Evilyn Strange – Evilution

This is a collaborative post with MIKE and DEKE! Click those links to go read theirs too! You’ll learn more from them than you will from me!

Mike sent me this EP. I knew nothing about Evilyn Strange before this. Two seconds on Google taught me this is mainly the project of two men, Phillip Strange (vocals) and Mikael Johannesson (guitars), and that they have one full length album prior to this, called Mourning Phoebe.

To me, this sounds like 90s metal and grunge blended with a bit of 80s rawk, but with an updated sound. Ripping guitars, thundering drums, throbbing bass, and vocals that scream and purr just right… like Metallica’s Black album and Soundgarden’s Superunknown met Mötley Crue (and Slayer, on the blistering Storm Clouds). It’s only 5 tracks, but it plays like a complete album. That’s a tough trick to pull off!

I was gonna say the bass for the whole thing needed to be turned up, but then I realized I wasn’t using the amp through the Kenwoods, I was just on the iMac internal speaker. Haha fool! Switch it up and NOW it’s way better! Yes!

Also, I was gonna write up each track but I found I was writing the same thing for each song, which mostly involved a lot of WAHOOS! and TURN IT UP! and \m/  \m/  Suffice it to say, this EP rocks. It goes from blues metal chug to blasting thrash speedracer, and then back to lighter-waving rawk ballad with aplomb. I like how they do what they want without trapping themselves in a sound, and it all rocks! I’ll bet this would be a helluva lot of fun in a live setting, especially in a smaller venue where you can get close to the band.

Well done, Evilyn Strange! This is a very strong introduction, for me. And thanks heaps, Mike!