Thrash Metal
Steamhammer/SPV
Release Date – May 24th 2024
Line Up:
Phil Flores – Vocals
Juan Garcia – Guitar
Albert Gonzales – Guitar
Karlos Medina – Bass
Rob Alaniz – Drums
Tracklist:
1 – F.A.F.O
2- Reverie
3 – Raising Fresh Hell
4 – Stupid On Parade
5 – Subjugated Souls
6 – Bathe In Fire
7 – Poetic Omen
8 – World Ov Rats
9 – Fear Porn
LA thrashers EvilDead return after their critically acclaimed album from four years ago – ‘United States Of Anarchy’. With this release, they have reined in the total thrash and gone for a more controlled approach. Don’t worry, they still thrash like crazy, but only when necessary.
The opener, ‘F.A.F.O’, gets heavy with a simple grinding riff, reminiscent of an Overkill vibe, before the overt thrash of ‘Reverie’ takes over. ‘Raising Fresh Hell’ is another heavy beast with a kickass riff, and then ‘Stupid On Parade’ rattles along with drummer Rob Alaniz knocking the stuffing out of his kit, while guitarists Juan Garcia and Albert Gonzalez keep it simple. ‘Subjugated Souls’ starts more like melodic power metal before diving into some speed metal, and then things come down on the shimmering opening of ‘Bathe In Fire’, which is pure melodic power metal. This continues on ‘Poetic Omen’ before the heavy instrumental chug of ‘World Ov Rats’ takes over for two minutes and leads us to the final cut, another thrashing beast – ‘Fear Porn’.
I found this interesting – it’s aggressive without being overly aggressive, and it’s fast at times without being too fast. Singer Phil Flores sings in sixth’s and only really deviates on a couple of songs, so it’s up to the guitarists to make things sound different. Overall, this is a quality release with some fine songs and robust production, featuring additional mixing from the legendary Bill Metoyer. EvilDead has thought outside the box on this one, so give it a chance because it will grow on you.
Written by: Smudge
Ratings: 7/10
About Author
