Evile
Encyclopedia
Evile is a thrash metal
band from Huddersfield
, West Yorkshire
in the United Kingdom
. Their debut album, Enter the Grave
, was produced by Flemming Rasmussen
at Sweet Silence Studios in Copenhagen
, Denmark
and was released worldwide in 2007 by Earache Records
to critical acclaim by fans and critics alike. The band's first reviews included a hail by Kerrang!
as "Carrying the genre's whole 'revival' on their shoulders." Their second album, Infected Nations
, was released on 21 September 2009. It was produced by Russ Russell
, with artwork from Michael Whelan
. Evile's third studio album Five Serpent's Teeth was released in 2011, also on Earache Records.
and Ben Carter came together over a mutual love for thrash metal
and heavy metal
and formed a cover band named Metal Militia(primarily playing Metallica
classics) Matt's brother, Ol Drake
, joined as the lead guitarist, and after London
-born bassist Mike Alexander responded to the band's advert in a local guitar store looking for a bassist influenced by bands such as Metallica
, Sepultura
and Testament
, the lineup was complete.
At the band's first live show, at the Ukrainian Club in Halifax
, an audience member had a brick thrown at their face by area locals.
and eventually signed to Earache Records
. Though Earache had received the band's Hell Demo, it was after label head Digby Pearson
witnessed Evile's set at Bloodstock Open Air
in 2006 that he contacted the band and signed them to the label. In an interview Matt Drake said that the band was originally supposed to be called "Exile", but there were "a million other bands that called themself that" so the "X" in the band's name was changed to a "V," and the band became known as Evile.
contacted producer Flemming Rasmussen
(Metallica
, Morbid Angel
, Blind Guardian
, Artillery
) by doing a search for his name on Google
and enquired as to whether or not he would like to hear Evile's material. Flemming responded positively, prompting Matt to send him some Evile mp3
s via e-mail. Supposedly, Flemming never commented on the mp3
s, causing Matt to presume that he "hated them", but when Earache Records
contacted Flemming to request his skills as producer for Evile's debut, he swiftly accepted the offer.
In 2007, Evile recorded their debut album, Enter the Grave
, at Sweet Silence Studios in Copenhagen
with producer Flemming Rasmussen
and assistant engineer Anders H Mortensen. The album reached #33 on the UK rock album charts, and Kerrang!
magazine awarded the album 4 out of 5 stars while dubbing Evile as "Carrying the genre's whole 'revival' on their shoulders". Generally, the album was received positively and received highly rated reviews, including those from Terrorizer Magazine
(9/10), Metal Revolution (100/100) and Classic Rock
(the 38th best album of 2007).
The band played many shows with class-acts such as Machine Head
, and other bands such as Sabbat
, Sanctity
, Gama Bomb
, Severe Torture
and Desecration
.
On 11 December 2007, Evile participated in and won Metal Hammer
's Get in the Ring 2, at the Kentish Town Forum, London
. Four bands (Evile, Engel
, Viking Skull and Goat the Head) performed thirty-minute sets inside a boxing ring and the public selected their favorite via SMS texts
. The show was compered by Oderus Urungus
of Gwar
and the judges included Ville Valo
of HIM. Valo commented that Evile were "really tight and rhythmic" but they were not his "cup of tea." The competition was rebroadcast on Rockworld TV
on SKY
Channel 368 throughout January and February 2008 and included an hour-long supplement dedicated to Evile's GITR2 set.
In February and March 2008, Evile supported thrash Megadeth
on the European leg of their Tour of Duty and the UK leg of their Gigantour
, opening for American Death Metal
band Job for a Cowboy
. The band was received warmly throughout the respective tours, and on the final date, they briefly joined Megadeth on stage at the Hugennottenhalle in Frankfurt
to sing the heavy metal anthem Peace Sells
.
In March 2008, Evile's track "Thrasher" was featured on the Wii
, Xbox 360
, and PlayStation 3
video game Rock Band as downloadable content (part of the "Earache Thrash Pack").
In April 2008, the band embarked on a European tour alongside thrash veterans Exodus
. During the tour, they allowed a 14-year-old fan to join them on stage to perform "Enter the Grave", and on a few occasions they joined Exodus in backing vocals on "The Toxic Waltz," which was followed by the members of Exodus handing their instruments over to Evile to close the set.
In May 2008, the band invited fans to design their own 'Evile Shirt'. A competition that allowed fans to submit as many entries as they desire. The rules also comically included entrants must 'Live on Earth'. The winner (Gary Hall from Liverpool) would win Evile memorabilia, signed items and a shirt including their own design. The shirt would also be sold on an upcoming Evile tour.
Along with Airbourne
, Engel
, Baroness
and Suicide Silence
, Evile was nominated in the Best Debut category at the 2008 Metal Hammer
Golden Gods Awards.
On 8 October the release of Evile's first official Music Video. The video was "Thrasher", a song from their debut album, and was directed by Dan Fernbach (who directed bands such as Bullet For My Valentine
).
Also on 8 October the re-release of Evile's Enter the Grave
via Earache Records
. Included in the package was a lengthy DVD, Evile guitar pick (with 3 alternate designs), A woven patch and 3 bonus tracks.
The band later announced they would provide support to Satyricon
on their European "Tour of Nero" in November/December 2008. Unfortunately, On 19 November 2008, while on the tour, lead guitarist Ol Drake
reportedly collapsed due to health issues. His jaw was fractured and the under-side of his chin was cut open. Evile were forced to cancel their appearances on the remainder of the tour. He then had to have his jaw wired shut for two weeks for healing.
Beginning in April 2009, Evile began the UK/Ireland 'We Who Are About to Tour' tour along with UK death metal act Trigger the Bloodshed
, and London Thrash band Mutant. Warpath, who were originally scheduled for the tour, pulled out two days prior to the start of the tour (though the unfortunate injury occurred a week before the tour) leaving Evile two days to find a replacement band. Evile played two brand new songs which would be featured on their sophomore album; one entitled "Demolition" and one without a title, which on a nightly basis was open to being named by the audience.
(who has worked with bands such as Napalm Death
, The Exploited
and Dimmu Borgir
).
May and June saw Evile enter Parlour Studios in Kettering
with Russell to record the album. The band would post 3 video updates whilst in the studio, and give fans a chance to "Ask Evile" anything they want via their Myspace blog.
On an Evile studio tour hosted by Ben the working titles of songs to be on the album could be seen written on a whiteboard.
On 22 June, Evile revealed that the title of the second album would be "Infected Nations
", with artwork created by Michael Whelan
(who also worked with the likes of Sepultura
, Obituary
and Stephen King
). A video was posted online on the same day of Ol talking fans through the concept of the art, stood in front of a large poster print of the cover. The album was released on 21 September in Europe and 22 September in USA. Infected Nations
jumped into the UK top 100 chart at number 91 following its first-day sales.
Online rumors that "Infected Nations" referred to the current global swine flu
epidemic were squashed by Ol on the bands official forum.
The band released 3 tracks publicly prior to the album's release. These tracks were "Infected Nation", "Now Demolition" and "Nosophoros". Evile released a music video for the track "Infected Nation" which, like "Thrasher" was directed by Dan Fernbach and Static Films once again. Also, like "Thrasher", displays the band playing a dynamically aggressive song in a very confined space.
