optisailor2002
When Metallica released their "comeback" album, Death Magnetic in 2008, Evile came highly recommended by a friend who was into bands like Metallica as well, claiming that Evile sounded exactly like Metallica. Despite that, and numerous recommendations to listen to Evile, I kept putting it off since Death Magnetic bore me out easily with the long and almost uninspired sounding tracks. However, with Five Serpent's Teeth (and my recent foray into thrash metal), I decided to finally give Evile a chance and gave it a few good listens.
And right from the opening track Five Serpent's Teeth, the comparisons to Metallica became extremely clear to me. The introductory section sounded like what the band would have written back in the 80s, and as the song begins proper, the riffs sound like it could easily come off a track like Battery. If that wasn't sufficient enough to prove the comparisons, just wait for Matt's vocals to come in, sounding extremely similar to James Hetfield not only in terms of his vocal quality, but also in how he chooses to articulate his words and his style of barking out of the lyrics. The riffs of Matt and Ol all sound like Metallica-worship, with references to earlier Metallica material extremely clear and obvious in most of the tracks, and Ol's guitar solos alternate between the chaotic style of Slayer's Kerry King and that of Kirk Hammett. Even drummer Ben's style is reminiscent of Lars Ulrich, with drumming patterns that are a fitting tribute to him., though Ben includes a considerably higher amount of energy in his drumming.
Songwriting-wise, the band also seems to follow the path in the later Metallica stuff, with half of the material on the album being rather mid-paced, rather than the frantic pace that bands like Exodus and Slayer prefer, though the influences from these other Bay Area thrash bands also appear throughout the album, such as on Origin of Oblivion where a Slayer-esque riff greets the listener. Songs like In Dreams of Terror also bring in some melodic moments in the middle of the track, preventing things from getting too dry on the album. There is even a ballad In Memoriam present, like most Metallica albums do.
Unfortunately, the album suffers from being slightly too repetitive, and Matt's vocals tend to get slightly irritating after a few songs, with his monotonous style, and songs on Five Serpent's Teeth lack the charm and hooks that make it memorable, with few songs and moments that really stick in the listener's head even after numerous listens, though the brilliant guitar solo work on the album by Ol and the few faster and energetic tracks like Eternal Empire certainly save the album.
If you found Metallica's Death Magnetic, and the shit that is Lulu disappointing, perhaps you could find some solace in Evile's Five Serpent's Teeth, as they do the Metallica worship extremely convincingly. Or you could simply go back to the early Metallica albums when they did not suck yet.
Originally written for http://www.heavymetaltribune.com/