It would have been a shame had Evile let the difficulties they were facing in the later parts of the previous decade force them to call it quits. They are one of the best bands to come out of that wave of thrash metal renaissance back in 2006-2007, and one of the few UK representatives in the genre.
In any case, with one of the Drake brothers in the line-up, Ol, who’s now the lead singer as well, Evile deliver a good album, even though it is definitely different compared to their more technical, 80s thrash-inspired records, like ‘Five Serpent’s Teeth’ for example. On ‘The Uknown’, and specifically on tracks like ‘The Mask We Wear’ and ‘Monolith’, you’ll hear Metallica influences – as expected – but leaning towards the more mid-tempo, ‘Sad but True’ end of the spectrum. Also interesting to hear a more melodic/sentimental song with ‘When Mortal Coils Shed’, which features clean vocals and a great solo. On the album’s second half there are some fast thrashy stuff, but it’s clear that on ‘The Unknown’ a conscious choice was made to focus more on solid riffing and grooves.
Cool production and well-performed metal from an undervalued group of guys.
