Band's List Thrash Metal Evile (UK) Infected Nations

One could easily confirm that Evile was off to a fresh and good start with their first release, Enter the Grave. Having gone to #33 on the UK Rock chart and receiving positive reviews, the band even had their single, Thrasher, put into Rock Band as a downloadable track. A good start for a thrash band.

Two years later comes Evile's second album, Infected Nations. From the title track, it is easy to notice that Evile has not only changed their vocal style but matured a bit from Enter the Grave. The music has evolved in many ways and the tracks have grown longer, where they range from 5 to 7 minute, bordering 8. Included in the album is a mighty 11 minute instrumental, which serves as an excellent ending to the album.

The title track starts off with a clean intro, which is common for most thrash bands. Once the distortion kicks in, the song takes off from there. What is noticeable is that the song writing is much more complex than it seemed to be on Enter the Grave.

It should also be noticed that Matt Drake's vocals have changed. While the change is bearable for the album, it often causes the album to dull down and drag on at times. I enjoyed Matt's vocals on Enter the Grave and found it odd for the first track or two with how he used his voice on this album.

Ol Drake is still churning out excellent thrash solos left and right on Infected Nations. His influences in thrash guitarists such as Kirk Hammet, Alex Scholnik, and Jeff Waters come out perfectly in each track. Matt Drake's rhythm playing is as tight as it was on Enter the Grave and holds out through each track. Ben Carter keeps up to speed on the drums, pounding away track after track. Bassist Mike Alexander stays quiet most of the album, keeping up with the guitars and drums, but gets his little break during the album. When he does, it's not anything stellar but it fits the song perfectly.

All in all, Infected Nations is a good follow up to Enter the Grave, but becomes dull at times. While the long tracks on the album are impressive, some seem to drag on either because they are longer than they should be or Matt Drake's vocals make the parts of the song dull. The solos, on the other hand, are good and don't disappoint.

Maybe it's just me, but I feel the step Evile took for this album could be too big of a step. The change from the first to second album usually isn't that tremendous, but in Evile's case they matured from Metallica on Kill 'Em All to ...And Justice For All in a two year gap. While it is impressive, maybe the band should have been a little closer in sound to Enter the Grave. Nevertheless, Infected Nations does satisfy and prove to show that Evile are capable of taking giant steps as musicians.

One of the more pleasantly surprising metal albums to come out in 2009 was Evile’s “Infected Nations”. The signature sound of this band is slight and there isn’t much by way of thrash riffing that hasn’t been heard before. It’s the sound of these cuts and the integrity of the subgenre; however, that stands out here above all else.

With dashes of near death and fast alternative, “Infected Nations” is undoubtedly a thrash metal record. It echoes more of a U.S. east coast vibe than the Bay area but that’s splitting hairs. It’s a fast, speedy, rich, and pitch perfect display of thrash perfection with a full bodied bass and drum sound that comes not only from the members but the post production of it as well. Tempos and beats sway from fast to faster (“Devoid of Thought”) with an almost constant accompaniment of furious drum pounding (“Infected Nation” and “Genocide”). Of the few soft and slow parts, their main purpose seems to be setting up the aggressive sections that explode out of the lull (“Metamorphosis”). Variations between tracks are quite small, and lyrically, the themes have sociopolitical overtones but due to their intended vagueness, what writer Matt Drake is referring to exactly could come from any myriad of subjects.

So, this album is not about evolving metal so much as it is about executing pure and honest thrash and playing the heck out of it. “Infected Nation”, “Nosophoros”, and “Devoid of Thought” are impressive and speedy songs that are structured around a great number of interlocking rhythm riffs. The instrumental “Hundred Wrathful Deities” (a mostly mid rage tempo piece) by itself is a showcase of the record’s overall direction. The lead work on solos will typically fly all over the place, but on a couple songs show amazing restraint by playing within the boundaries of the background lines (“Nosophorus” and “Metamorphosis”). The lead vocalist (and rhythm guitarist) Matt Drake also plays with a little melody, too, with his slight singing aspect to his otherwise throaty and mid-register yelling style.

Sometimes, it’s not always about creating something new or developing a signature style that makes an album solid but playing something the way it should be played and doing it perfectly, including getting the right sound and amplifying it post production. There is little on “Infected Nations” that will remain memorable writing-wise but will induce a rising of the volume when it is played just the same. For a metal fan, Evile delivers what’s desired in heavy metal, and “Infected Nations” is a work that provides an hour of just that.