EVILE – “The Unknown”
By Colonel Angus
The early 2000s was a weird time for heavy metal. Post grunge metal went in different directions with many bands adding other elements into their brand of metal and honestly, I was not a fan of the way things were turning out for “my” metal. When EVILE jumped on the scene and put out their debut “Enter The Grave”, I was starting to feel that things were turning around a bit and newer bands were putting out more traditional thrash metal. Although they continued to release albums since, it wasn’t until their last release “Hell Unleashed” that my interest peaked in EVILE. Ever since that album, I have been looking forward to more of what they had to offer.
Well, with 2023 past the mid-year point, EVILE put forth “The Unknown” and it is quite the beast but it is quite different than their previous effort. “Hell Unleashed” was an awesome full on thrash-fest but on “The Unknown”, the band slow things down but increase the heaviness of the tunes. Sure, there are some of the full-on thrash tracks still here like “Sleepless Eyes”, “Out of Sight”, and closing song “Balance of Time”. Those tracks are as good as anything that came before with the production showing us just how really good the band is at their craft. There is a nice precision to the overall sound of the record that makes each song shine.
The rest of the material is heavy as hell but more slow and lumbering. The record starts off with the haunting title track and right off the bat, I felt this record was going to be something special. I know that some people are going to compare this material to METALLICA’s “Black” album and the “Load/Reload” era but I feel it is more of heavily influenced by the metal titans instead of being a complete rip-off. The only tune that is a little too close for comfort is “When Mortal Coils Shed” which reminds me too much of “Nothing Else Matters”. Aside from that, I like the solid riffing on “Reap What You Sow”, “Monolith”, and “Beginning of the End” with each of those track holding my interest throughout each second. “The Unknown” as a whole has some depth that I feel their earlier efforts lacked. That’s not to say that I didn’t enjoy their full-on thrash but this album will have a more profound effect on their catalogue.
The band is the same that recorded “Hell Unleashed” a couple of years ago but I feel that they have grown as songwriters in those past years. Ol Drake has a very James Hetfield delivery which fits the material perfectly. Both he and Adam Smith shine in the riffing department and while their solos are good, their solid riffing is what really elevates the material for me. Bassist Joel Graham and drummer Ben Carter also add to the heaviness of the sound with their lumbering rhythms throughout “The Unknown”. Again. you can make your comparisons to METALLICA but good music is good music. As I mentioned earlier, I feel that “The Unknown” will be remembered as the album where EVILE elevated their game and put forth a statement. While I look forward to their next release, I’m going to sit back and enjoy this record for years to come.