Against Evil – End of the Line (Self-Released)
Sunday, 23rd May 2021
Returning for another full-length endeavor following the strength and execution of 2018’s All Hail the King, Against Evil embrace a love of power, speed, and traditional metal through their work on End of the Line. When you’ve constructed a specific formula that resonates with the musicians and their faithful followers, the only concern is knocking things out of the park again – hopefully making everything that much stronger or more impactful. Sticking to a similar staffing situation for mixing/mastering with Simone Mularoni (DGM) and cover art from All Things Rotten builds on that continuity previously established – and fortunately the quartet also succeed on the musical/songwriting front through these newer songs.
Crunchy, Viking-like riffs and measured mid-range melodies allow “Call to War” to be an easy standout – the vocal harmonies very smooth to promote singalong unity against the slow, steady tempo and cultural chord progressions. You can expect a mixture of European/US influences – triumphant riffs ready for battle a la Manowar, Accept, and Judas Priest – as well as the occasional anthem embracing the love of heavy metal as “Metal or Nothin’” delivers in Hammerfall-fashion. The sound effects/narrative sequence on the title track mirrors what you can expect when looking at the cover – and the special guest this go around is Talas/Winery Dogs bass phenom Billy Sheehan who adds his progressive touch to an otherwise straightforward, almost Sunset Strip-oriented melodic hard rocker called “Out for Blood” that is ideal for people who love W.A.S.P. meets Striker. Beyond the eight new songs Against Evil reach into the archives and pull out an early EP song “War Hero” to give the track a re-recorded spruce up – the guitar action from Shasank Venkat and M Sravan Chakravarthi sharp along with robust background vocal support to make this a perfect closer.
End of the Line takes in classic traditional metal influences with power and melodic hard rock nuances and molds the record into something ideal for larger festival outings. Another strong outing for this group from India – who along with Kryptos are keeping this country abuzz through excellent, consistent high- quality output.
