Album Of The Year 2021 – Number 27

Welcome to day four of my “Album Of The Year 2021” Top 30 Countdown. I reckon it’s going well so far…I mean, I’ve not had any obscene messages from readers telling me how wrong I am with my picks up until now. In fact, I’ve had no dissenting voices at all – a few eyebrows were raised at my ‘honourable mentions’ post, but otherwise, it has been depressingly harmonious.

But I cannot rest on my laurels because I have another 27 posts to write, as I count down my very favourite records that were released during 2021. I hope you’ll stick with me along this journey.

And, speaking of more posts to write, here’s my next pick…

Number 27

Evile

“Hell Unleashed”

Napalm Records

Release Date: 30 April 2021

Score Of Much Metal: 93%

As my love and appreciation of thrash has returned and grown over the past year or so, it was inevitable that some of the best the genre has to offer would feature in my end-of-year top 30. What makes me incredibly happy is that Evile feature. One of the very best UK thrash bands has returned after the greater part of a decade away, and they hit us with ‘Hell Unleashed’, a cracking album in all respects.

With a demonstrably heavier, chunkier sound, the death metal influences can be heard throughout ‘Hell Unleashed’. But you can still hear the nods to the Bay Area from the 80s and 90s, as well as some satisfying grooves and surprisingly catchy hooks, riffs, and melodies.

Some big hitters within the genre have released new material this year. However, it is Evile and ‘Hell Unleashed’ that has made the biggest and best impact on me, enjoying frequent spins at the Mansion Of Much Metal, especially when I felt the need to break stuff after a tough day at work! Welcome back Evile and thanks for delivering a great new album.

What I wrote at the time:

“I’m no ultra-afficionado of Evile’s music, but even I can detect that ‘Hell Unleashed’ is a more muscular, bruising, and aggressive affair than much of their previous offerings. They’ve done it before, but for my money, there’s a more pronounced dalliance with death metal on this record than anything before it. It’s as if Evile have taken the last eight years to store up all their anger and frustration, only to unleash it across nine tracks of uncompromising extreme metal. And boy, does it sound great.

The extent to which I have rediscovered my love and enthusiasm for thrash metal has surprised me a little of late. But then, when you consider the quality of the releases over the past 18 months or so, it’s hardly surprising. And you can add Evile to that list without a shadow of any doubt.

There’s no wonder that for many a metalhead, the return of Evile after some years in the wilderness is one of the most important moments in metal in 2021. And so it makes it all the sweeter to be able to report that the results are very much worth the wait. In many ways, it’s like Evile have never been away, but in others, it’s patently obvious. The precision and seemingly effortless ability to write head turning thrash metal is to the quartet’s immense credit, whilst the genuine aggression and ferocity with which they approach this new material demonstrates how much it means for Evile to be back and firing on all cylinders. “

Read the full review here: