa”
“Raizin”
“The Gate of Hell”
“Enmaten”

~ Akhenaten