In September 2009, Schmier of the German thrash metal classics Destruction
asked lead guitarist, Ol Drake, to stand in for them on guitar. This was prompted by Destruction's guitarist, Mike Sifringer, breaking his fingers forcing them to find a temporary replacement.
On 5 October 2009, tragedy struck the band as their bass player, Mike Alexander, died whilst being rushed to hospital while the band were on tour in Luleå
, Sweden
. He died from a pulmonary embolism
, a blood clot on the lungs. Evile unveiled a tribute site. to their fallen member.
In early December 2009 the remaining members of Evile held two memorial nights for Mike. One was held in Leeds Rios and the other in the Camden Underworld, London. The night consisted of a covers set of some of Mike's favourite songs and bands, with members of the support bands (Gama Bomb
, Mutant and Seregon) on the night stepping in on various instruments. Nick Barker
(Dimmu Borgir
, Cradle of Filth
, Testament
, Exodus
) also took to the stage on both nights to play drums for several tracks. Both shows saw each remaining member of Evile take to the stage to read out messages of thanks from Mike's girlfriend, children and Mother. The Leeds show saw Mike's mother take to the stage and express her thanks to Evile's fans.
Evile were asked, by UK Magazine Metal Hammer
, to cover a Pantera track for their Dimebag Darrell
tribute Issue. The band chose to cover "Cemetery Gates" with it being their favourite Pantera track. The track would go on to receive positive feedback, be released via iTunes
and get substantial airplay in the USA. This would unfortunately be the last track recorded with Mike Alexander.
A raffle was also organized prior to the nights to raise funds for Mike's children and family. Evile and Mike's family were overwhelmed to receive support from people/bands such as Ozzy Osbourne
& Sharon Osbourne
, Iron Maiden
, Metallica
, Megadeth
, Slayer
, Machine Head
, Exodus
, Overkill
, Trivium
, Andy Sneap
, Annihilator
, Benediction
, Hirax
and more. The winners of the Raffle Prizes were announced via Youtube
by Matt and Ol.
Evile started auditions for a new bass player in late November/December 2009. They then announced dates for a 2010 UK/Europe tour. On 16 December it was reported that Joel Graham (formerly of Rise to Addiction
) is the band's new bass player.
In December 2009 Evile announced their first shows in USA/North America
. One tour supporting Kreator
alongside Voivod
, Kataklysm
and more. The other tour being in support to Overkill
alongside Vader
, God Dethroned
and Warbringer
.
In April 2010 Evile would pay tribute to their late bassist, Pantera
and Dimebag Darrell
by performing their cover of "Cemetery Gates" in the latter's birthplace of Dallas, Texas
while on tour with Overkill
in North America.
In April 2010, it was announced that Evile would be returning to Bloodstock Open Air
, playing main stage on Saturday 14 August. Evile will also be playing Hellfest
, Wacken Open Air
, Sonisphere and many more European Festivals.
Evile's track "Bathe in Blood" was used in the film Ondine
by Neil Jordan
and starring Colin Farrell
.
From September 2010 to the end of December the band toured extensively throughout North America. The band had several headline dates as well as tours with veterans such as Overkill
, D.R.I.
and fellow thrash-band Gama Bomb
.
Also in February, Ol Drake took part in a "Game with Fame" session via Xbox Live
, inviting gamers to play the videogame Rockband 3 with him. The event was advertised on the Xbox Live Dashboard and took place for 3 hours (5pm-8pm EST). Around this time the entire "Infected Nations" album became available via the Rock Band Network
, as well as the band achieving "Artist of the Month".
In February 2011 Evile embarked on a short UK tour to say goodbye to their "Infected Nations" album, while also showcasing a brand new track with the working title "Bitch". Matt also announced the third album will have the initials "FST".
In March 2011 it was announced that Evile had entered Parlour Studios to begin recording their 3rd album with producer Russ Russell
. Periodically, the band have been posting excerpts of the albums' recording process on their official Youtube
page.
On 25 April, the band announced that their 3rd album was fully mixed and awaiting mastering.
It has been revealed through hard rock/heavy metal magazine Metal Hammer
that the title for their 3rd album would be Five Serpent's Teeth
to be released 26 September 2011 in Europe and 18 October 2011 in North America through Earache Records. On 6 June, the band posted a new song, titled "Eternal Empire", on their Youtube channel. They also covered the Nirvana
song "Lounge Act" for a covers compilation by Kerrang!
.
, citing bands such as Overkill
, Metallica
, Megadeth
, Slayer
, Exodus
, Testament
, Annihilator
, Nevermore
, Pantera
, and Sepultura
, though they are also influenced by death metal
bands like Obituary
. On 8 December, Lead Guitarist Ol paid tribute to the Late Chuck Schuldiner
by covering Death's "Voice of the Soul", showing the latter band having influence over at least one Evile member.
Thrash metal
Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...
band from Huddersfield
Huddersfield
Huddersfield is a large market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, situated halfway between Leeds and Manchester. It lies north of London, and south of Bradford, the nearest city....
, West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Their debut album, Enter the Grave
Enter the Grave
Enter the Grave is the debut album by the English thrash metal band Evile. Released on 27 August, 2007 in Europe and on 25 September in North America and Japan, the album received generally favorable critical reviews and entered the UK Rock Chart at number 33. It was produced by Flemming Rasmussen...
, was produced by Flemming Rasmussen
Flemming Rasmussen
Flemming Rasmussen is a Danish engineer, producer, mixer and owner and founder of Sweet Silence Studios in Copenhagen, Denmark.-Biography:...
at Sweet Silence Studios in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
and was released worldwide in 2007 by Earache Records
Earache Records
Earache Records is a heavy metal-oriented record label based in Nottingham, UK and New York, USA. It helped to pioneer extreme metal by releasing many of the earliest grindcore and death metal records in the period 1988-1994.-History:...
to critical acclaim by fans and critics alike. The band's first reviews included a hail by Kerrang!
Kerrang!
Kerrang! is a UK-based magazine devoted to rock music published by Bauer Media Group. It was first published on June 6, 1981 as a one-off supplement in the Sounds newspaper...
as "Carrying the genre's whole 'revival' on their shoulders." Their second album, Infected Nations
Infected Nations
-Band members:* Matt Drake - Lead vocals, rhythm guitar* Ol Drake - Lead guitar,* Mike Alexander - Bass guitar* Ben Carter - Drums...
, was released on 21 September 2009. It was produced by Russ Russell
Russ Russell
Russ Russell is a British record producer, sound engineer, mixer, mastering engineer, musician and writer. He has worked all over the world and now is mostly based at Parlour Studios in the UK...
, with artwork from Michael Whelan
Michael Whelan
Michael Whelan is an American artist of imaginative realism. For more than 30 years he worked as an illustrator specializing in science fiction and fantasy cover art...
. Evile's third studio album Five Serpent's Teeth was released in 2011, also on Earache Records.
Pre-Evile: 2000–2004
In 2000, former school friends Matt DrakeMatt Drake
Matthew "Matt" Drake is the rhythm guitarist and lead vocalist in the English thrash metal group Evile.-Evile:In 2000, Drake and Ben Carter got together to form a covers band...
and Ben Carter came together over a mutual love for thrash metal
Thrash metal
Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...
and heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
and formed a cover band named Metal Militia(primarily playing Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
classics) Matt's brother, Ol Drake
Ol Drake
Ol Drake is the lead guitarist of English thrash metal group, Evile.-Biography:...
