The Evil – S/T (Non-Evil, Mask-Wearing Doom Metal)
I saw the masks and I wanted to enjoy this thoroughly. The cover, by Fernando Drowned of The Most Destructive Art, had me mask-loving, But, as it turns out I only enjoyed the music partially. There’s something less threatening about doomers wearing masks on stage than you find with blackened death metal or black metal. I suppose it’s the groove, that old-style rumble that’s been around since the 60s or 70s, depending on how cool you want to sound. Put a mask on it, and it looks like it’s trying to simply divert attention from its failings. Or, it ends up being so comical the band drowns in its own image. From Minas Gerais, Brazil, come The Evil, a four-piece that actually features a former member of both Sepultura and Mystifier, among others. They’re going the theatrical route, with masks and 70s-era shlock horror sounds. But it leads to the realm of LARPing.
The Evil can pound like good doom does. It comes down slow and hard. That sexual analogy applies to every instrument, but it’s kind of hard to screw it up, like masturbating. What they do different, and what you’ll likely notice at first, is the vocal delivery. The Evil opt for clean wailing and chanting for the majority, which gives this debut a much different feel than the usual “here come the slow riffs.” However, if it weren’t for the vocals it would pass on like so many people do, every day, with scarcely a single obituary noticed outside of family. In “Sacrifice to the Evil One,” for example, the choir approach, with effects, works to The Evil’s advantage. The ending riff march at 5:24, for example, is one of the best moments on the album, if not the moment when the crown is temporarily worn. But, speaking of “Evil One,” thus we have the complaint. Thematically doom’s been going towards desolation recently to loosen the, sigh, must I say it, Sabbathesque bar scene. Satanic themes have little relevance these days, unless actually frightening, but I encounter that only rarely. It takes skill and a more esoteric, less-direct approach, but The Evil is entirely forwards with their evil. Once the cow bell hits after the midway point, most of it is erased from memory, but primarily because it’s far too familiar. No mask can hide that, even an evil one, if this can be called evil.
Written by Stanley, Devourer of Souls
The Evil – S/T
Osmose Productions
3.7 / 5
