The first time I heard Five Serpent's Teeth, from UK retro-thrashers Evile, it didn't particularly stand out in my mind. While it did grow on me with subsequent listens, the album falls slightly short of being mind-blowing.
Opener Five Serpent's Teeth has a sinister undertone and an energetic pace. The standout tracks begin with Xaraya - it has haunting guitar work with a lamenting feel, and good vocal harmonies. Centurion packs power, withs its war-like sound. The guitar break after each chorus has a great sound. Strangely enough, the highlight of the album for me was the track In Memoriam, the ballad. Songs about remembering one's mortality have a habit of sticking in my head. Towards the end of the song, there is some beautiful and emotional guitar. The coda is a slowly fading dirge, like wind finally blowing away the last trace of something from the past. Throughout the album, well-executed guitar harmonies are present, courtesy of brothers Ol and Matt Drake. The pair do especially well on the solos, which show off their musical prowess.
It's on In Memoriam that vocalist-guitarist Matt sounds most like James Hetfield. The other tracks also have a Hetfield vocal sound. Metallicaesque sounds also appear in the music. To my mind, their lyrics are fairly different from those of Metallica.
Before hearing Five Serpent's Teeth, I hadn't heard anything from Evile, and this album was a good first impression.
Opener Five Serpent's Teeth has a sinister undertone and an energetic pace. The standout tracks begin with Xaraya - it has haunting guitar work with a lamenting feel, and good vocal harmonies. Centurion packs power, withs its war-like sound. The guitar break after each chorus has a great sound. Strangely enough, the highlight of the album for me was the track In Memoriam, the ballad. Songs about remembering one's mortality have a habit of sticking in my head. Towards the end of the song, there is some beautiful and emotional guitar. The coda is a slowly fading dirge, like wind finally blowing away the last trace of something from the past. Throughout the album, well-executed guitar harmonies are present, courtesy of brothers Ol and Matt Drake. The pair do especially well on the solos, which show off their musical prowess.
It's on In Memoriam that vocalist-guitarist Matt sounds most like James Hetfield. The other tracks also have a Hetfield vocal sound. Metallicaesque sounds also appear in the music. To my mind, their lyrics are fairly different from those of Metallica.
Before hearing Five Serpent's Teeth, I hadn't heard anything from Evile, and this album was a good first impression.
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