, joined as the lead guitarist, and after London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
-born bassist Mike Alexander responded to the band's advert in a local guitar store looking for a bassist influenced by bands such as Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
, Sepultura
Sepultura
Sepultura is a Brazilian heavy metal band from Belo Horizonte, formed in 1984. The band was a major force in the death metal, thrash metal and ultimately groove metal realms during the late 1980s and early 1990s, with their later experiments melding nu metal, hardcore punk and industrial.Sepultura...
and Testament
Testament (band)
Testament is an American metal band from Berkeley, California, formed in 1983. They are often credited as one of the most popular bands of the 1980s thrash metal scene...
, the lineup was complete.
At the band's first live show, at the Ukrainian Club in Halifax
Halifax, West Yorkshire
Halifax is a minster town, within the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale in West Yorkshire, England. It has an urban area population of 82,056 in the 2001 Census. It is well-known as a centre of England's woollen manufacture from the 15th century onward, originally dealing through the Halifax Piece...
, an audience member had a brick thrown at their face by area locals.
Birth of Evile: 2004–2006
In 2004, the band ceased playing covers and dedicated their time to writing original material. Soon after, they independently recorded and released two EPs in limited quantities (250–500 units): All Hallows Eve (2004) and Hell Demo (2006). Evile toured extensively throughout the UK (2004–2006) and Netherlands (2006), played as the support act for ExodusExodus (band)
Exodus is an American thrash metal band formed in 1980 in Richmond, California. Spanning a career of over 30 years, Exodus has gone through numerous lineup changes, two extended hiatuses, and the deaths of two former band members. Guitarist Gary Holt remains the only constant member of the band,...
and eventually signed to Earache Records
Earache Records
Earache Records is a heavy metal-oriented record label based in Nottingham, UK and New York, USA. It helped to pioneer extreme metal by releasing many of the earliest grindcore and death metal records in the period 1988-1994.-History:...
. Though Earache had received the band's Hell Demo, it was after label head Digby Pearson
Digby Pearson
Digby Pearson, also known as "Dig," is a British musician who founded Earache Records, which signed some of the most infamous heavy metal acts worldwide in the 1980s and early 1990s....
witnessed Evile's set at Bloodstock Open Air
Bloodstock Open Air
Bloodstock Open Air is a heavy metal festival held annually at Catton Hall in Walton-upon-Trent, England, since 2005. Previous line-ups have included bands such as Opeth , Children of Bodom , Nightwish , Cradle of Filth , Testament , Arch Enemy , Europe and Twisted Sister .Originally on one stage...
in 2006 that he contacted the band and signed them to the label. In an interview Matt Drake said that the band was originally supposed to be called "Exile", but there were "a million other bands that called themself that" so the "X" in the band's name was changed to a "V," and the band became known as Evile.
Enter the Grave: 2007–2009
Prior to the album's recording, Matt DrakeMatt Drake
Matthew "Matt" Drake is the rhythm guitarist and lead vocalist in the English thrash metal group Evile.-Evile:In 2000, Drake and Ben Carter got together to form a covers band...
contacted producer Flemming Rasmussen
Flemming Rasmussen
Flemming Rasmussen is a Danish engineer, producer, mixer and owner and founder of Sweet Silence Studios in Copenhagen, Denmark.-Biography:...
(Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
, Morbid Angel
Morbid Angel
Morbid Angel is an American death metal band based in Tampa, Florida. UK music magazine Terrorizer ranked one Morbid Angel album in its “Top 40 greatest death metal albums”, with their 1989 debut Altars of Madness appearing at number 1...
, Blind Guardian
Blind Guardian
Blind Guardian is a German power metal band formed in the mid-1980s in Krefeld, West Germany. They are often credited as one of the seminal and most influential bands in the power metal and speed metal subgenres...
, Artillery
Artillery (band)
Artillery is a Danish technical thrash metal band. They participated in the early development of the genre, and their highly energetic, riff-centric and often fast-paced music is similar in style to that of Voivod, Coroner, Megadeth and Sabbat from the same era...
) by doing a search for his name on Google
Google
Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
and enquired as to whether or not he would like to hear Evile's material. Flemming responded positively, prompting Matt to send him some Evile mp3
MP3
MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a patented digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression...
s via e-mail. Supposedly, Flemming never commented on the mp3
MP3
MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a patented digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression...
s, causing Matt to presume that he "hated them", but when Earache Records
Earache Records
Earache Records is a heavy metal-oriented record label based in Nottingham, UK and New York, USA. It helped to pioneer extreme metal by releasing many of the earliest grindcore and death metal records in the period 1988-1994.-History:...
contacted Flemming to request his skills as producer for Evile's debut, he swiftly accepted the offer.
In 2007, Evile recorded their debut album, Enter the Grave
Enter the Grave
Enter the Grave is the debut album by the English thrash metal band Evile. Released on 27 August, 2007 in Europe and on 25 September in North America and Japan, the album received generally favorable critical reviews and entered the UK Rock Chart at number 33. It was produced by Flemming Rasmussen...
, at Sweet Silence Studios in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
with producer Flemming Rasmussen
Flemming Rasmussen
Flemming Rasmussen is a Danish engineer, producer, mixer and owner and founder of Sweet Silence Studios in Copenhagen, Denmark.-Biography:...
and assistant engineer Anders H Mortensen. The album reached #33 on the UK rock album charts, and Kerrang!
Kerrang!
Kerrang! is a UK-based magazine devoted to rock music published by Bauer Media Group. It was first published on June 6, 1981 as a one-off supplement in the Sounds newspaper...
magazine awarded the album 4 out of 5 stars while dubbing Evile as "Carrying the genre's whole 'revival' on their shoulders". Generally, the album was received positively and received highly rated reviews, including those from Terrorizer Magazine
Terrorizer Magazine
Terrorizer is an extreme music magazine published by Dark Arts Ltd. in the United Kingdom. It is released every four weeks with thirteen issues a year and features a 'Fear Candy' covermount CD, a twice yearly 'Fear Candy Unsigned' CD, and a double-sided poster.-1993:Terrorizer published its first...
(9/10), Metal Revolution (100/100) and Classic Rock
Classic Rock (magazine)
Classic Rock is a British magazine dedicated to the radio format of classic rock, published by Future Publishing, who are also responsible for its "sister" publication Metal Hammer. Although firmly focusing on key bands from the 1960s through early 1990s, it also includes articles and reviews of...
(the 38th best album of 2007).
The band played many shows with class-acts such as Machine Head
Machine Head (band)
Machine Head is an American heavy metal band from Oakland, California. Formed on October 12, 1991, the group was founded by Robb Flynn and Adam Duce. There have been 4 member changes since their inception. The current lineup of the band comprises Flynn , Duce , ex-Vio-Lence guitarist Phil Demmel ,...
, and other bands such as Sabbat
Sabbat (band)
Sabbat are a thrash metal band from Nottingham, England, currently consisting of Martin Walkyier , Andy Sneap , Simon Jones , Gizz Butt and Simon Negus . Over the years Sabbat have released three studio albums, four demos, two split singles/compilation albums, two singles and a live VHS...
