ALBUM REVIEW: Seeds Of Death – Evoke

As the stylistic throes of thrash continue to remain the same, it’s now less about who can reinvent the genre, and more about who’s good at doing it. Having said that, the genre hasn’t gone under almost any renovation since the opening note of METALLICA‘s Ride The Lightning. Since then, its blueprint has been often followed, and rarely perfected. That puts Norwegian speed obsessives EVOKE in a tough position. Their debut record makes admirable steps towards a refined execution of thrash conventions, but by doing so pits itself against strong opposition.

In fairness, EVOKE aren’t the only band facing this issue. With the likes of POWER TRIP and REVOCATION being exceptions, the lion’s share of thrash bands that have emerged in the 21st century fail to establish true authenticity. That’s not necessarily an issue, though, and thrash obsessives will find plenty of joy within Seeds Of Death. But if you’re unprepared to jump back into the genre until its glory days are reshaped, you can let this record pass you by.

Seeds Of Death ticks boxes from its outset. Echoed vocals, rampant drum beats, high tempo guitar lines – it’s all here. And album opener Deadly Revenge does a succinct job of striking you in the face with all of them in quick succession. The title track makes a quick attack at your throat too, this time with a tuning more akin to hard rock, but played at break neck speed.

Leviathan’s Victory is a highlight, its visceral drum patterns are underlined by grinding guitar twists. Played at a roulette wheel of tempos, and sat underneath scorching vocals: it’s as close as EVOKE get to potential greatness. Though it hangs around a little too long, Wrathcurse makes good use of itself, too. Its complex structure is one you’re likely to find yourself trying to pick apart – if you can take your mind off the relentless punch of the track, that is.

With their debut effort, EVOKE‘s biggest issue appears to be a by-product of its time. Unless they’re reinventing the wheel, new thrash records can be hard to buy into 40 years after its emergence. With that said though, those that have yet to tire of the genre’s creative stagnation have got another record to lust over here. Seeds Of Death gives thrash fans everything they could possibly want, outside of ingenuity and bravery.

Rating: 6/10

Seeds Of Death is set for release on September 18th via Pulverised Records.

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