Reviews list for Evil (DEN) - Evil's Message (1984)

Danish heavy metallers Evil first formed as a four-piece back in 1982 & there’s very little information on them on the internet other than the consistent rumour that Mercyful Fate front man King Diamond was actually the band’s guitarist. Well I’ve done a bit of research on that topic & I can say right up front that this particular rumour has no factual basis whatsoever.  It simply stems from the fact that both bands hailed from the same city of København & that the guitarist in question sports the Christian name Kim which is well known to be King Diamond’s birth name. But to be honest it really doesn’t take too much effort to figure out that guitarist Kim Xmas’ axe-slinging skills are far too impressive for him not to be a full-time six-string specialist.

The "Evil's Message" E.P. would be one of the more underground releases from 1984. Unfortunately it would prove to be the only release we’d hear from Evil for a full 31 years when (just like so many other bands from the period) they’d elect to reform for a comeback album. I’ve got to admit that I’m forever being surprised by the bands we see participating in this reformation trend that's been happening in recent times. It’s not like many of them had much of a fan base in the first place so it’s certainly not for fame or money, is it? I guess it’s refreshing to think that it’s all for the love of metal music but it isn’t exactly encouraging to see a continual string of old names on festival lineups these days. It doesn’t indicate that we’ve got a strong underground metal scene if we’re still relying on the same old names but anyway… 

The production job on “Evil’s Message” is a really strong talking point because this record sounds much more modern than most of the other underground metal releases that were around in the mid-80's. It really does sound very polished & accomplished & is driven by a particularly clicky drum sound for the time. These days that sort of sound is par for the course for metal bands wanting the drums to cut through the mix but it wasn’t a common trait back in the mid-80’s so it really stands out here. It gives the band a clinical edge that won’t be for everyone but personally I really like it & when combined with a ripper of a guitar sound it gives us a product that could easily have been mistaken for a current release. Drummer Freddie Wolf makes good use of his prominent position in the mix with a strong display of precision double-kick-driven metal drumming that includes some impressive fills. He’s really quite talented & so are the two guitarists Kim Xmas & Pete “Popcorn” Hurricane who proceed to thrash out a procession of high quality riffage mixed with seriously professional guitar harmonies & searing lead breaks.

Instrumentally, this is a very talented bunch of dudes & it’s just a shame that their unfortunately named front man Pearl Angel doesn’t have the same level of chops because that’s the only thing that seems to have stopped Evil from becoming serious players in the early European heavy metal scene. That’s not to say that Pearl’s ballsy delivery is particularly poor but I just find that I can’t quite give these songs the credit they deserve due to the distinct feeling that they’ve underachieved on their potential. I think one of those more classic higher register metal vocalists that seemed to be so plentyful in the 80's would have gone down a treat here but instead we’ve got one that sounds similar to Tank’s Algy Ward, only with less charisma & power.

Musically, Evil’s style swaps between traditional heavy metal & a thrashier & more exciting speed metal sound with the speed metal being the dominant partner in my opinion. In fact, I’m not too sure why “Evil’s Message” isn’t often referenced as a genuine speed metal release to be honest, as three of the five songs fall comfortably into that category as far as I can see. Many of the riffs possess a complexity that was rarely heard at the time too & the overall professionalism of the performances is very surprising for a debut release. For example, the Maiden-esque guitar harmonies have a precision to them that comfortably matches the class of the mighty Irons without ever approaching plagiarism. To my ears they sound more similar to the more epic European power metal bands that would follow or even the melodic death metal that would explode out of Sweden & Finland during the early 90’s. I can hear a lot of “Stained Class”-era Judas Priest in the molten metal riffage; particularly during the opening title track which is a classy instrumental with a progressive song structure & some quite technical riff construction. It’s the best song on the tracklisting for mine & I don’t think it’s any coincidence that the highlight track lines up with the only instrumental piece. But that’s not to say that the rest of this material isn’t strong because there are no weak tracks here with a lot of the material having an unusual similarity to the sound that Megadeth would champion through the 80’s & early 90’s. I even hear some Dave Mustaine-era Metallica in one of the songs too so I have to admit that I’ve dared to wonder whether there was some sort of link between our beloved Megadeth front man & Evil on occasion.

Overall, this is a very solid Danish heavy metal release & I rate it more highly than the more well-known Pretty Maids or Witch Cross releases that came out of Denmark the same year. It’s just a shame that the vocals aren’t of a high enough standard to take the band to the elite level because the musical talent is certainly there. If the concept of an amalgamation of the pure heavy metal of Judas Priest & Anvil crossed with the speed metal intensity of Acid takes your fancy then I’d encourage you not to hesitate in hunting it down. At the very least you should check out the closing track because any song with the title “Take Good Care Of Your Balls” is worth exploring in my opinion.