https://jennytate.wordpress.com/2023/10/07/evilon-a-warriors-way/
Swedish folk metallers, Evilon unleash their 2nd album, ‘A Warrior’s Way’, out now. It follows their 2018 debut album, their 2017 EP and the trio of pre-released singles, featured on ‘AWW’. Evilon formed in 2015.
You can view their video on YouTube.
Yggdrasil – A very cinematic, steadily emerging intro, with strong fantasy threads. Exploding into life, combining eclectic instrumentation with gory vocals. Celtic lilts unite with powerful percussive beats. Choral harmonies add a stronger backdrop. Melody always central. Good structural progress, despite the near inaudible narrative. Ending on a high.
Jotenheim – Good powerful drum hits open, with uilleann pipes following. Death growls enter, next. Rhythmic drive well sustained. Again, it keeps the melody at the centre. Slowing things down, at the bridge, to a more relaxed pace. Adding more melody. Intensifying the drumming, before replacing it with alternative accompaniments, as the percussion slows. Fading out smoothly, on some final death growls.
Walk Of The Damned – Big, booming intro, with an upbeat, Celtic flavour). Vocal aggression follows; melody remaining. Lively, energised arrangements. Slightly more visually evocative, with marginally clearer lyrics. Alternating the tempo, around the bridge, introducing synths and keys and building it up, from there. Catchy chorus. Lots of energy. Even a lighter edge to the vocal extremity. A piano section ends, bringing it down, to a calmer place.
A Warrior’s Way – Opening on a more sombre note. Expanding the sound, to a more aggressive, but fuller tone. Equal melody and growl. Well timed rhythms. Strong, consistent focus. All timing and tempo alternations well handled. Powerful sensual riffage. Everything gels, neatly. Fading out, smoothly.
Into The Battlefield – Stark intro! Now that’s what you call mighty riff power). A marked orchestral feel to this track, bolstered, by a wall of strength. The vocals turn to monster roars; melody peaking, at the bridge. Really powerful percussion and an inventive riff scale. Cymbals make their entrance, towards the end. Staying fulsomely melodic, all the way.
Foreign Land – Bold drum opening! Racing rhythms characterise the scene, straight away. Sustaining that rapid chasing pace, enhanced by epic accompaniments. Good singular toned riffs, 3/4 in, adding a quiescent hint, before it explodes, once more. Fading out on death growl vocals.
Galdr – Another powerful hit of an intro; this time, with more guitar presence, from the start. As aggressive as before, vocally, but always careful to retain that central melody. Drums race, around the bridge. Continuing, consistently and seamlessly, on, till the final drum and cymbal hit, merging with the closing riff.
My Runestone – Fast, fiery riff opening). Real car race territory). Lots more growly emphasis. Alternating the pace, at the mid-section. Building in a bit more melody, then upping the speed and driving it forward. Uplifting, right up to the end and closing on that sinister growl tone.
Skald – Huge intro hit, setting the scene, instantly. Another fun rhythm, mingling Celtic moods with vocal rage. Big melodies, once again. Some very colourful riffage, in here and strong epic fantasy streaks. It all works well, together. Even a slight melodic edge creeps into the vocals, before the smooth riff fade-out.
Blot To The Skies – Very heavily metallic riff opening)! That’s how to make an entrance. Bass simmering and thrumming, underneath. Good driving drum rhythm. The fantasy element’s still audible, through the aggression. Just lightly tempering it, with some slight instrumental alternation, briefly. Returning to a heavy focus and sustaining it, well. The rhythms are very much key to this track. Mystery makes itself known, in places, too, featured in that slight mediaeval/Baroque section, ¾ in, before synths fade it out, quietly, but atmospherically.
Valkyria – Strong epic intro). An immediate melodic focus. The roars return, but they’re more audible, in parts. A brilliantly multi-coloured riff streak takes it to the bridge. This is lighter, here and there, but without losing the edge. Quite a visually accessible number. Riffs fading it out.
Overall – A very pleasurable album, ‘A Warrior’s Way’ encapsulates its title, perfectly. Impossible to fault, featuring stunning production, matching its performance, containing the ideal combo of sounds, energy and atmosphere for its genre and for imaginative accessibility. As energised as it is intriguing, ‘AWW’ is a highly recommended listen.
10/10 ********** jennytate
Release Date: September 8th, 2023
FFO: Amon Amarth, Ensiferum & Amorphis
Location: Sweden
Evilon is a Swedish Folk Metal band that started in 2015. The band has released an EP in 2017, a album in 2018 and is releasing a new album in 2023 on 8 of September. The band has released three singles from the upcoming album.
Check out this video and subscribe!
Follow the band at these links:
https://www.facebook.com/Evilon
https://www.tiktok.com/@evilonofficial
https://www.instagram.com/evilon_official/
https://www.youtube.com/@evilonofficial
https://open.spotify.com/artist/67rD9VXKbjnsZZxf5rZPMx
https://metaldevastationradio.com/thebeast/blog/25127/evilon-a-warriors-way-reviewed-by-jennytate?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger
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