, Sanctity
Sanctity (band)
Sanctity was a heavy metal band from Asheville, North Carolina, USA. They formed in 1998 and have released one album, Road to Bloodshed, on April 24, 2007. They are currently writing for a new album, with their new TBA vocalist...
, Gama Bomb
Gama Bomb
-Beginnings: 2002-2005:Gama Bomb formed in Newry 2002 and soon built up a loyal following in their native Ireland and the UK, which they consolidated with a rigorous touring schedule and frequent forays into self-released recording. The band first gained attention with their demo The Survival...
, Severe Torture
Severe Torture
Severe Torture is a death metal band from the Netherlands, formed in 1997 by drummer Seth van de Loo and bassist Patrick Boleij.-History:The band was formed in 1997 by Thijs van Laarhoven on guitar, Seth van de Loo on drums, Erik de Windt on vocals, Jelle on guitar and Patrick Boleij on bass guitar...
and Desecration
Desecration (band)
Desecration is a British death metal band formed in Newport, south Wales in 1992.-Background:Formed in 1992, and releasing their first demo in 1993, the band caused controversy in 1995 when their debut album Gore and Perversion was infamously seized and incinerated by the local police due to the...
.
On 11 December 2007, Evile participated in and won Metal Hammer
Metal Hammer
Metal Hammer is a monthly heavy metal music magazine published in the United Kingdom by Future Publishing, and in several other countries by different publishers. Metal Hammer articles feature both mainstream bands and more unusual acts from the whole spectrum of heavy metal music...
's Get in the Ring 2, at the Kentish Town Forum, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Four bands (Evile, Engel
Engel (band)
Engel is a melodic death metal band with alternative influences from Gothenburg, Sweden. They are currently signed to French label Season of Mist, but released their debut album Absolute Design via SPV GmbH/Steamhammer on October 31, 2007...
, Viking Skull and Goat the Head) performed thirty-minute sets inside a boxing ring and the public selected their favorite via SMS texts
Short message service
Short Message Service is a text messaging service component of phone, web, or mobile communication systems, using standardized communications protocols that allow the exchange of short text messages between fixed line or mobile phone devices...
. The show was compered by Oderus Urungus
Oderus Urungus
Oderus Urungus, played by Dave Brockie, is the lead vocalist of the Metal band Gwar. He appears as an intergalactic humanoid barbarian with devil horns and a meaty looking face, and always carries around a long sword named "Unt Lick"...
of Gwar
Gwar
Gwar is a satirical heavy metal band formed in Richmond, Virginia, United States, in 1984. The band is best known for its elaborate science fiction/horror film inspired costumes, obscene lyrics and graphic stage performances, which feature humorous enactments of politically and morally taboo...
and the judges included Ville Valo
Ville Valo
Ville Hermanni Valo is a Finnish singer, songwriter and frontman of the Finnish rock band HIM. He has received the "Golden God" award in 2004 by the heavy metal magazine Metal Hammer. Valo has a baritone vocal range. Valo was ranked number 80 in Hit Paraders Top 100 Metal Vocalists of All Time...
of HIM. Valo commented that Evile were "really tight and rhythmic" but they were not his "cup of tea." The competition was rebroadcast on Rockworld TV
Rockworld TV
Rockworld TV was a British television channel which featured rock music, and was aimed to highlight "underground" lifestyles and artists.It broadcasted on Sky Digital ch. 378, and also streamed content online...
on SKY
British Sky Broadcasting
British Sky Broadcasting Group plc is a satellite broadcasting, broadband and telephony services company headquartered in London, United Kingdom, with operations in the United Kingdom and the Ireland....
Channel 368 throughout January and February 2008 and included an hour-long supplement dedicated to Evile's GITR2 set.
In February and March 2008, Evile supported thrash Megadeth
Megadeth
Megadeth is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California which was formed in 1983 by guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine, bassist Dave Ellefson and guitarist Greg Handevidt, following Mustaine's expulsion from Metallica. The band has since released 13 studio albums, three live albums, two...
on the European leg of their Tour of Duty and the UK leg of their Gigantour
Gigantour
Gigantour is the name of a sporadically organised traveling heavy metal music festival organized by Megadeth's Dave Mustaine. The tour was founded in 2005 with dates across North America, and the 2006 and 2007 line-ups also traveled to Australia...
, opening for American Death Metal
Death metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....
band Job for a Cowboy
Job for a Cowboy
Job for a Cowboy is a American death metal band from Glendale, Arizona. Formed in 2003, the band's debut album Genesis was released in 2007, peaking at #54 on the US Billboard 200 and selling 13,000 copies in its first week of release. The second album, 2009's Ruination, sold 10,600 copies in...
. The band was received warmly throughout the respective tours, and on the final date, they briefly joined Megadeth on stage at the Hugennottenhalle in Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
to sing the heavy metal anthem Peace Sells
Peace Sells
"Peace Sells" is a song by the American thrash metal band Megadeth from the 1986 album Peace Sells... but Who's Buying?, written by Dave Mustaine. It, along with Wake Up Dead from the same album, has been a staple at Megadeth concerts. Lyrically, it deals with negative stereotypes about...
.
In March 2008, Evile's track "Thrasher" was featured on the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
, Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
, and PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
video game Rock Band as downloadable content (part of the "Earache Thrash Pack").
In April 2008, the band embarked on a European tour alongside thrash veterans Exodus
Exodus (band)
Exodus is an American thrash metal band formed in 1980 in Richmond, California. Spanning a career of over 30 years, Exodus has gone through numerous lineup changes, two extended hiatuses, and the deaths of two former band members. Guitarist Gary Holt remains the only constant member of the band,...
. During the tour, they allowed a 14-year-old fan to join them on stage to perform "Enter the Grave", and on a few occasions they joined Exodus in backing vocals on "The Toxic Waltz," which was followed by the members of Exodus handing their instruments over to Evile to close the set.
In May 2008, the band invited fans to design their own 'Evile Shirt'. A competition that allowed fans to submit as many entries as they desire. The rules also comically included entrants must 'Live on Earth'. The winner (Gary Hall from Liverpool) would win Evile memorabilia, signed items and a shirt including their own design. The shirt would also be sold on an upcoming Evile tour.
Along with Airbourne
Airbourne (band)
Airbourne are an Australian hard rock band formed in Warrnambool in 2001. Mainstay members are Joel O'Keeffe on lead vocals and lead guitar, his brother, Ryan O'Keeffe on drums, and David Roads on rhythm guitar and backing vocals. They were later joined by Justin Street on bass guitar and backing...
, Engel
Engel (band)
Engel is a melodic death metal band with alternative influences from Gothenburg, Sweden. They are currently signed to French label Season of Mist, but released their debut album Absolute Design via SPV GmbH/Steamhammer on October 31, 2007...
, Baroness
Baroness (band)
Baroness is a band from Savannah, Georgia whose members grew up together in Lexington, Virginia.-Formative years:Baroness formed in mid-2003, founded by former members of the punk/metal band Johnny Welfare and the Paychecks...
and Suicide Silence
Suicide Silence
Suicide Silence is an American extreme metal band from Riverside, California. The group consists of vocalist Mitch Lucker, guitarists Chris Garza and Mark Heylmun, drummer Alex Lopez and bassist Dan Kenny. Formed in 2002, the band has released three full-length studio albums, one EP and seven music...
, Evile was nominated in the Best Debut category at the 2008 Metal Hammer
Metal Hammer
Metal Hammer is a monthly heavy metal music magazine published in the United Kingdom by Future Publishing, and in several other countries by different publishers. Metal Hammer articles feature both mainstream bands and more unusual acts from the whole spectrum of heavy metal music...
Golden Gods Awards.
On 8 October the release of Evile's first official Music Video. The video was "Thrasher", a song from their debut album, and was directed by Dan Fernbach (who directed bands such as Bullet For My Valentine
Bullet for My Valentine
Bullet for My Valentine are a Welsh heavy metal band from Bridgend, formed in 1998. The band is composed of Matt Tuck , Michael Paget , Jason James , and Michael Thomas . They were formed under the name Jeff Killed John and started their music career by covering songs by Metallica and Nirvana...
).
Also on 8 October the re-release of Evile's Enter the Grave
Enter the Grave
Enter the Grave is the debut album by the English thrash metal band Evile. Released on 27 August, 2007 in Europe and on 25 September in North America and Japan, the album received generally favorable critical reviews and entered the UK Rock Chart at number 33. It was produced by Flemming Rasmussen...
via Earache Records
Earache Records
Earache Records is a heavy metal-oriented record label based in Nottingham, UK and New York, USA. It helped to pioneer extreme metal by releasing many of the earliest grindcore and death metal records in the period 1988-1994.-History:...
. Included in the package was a lengthy DVD, Evile guitar pick (with 3 alternate designs), A woven patch and 3 bonus tracks.
The band later announced they would provide support to Satyricon
Satyricon (band)
Satyricon is a Norwegian black metal band, and the first one in the genre to join a multi-national record label .-Biography:Satyricon was formed in 1990 by Czral and Wargod. Ulver and Satyr soon joined them...
on their European "Tour of Nero" in November/December 2008. Unfortunately, On 19 November 2008, while on the tour, lead guitarist Ol Drake
Ol Drake
Ol Drake is the lead guitarist of English thrash metal group, Evile.-Biography:...
reportedly collapsed due to health issues. His jaw was fractured and the under-side of his chin was cut open. Evile were forced to cancel their appearances on the remainder of the tour. He then had to have his jaw wired shut for two weeks for healing.
Beginning in April 2009, Evile began the UK/Ireland 'We Who Are About to Tour' tour along with UK death metal act Trigger the Bloodshed
Trigger the Bloodshed
Trigger the Bloodshed are a British death metal band from Bath, England, formed in 2006. The band comprises guitarists and founders Rob Purnell and Martyn Evans, as well as vocalist Jonny Burgan, bassist Dave Purnell and drummer Dan Wilding...
, and London Thrash band Mutant. Warpath, who were originally scheduled for the tour, pulled out two days prior to the start of the tour (though the unfortunate injury occurred a week before the tour) leaving Evile two days to find a replacement band. Evile played two brand new songs which would be featured on their sophomore album; one entitled "Demolition" and one without a title, which on a nightly basis was open to being named by the audience.
Infected Nations and the death of Mike Alexander: 2009–2010
In February 2009 Evile began the pre-production process for their second album with Russ RussellRuss Russell
Russ Russell is a British record producer, sound engineer, mixer, mastering engineer, musician and writer. He has worked all over the world and now is mostly based at Parlour Studios in the UK...
(who has worked with bands such as Napalm Death
Napalm Death
Napalm Death are a death metal band formed in Birmingham, England in 1981. While none of its original members remain in the group, the lineup of vocalist Mark "Barney" Greenway, bassist Shane Embury, guitarist Mitch Harris and drummer Danny Herrera has remained consistent for most of the band's ...
, The Exploited
The Exploited
The Exploited are a Scottish punk band from the second wave of UK punk, formed in 1979. Originally a street punk band, they transformed into a faster hardcore punk band with a heavy political influence. From about 1987 on they changed into a crossover thrash band...
and Dimmu Borgir
Dimmu Borgir
Dimmu Borgir is a Norwegian black metal band from Oslo, Norway, formed in 1993. Dimmu borgir means "dark cities" or "dark castles/fortresses" in Icelandic, Faroese and Old Norse. The name is derived from a volcanic formation in Iceland, Dimmuborgir...
).
May and June saw Evile enter Parlour Studios in Kettering
Kettering
Kettering is a market town in the Borough of Kettering, Northamptonshire, England. It is situated about from London. Kettering is mainly situated on the west side of the River Ise, a tributary of the River Nene which meets at Wellingborough...
with Russell to record the album. The band would post 3 video updates whilst in the studio, and give fans a chance to "Ask Evile" anything they want via their Myspace blog.
On an Evile studio tour hosted by Ben the working titles of songs to be on the album could be seen written on a whiteboard.
On 22 June, Evile revealed that the title of the second album would be "Infected Nations
Infected Nations
-Band members:* Matt Drake - Lead vocals, rhythm guitar* Ol Drake - Lead guitar,* Mike Alexander - Bass guitar* Ben Carter - Drums...
", with artwork created by Michael Whelan
Michael Whelan
Michael Whelan is an American artist of imaginative realism. For more than 30 years he worked as an illustrator specializing in science fiction and fantasy cover art...
(who also worked with the likes of Sepultura
Sepultura
Sepultura is a Brazilian heavy metal band from Belo Horizonte, formed in 1984. The band was a major force in the death metal, thrash metal and ultimately groove metal realms during the late 1980s and early 1990s, with their later experiments melding nu metal, hardcore punk and industrial.Sepultura...
, Obituary
Obituary (band)
Obituary is an American death metal band formed in 1984 in Tampa, Florida under the name Executioner, then changed the name's spelling to Xecutioner, and later changed their name to Obituary in 1988. The band comprises vocalist John Tardy, drummer Donald Tardy, guitarists Trevor Peres and Ralph...
and Stephen King
Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
). A video was posted online on the same day of Ol talking fans through the concept of the art, stood in front of a large poster print of the cover. The album was released on 21 September in Europe and 22 September in USA. Infected Nations
Infected Nations
-Band members:* Matt Drake - Lead vocals, rhythm guitar* Ol Drake - Lead guitar,* Mike Alexander - Bass guitar* Ben Carter - Drums...
jumped into the UK top 100 chart at number 91 following its first-day sales.
Online rumors that "Infected Nations" referred to the current global swine flu
Swine flu
Swine influenza, also called pig influenza, swine flu, hog flu and pig flu, is an infection by any one of several types of swine influenza virus. Swine influenza virus or S-OIV is any strain of the influenza family of viruses that is endemic in pigs...
epidemic were squashed by Ol on the bands official forum.
The band released 3 tracks publicly prior to the album's release. These tracks were "Infected Nation", "Now Demolition" and "Nosophoros". Evile released a music video for the track "Infected Nation" which, like "Thrasher" was directed by Dan Fernbach and Static Films once again. Also, like "Thrasher", displays the band playing a dynamically aggressive song in a very confined space.
In September 2009, Schmier of the German thrash metal classics Destruction
Destruction (band)
Destruction is a German thrash metal band. They are considered one of the "three kings" of the Teutonic thrash metal scene, the others being Kreator and Sodom...
asked lead guitarist, Ol Drake, to stand in for them on guitar. This was prompted by Destruction's guitarist, Mike Sifringer, breaking his fingers forcing them to find a temporary replacement.
On 5 October 2009, tragedy struck the band as their bass player, Mike Alexander, died whilst being rushed to hospital while the band were on tour in Luleå
Luleå
- Transportation :Local buses are run by .A passenger train service is available from Luleå Centralstation on Sweden's national SJ railway service northbound to Narvik on the Norwegian coast, or southbound to Stockholm. See Rail transport in Sweden....
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. He died from a pulmonary embolism
Pulmonary embolism
Pulmonary embolism is a blockage of the main artery of the lung or one of its branches by a substance that has travelled from elsewhere in the body through the bloodstream . Usually this is due to embolism of a thrombus from the deep veins in the legs, a process termed venous thromboembolism...
, a blood clot on the lungs. Evile unveiled a tribute site.
In early December 2009 the remaining members of Evile held two memorial nights for Mike. One was held in Leeds Rios and the other in the Camden Underworld, London. The night consisted of a covers set of some of Mike's favourite songs and bands, with members of the support bands (Gama Bomb
Gama Bomb
-Beginnings: 2002-2005:Gama Bomb formed in Newry 2002 and soon built up a loyal following in their native Ireland and the UK, which they consolidated with a rigorous touring schedule and frequent forays into self-released recording. The band first gained attention with their demo The Survival...
, Mutant and Seregon) on the night stepping in on various instruments. Nick Barker
Nicholas Barker
Nicholas Howard Barker is an extreme metal drummer .- Biography :He was the original drummer for British metal band Cradle of Filth, playing on the first three albums. After leaving in 1999, he joined Norwegian symphonic black metal band Dimmu Borgir...
(Dimmu Borgir
Dimmu Borgir
Dimmu Borgir is a Norwegian black metal band from Oslo, Norway, formed in 1993. Dimmu borgir means "dark cities" or "dark castles/fortresses" in Icelandic, Faroese and Old Norse. The name is derived from a volcanic formation in Iceland, Dimmuborgir...
, Cradle of Filth
Cradle of Filth
Cradle of Filth are an English extreme metal band, formed in Suffolk in 1991. The band's musical style evolved from black metal to a cleaner and more "produced" amalgam of gothic metal, symphonic black metal, and other extreme metal styles, while their lyrical themes and imagery are heavily...
, Testament
Testament (band)
Testament is an American metal band from Berkeley, California, formed in 1983. They are often credited as one of the most popular bands of the 1980s thrash metal scene...
, Exodus
Exodus (band)
Exodus is an American thrash metal band formed in 1980 in Richmond, California. Spanning a career of over 30 years, Exodus has gone through numerous lineup changes, two extended hiatuses, and the deaths of two former band members. Guitarist Gary Holt remains the only constant member of the band,...
) also took to the stage on both nights to play drums for several tracks. Both shows saw each remaining member of Evile take to the stage to read out messages of thanks from Mike's girlfriend, children and Mother. The Leeds show saw Mike's mother take to the stage and express her thanks to Evile's fans.
Evile were asked, by UK Magazine Metal Hammer
Metal Hammer
Metal Hammer is a monthly heavy metal music magazine published in the United Kingdom by Future Publishing, and in several other countries by different publishers. Metal Hammer articles feature both mainstream bands and more unusual acts from the whole spectrum of heavy metal music...
, to cover a Pantera track for their Dimebag Darrell
Dimebag Darrell
Darrell Lance Abbott , also known as Diamond Darrell and Dimebag Darrell, was an American guitarist. He was best known as a founding member of the heavy metal bands Pantera and Damageplan. Abbott also contributed to the album Rebel Meets Rebel, a collaboration between Pantera and David Allan Coe...
tribute Issue. The band chose to cover "Cemetery Gates" with it being their favourite Pantera track. The track would go on to receive positive feedback, be released via iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
and get substantial airplay in the USA. This would unfortunately be the last track recorded with Mike Alexander.
A raffle was also organized prior to the nights to raise funds for Mike's children and family. Evile and Mike's family were overwhelmed to receive support from people/bands such as Ozzy Osbourne
Ozzy Osbourne
John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne is an English vocalist, whose musical career has spanned over 40 years. Osbourne rose to prominence as lead singer of the pioneering English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, whose radically different, intentionally dark, harder sound helped spawn the heavy metal...
& Sharon Osbourne
Sharon Osbourne
Sharon Rachel Osbourne is an English television host, author, music manager, businesswoman and promoter as well as the wife of heavy metal singer-songwriter Ozzy Osbourne....
, Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in east London, formed in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Since their inception, the band's discography has grown to include a total of thirty-six albums: fifteen studio albums; eleven live albums; four EPs; and six...
, Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
, Megadeth
Megadeth
Megadeth is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California which was formed in 1983 by guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine, bassist Dave Ellefson and guitarist Greg Handevidt, following Mustaine's expulsion from Metallica. The band has since released 13 studio albums, three live albums, two...
, Slayer
Slayer
Slayer is an American thrash metal band formed in Huntington Park, California, in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. Slayer rose to fame with their 1986 release, Reign in Blood, and is credited as one of the "Big Four" thrash metal acts, along with Metallica, Megadeth and...
, Machine Head
Machine Head (band)
Machine Head is an American heavy metal band from Oakland, California. Formed on October 12, 1991, the group was founded by Robb Flynn and Adam Duce. There have been 4 member changes since their inception. The current lineup of the band comprises Flynn , Duce , ex-Vio-Lence guitarist Phil Demmel ,...
, Exodus
Exodus (band)
Exodus is an American thrash metal band formed in 1980 in Richmond, California. Spanning a career of over 30 years, Exodus has gone through numerous lineup changes, two extended hiatuses, and the deaths of two former band members. Guitarist Gary Holt remains the only constant member of the band,...
, Overkill
Overkill (band)
Overkill is an American thrash metal band, formed in 1980 in New Jersey. They have gone through many line-up changes, with singer Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth and bassist D.D. Verni remaining from the original lineup. Along with Anthrax , the band is one of the most successful East Coast thrash metal...
, Trivium
Trivium (band)
Trivium is an American heavy metal band from Orlando, Florida, formed in 1999. Signed to Roadrunner Records, the band has released five studio albums, eleven singles, and twelve music videos...
, Andy Sneap
Andy Sneap
Andy "Undie" Sneap is an English record producer, recording engineer, mixer, guitarist, and songwriter. He is best known for producing and mixing many acclaimed heavy metal albums.-Musician:...
, Annihilator
Annihilator (band)
Annihilator is a Canadian heavy metal band hailing from Ottawa, Ontario, also from Vancouver, British Columbia between 1987-2002 by founding member, vocalist, guitarist and bassist Jeff Waters. The band has been around since 1984 and is the biggest selling heavy metal artist from Canada in history,...
, Benediction
Benediction (band)
Benediction is a British death metal band from Birmingham, England. They were formed in February 1989.-Biography:The Birmingham-based death metal band Benediction were formed in February 1989 by Paul Adams , Peter Rew , Darren Brookes , and Mark "Barney" Greenway...
, Hirax
Hirax
Hirax is an American thrash metal band from Cypress, California. Starting in 1984 under the leadership of vocalist Katon W. De Pena , the band played in Los Angeles and San Francisco with the other new thrash metal bands of the area such as Metallica, Exodus, and Slayer...
and more. The winners of the Raffle Prizes were announced via Youtube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
by Matt and Ol.
Evile started auditions for a new bass player in late November/December 2009. They then announced dates for a 2010 UK/Europe tour. On 16 December it was reported that Joel Graham (formerly of Rise to Addiction
Rise To Addiction
Rise To Addiction is a British heavy metal band formed in 2004 by former Blaze Bayley guitarists John Slater and Steve Wray.A self-titled EP was released on Madman records in 2004 with the help of Harry Armstrong on vocals Rob Naylor on bass, and Ben Calvert on drums.RTA's full touring lineup Rise...
) is the band's new bass player.
In December 2009 Evile announced their first shows in USA/North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. One tour supporting Kreator
Kreator
Kreator is a thrash metal band from Essen, Germany, formed in 1978, but formalized in 1982 under the name Tormentor. They originally performed a speed metal style with Venom influences. Their style of music is similar to their compatriots Destruction and Sodom, the other two big German thrash metal...
alongside Voivod
Voivod (band)
Voivod are a Canadian heavy metal band from Jonquière, Quebec, Canada. Their musical style has changed several times since the band's origin in the early 1980s...
, Kataklysm
Kataklysm
Kataklysm is a Canadian death metal band. They call their musical style "northern hyperblast" after an advertisement in M.E.A.T. magazine describing another band, Fear Factory, as "hyperblast". The term refers to the extremely fast blast beats that Kataklysm's drummer, Max Duhamel, fuses into the...
and more. The other tour being in support to Overkill
Overkill (band)
Overkill is an American thrash metal band, formed in 1980 in New Jersey. They have gone through many line-up changes, with singer Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth and bassist D.D. Verni remaining from the original lineup. Along with Anthrax , the band is one of the most successful East Coast thrash metal...
alongside Vader
Vader (band)
Vader is a Polish death metal band from Olsztyn, formed in 1983. According to Piotr Wiwczarek, the band's founding singer and guitar player, the band's name was inspired by Darth Vader from the Star Wars film series. Lyrical themes include stories by H. P. Lovecraft, WW2, horror and anti-christian...
, God Dethroned
God Dethroned
-Biography:God Dethroned was formed in 1991 by singer and guitar player Henri Sattler, with Hans Leegstra and Ard de Weerd. Sattler and Leegstra had previously been in Dysentery; Leegstra, quickly after the band formed, left the music scene altogether. They recorded a demo, Christ Hunt, in 1991,...
and Warbringer
Warbringer
Warbringer is an American thrash metal band. The band formed in 2004. Warbringer is signed to Century Media Records. Century Media signed Warbringer after seeing them at a local show in LA. Originally, a Century Media rep was at the show to see another LA thrash metal band but decided to sign...
.
In April 2010 Evile would pay tribute to their late bassist, Pantera
Pantera
Pantera was an American heavy metal band from Arlington, Texas. Formed by the Abbott brothers, Vinnie Paul and Dimebag Darrell in 1981, bassist Rex Brown would join in late 1981 with vocalist Terry Glaze. Looking for a new and heavier sound, Pantera had Terry replaced in 1987 with Phil Anselmo as...
and Dimebag Darrell
Dimebag Darrell
Darrell Lance Abbott , also known as Diamond Darrell and Dimebag Darrell, was an American guitarist. He was best known as a founding member of the heavy metal bands Pantera and Damageplan. Abbott also contributed to the album Rebel Meets Rebel, a collaboration between Pantera and David Allan Coe...
by performing their cover of "Cemetery Gates" in the latter's birthplace of Dallas, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
while on tour with Overkill
Overkill (band)
Overkill is an American thrash metal band, formed in 1980 in New Jersey. They have gone through many line-up changes, with singer Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth and bassist D.D. Verni remaining from the original lineup. Along with Anthrax , the band is one of the most successful East Coast thrash metal...
in North America.
In April 2010, it was announced that Evile would be returning to Bloodstock Open Air
Bloodstock Open Air
Bloodstock Open Air is a heavy metal festival held annually at Catton Hall in Walton-upon-Trent, England, since 2005. Previous line-ups have included bands such as Opeth , Children of Bodom , Nightwish , Cradle of Filth , Testament , Arch Enemy , Europe and Twisted Sister .Originally on one stage...
, playing main stage on Saturday 14 August. Evile will also be playing Hellfest
Hellfest Summer Open Air
Hellfest is an annual music festival which takes place in Clisson, France in mid-June. It is held within the Val de Moine sport complex in Clisson, approximately 35 km south-east of the city of Nantes, and approximately 400 km south-west of the nation's capital Paris. Billed as an "extreme music...
, Wacken Open Air
Wacken Open Air
Wacken Open Air is a summer open air heavy metal music festival. It takes place annually in the small town of Wacken in Schleswig-Holstein, northern Germany...
, Sonisphere and many more European Festivals.
Evile's track "Bathe in Blood" was used in the film Ondine
Ondine (film)
Ondine is a 2009 Irish romantic drama film directed and written by Neil Jordan and starring Colin Farrell and Alicja Bachleda.The film mixes themes from Irish mythology into contemporary settings.-Plot:...
by Neil Jordan
Neil Jordan
Neil Patrick Jordan is an Irish filmmaker and novelist. He won an Academy Award for The Crying Game.- Early life :...
and starring Colin Farrell
Colin Farrell
Colin James Farrell is an Irish actor, who has appeared in such film as Tigerland, Miami Vice, Minority Report, Phone Booth, The Recruit, Alexander and S.W.A.T....
.
From September 2010 to the end of December the band toured extensively throughout North America. The band had several headline dates as well as tours with veterans such as Overkill
Overkill (band)
Overkill is an American thrash metal band, formed in 1980 in New Jersey. They have gone through many line-up changes, with singer Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth and bassist D.D. Verni remaining from the original lineup. Along with Anthrax , the band is one of the most successful East Coast thrash metal...
, D.R.I.
Dirty Rotten Imbeciles
Dirty Rotten Imbeciles is a thrash metal/crossover thrash band from the United States that formed in Houston, in 1982. The band currently comprises founding members, vocalist Kurt Brecht and guitarist Spike Cassidy, as well as drummer Rob Rampy and bassist Harald Oimoen.D.R.I...
and fellow thrash-band Gama Bomb
Gama Bomb
-Beginnings: 2002-2005:Gama Bomb formed in Newry 2002 and soon built up a loyal following in their native Ireland and the UK, which they consolidated with a rigorous touring schedule and frequent forays into self-released recording. The band first gained attention with their demo The Survival...
.
Also in February, Ol Drake took part in a "Game with Fame" session via Xbox Live
Xbox Live
Xbox Live is an online multiplayer gaming and digital media delivery service created and operated by Microsoft Corporation. It is currently the only online gaming service on consoles that charges users a fee to play multiplayer gaming. It was first made available to the Xbox system in 2002...
, inviting gamers to play the videogame Rockband 3 with him. The event was advertised on the Xbox Live Dashboard and took place for 3 hours (5pm-8pm EST). Around this time the entire "Infected Nations" album became available via the Rock Band Network
Rock Band Network
The Rock Band Network is a downloadable content service designed by Harmonix Music Systems with the help of Microsoft to allow musical artists and record labels to make their music available as playable tracks for the Rock Band series of rhythm video games, starting with Rock Band 2...
