UMUR
"Raw Evil (Live at the Dynamo)" is a live EP release by US, California based thrash metal act Forbidden. The EP was released through Combat Records in 1989 and bridges the gap between the band´s debut and second full-length studio albums "Forbidden Evil (1988)" and "Twisted into Form (1990)". The four tracks on the EP were recorded live at the Dynamo Festival, Eindhoven, The Netherlands on May 15, 1989.
Three of the four tracks on the EP were featured on "Forbidden Evil (1988)" in their original studio versions ("Forbidden Evil", "Chalice of Blood", and "Through Eyes of Glass"), and the last track on the EP is a cover of "Victim of Changes" by Judas Priest. Vocally that´s quite a demanding song, but Russ Anderson pulls it off with great conviction, which is also true when it comes to his performances on the original Forbidden tracks. It´s almost a shame to focus so much on his performance, when the rest of the band are also as well playing as they are (the instrumental part of the music is delivered with tight precision and passion), but his performance here (mind you in a live setting) is very strong and deserves a special mention.
You can argue that opening the EP with "Victim of Changes", when it appears from the crowds chanting after the track ends, that it was the last song played that night/day, is an odd tracklist choice, and I´ll agree with you, but other than that "Raw Evil (Live at the Dynamo)" is quite a great quality live EP, featuring excellent musicianship, great material, and a good authentic live sound quality, and a 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.