, as well as the band achieving "Artist of the Month".
Five Serpent's Teeth: 2010–present
On 31 May, Evile revealed that they'd begun working on their 3rd studio album. Ol Drake confirmed this via TwitLonger on 9 November and told that "Album 3 is well on the way and will be out on Earache Records in mid 2011".In February 2011 Evile embarked on a short UK tour to say goodbye to their "Infected Nations" album, while also showcasing a brand new track with the working title "Bitch". Matt also announced the third album will have the initials "FST".
In March 2011 it was announced that Evile had entered Parlour Studios to begin recording their 3rd album with producer Russ Russell
Russ Russell
Russ Russell is a British record producer, sound engineer, mixer, mastering engineer, musician and writer. He has worked all over the world and now is mostly based at Parlour Studios in the UK...
. Periodically, the band have been posting excerpts of the albums' recording process on their official Youtube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
page.
On 25 April, the band announced that their 3rd album was fully mixed and awaiting mastering.
It has been revealed through hard rock/heavy metal magazine Metal Hammer
Metal Hammer
Metal Hammer is a monthly heavy metal music magazine published in the United Kingdom by Future Publishing, and in several other countries by different publishers. Metal Hammer articles feature both mainstream bands and more unusual acts from the whole spectrum of heavy metal music...
that the title for their 3rd album would be Five Serpent's Teeth
Five Serpent's Teeth
Five Serpent's Teeth is the third album by the English thrash metal band Evile. It was released on September 26, 2011 in Europe and on October 18, 2011 in North America...
to be released 26 September 2011 in Europe and 18 October 2011 in North America through Earache Records. On 6 June, the band posted a new song, titled "Eternal Empire", on their Youtube channel. They also covered the Nirvana
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
song "Lounge Act" for a covers compilation by Kerrang!
Kerrang!
Kerrang! is a UK-based magazine devoted to rock music published by Bauer Media Group. It was first published on June 6, 1981 as a one-off supplement in the Sounds newspaper...
.
Musical influences
Evile's sound is primarily influenced by classic thrash metalThrash metal
Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...
, citing bands such as Overkill
Overkill (band)
Overkill is an American thrash metal band, formed in 1980 in New Jersey. They have gone through many line-up changes, with singer Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth and bassist D.D. Verni remaining from the original lineup. Along with Anthrax , the band is one of the most successful East Coast thrash metal...
, Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
, Megadeth
Megadeth
Megadeth is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California which was formed in 1983 by guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine, bassist Dave Ellefson and guitarist Greg Handevidt, following Mustaine's expulsion from Metallica. The band has since released 13 studio albums, three live albums, two...
, Slayer
Slayer
Slayer is an American thrash metal band formed in Huntington Park, California, in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. Slayer rose to fame with their 1986 release, Reign in Blood, and is credited as one of the "Big Four" thrash metal acts, along with Metallica, Megadeth and...
, Exodus
Exodus (band)
Exodus is an American thrash metal band formed in 1980 in Richmond, California. Spanning a career of over 30 years, Exodus has gone through numerous lineup changes, two extended hiatuses, and the deaths of two former band members. Guitarist Gary Holt remains the only constant member of the band,...
, Testament
Testament (band)
Testament is an American metal band from Berkeley, California, formed in 1983. They are often credited as one of the most popular bands of the 1980s thrash metal scene...
, Annihilator
Annihilator (band)
Annihilator is a Canadian heavy metal band hailing from Ottawa, Ontario, also from Vancouver, British Columbia between 1987-2002 by founding member, vocalist, guitarist and bassist Jeff Waters. The band has been around since 1984 and is the biggest selling heavy metal artist from Canada in history,...
, Nevermore
Nevermore
Nevermore is an American heavy metal band from Seattle, Washington. Formed in 1991, they are known to incorporate elements from styles such as thrash, power, progressive, and neo-classical metal into their songs, and also makes use of acoustic guitars and a wide range of vocal styles.-Early years...
, Pantera
Pantera
Pantera was an American heavy metal band from Arlington, Texas. Formed by the Abbott brothers, Vinnie Paul and Dimebag Darrell in 1981, bassist Rex Brown would join in late 1981 with vocalist Terry Glaze. Looking for a new and heavier sound, Pantera had Terry replaced in 1987 with Phil Anselmo as...
, and Sepultura
Sepultura
Sepultura is a Brazilian heavy metal band from Belo Horizonte, formed in 1984. The band was a major force in the death metal, thrash metal and ultimately groove metal realms during the late 1980s and early 1990s, with their later experiments melding nu metal, hardcore punk and industrial.Sepultura...
, though they are also influenced by death metal
Death metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....
bands like Obituary
Obituary (band)
Obituary is an American death metal band formed in 1984 in Tampa, Florida under the name Executioner, then changed the name's spelling to Xecutioner, and later changed their name to Obituary in 1988. The band comprises vocalist John Tardy, drummer Donald Tardy, guitarists Trevor Peres and Ralph...
. On 8 December, Lead Guitarist Ol paid tribute to the Late Chuck Schuldiner
Chuck Schuldiner
Charles Michael "Chuck" Schuldiner was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist.Schuldiner was the singer, songwriter, and guitarist of the band Death, which he founded in 1983, initially under the name Mantas. He also recorded as guitarist and songwriter with his other band, Control Denied...
by covering Death's "Voice of the Soul", showing the latter band having influence over at least one Evile member.
Band members
- Matt DrakeMatt DrakeMatthew "Matt" Drake is the rhythm guitarist and lead vocalist in the English thrash metal group Evile.-Evile:In 2000, Drake and Ben Carter got together to form a covers band...
– Lead vocals, rhythm guitar (2004–present) - Ol DrakeOl DrakeOl Drake is the lead guitarist of English thrash metal group, Evile.-Biography:...
– Lead guitar (2004–present) - Joel GrahamJoel Graham (musician)Joel Graham is the bassist of English thrash metal group Evile. He was formerly the bassist of metal band Rise to Addiction.- Biography :Graham was born on Feb 10th 1977, in Dewsbury, England. Graham started playing Bass as his main instrument in 1996 playing in local bands around the West...
– Bass guitar (2010–present) - Ben Carter – Drums (2004–present)
Former members
- Mike Alexander (deceased) – Bass guitar (2004–2009)
Studio albums
- 2007: Enter the GraveEnter the GraveEnter the Grave is the debut album by the English thrash metal band Evile. Released on 27 August, 2007 in Europe and on 25 September in North America and Japan, the album received generally favorable critical reviews and entered the UK Rock Chart at number 33. It was produced by Flemming Rasmussen...
- 2009: Infected NationsInfected Nations-Band members:* Matt Drake - Lead vocals, rhythm guitar* Ol Drake - Lead guitar,* Mike Alexander - Bass guitar* Ben Carter - Drums...
- 2011: Five Serpent's TeethFive Serpent's TeethFive Serpent's Teeth is the third album by the English thrash metal band Evile. It was released on September 26, 2011 in Europe and on October 18, 2011 in North America...
(UK chart peak: #111)
External links
- evile.co.uk Official website
- www.earache.com Earache Records
- Evile at Myspace
- http://www.ultimatemetal.com/forum/evile-454/ Official Message Board
- http://www.youtube.com/user/officialevile YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
channel