Evil Army - Evil Army (2006)

           

            There is a lot of thrash in today’s metal scene and a lot of it sucks. So much of it is paying homage the 80’s instead of breaking new ground for the genre. I don’t want to put down any bands or albums in particular, if you enjoy thrash you know what I mean. However, there are some bands which have released some truly stellar thrash. Now here comes the part where I tell you how fucking awesome Evil Army is.

            I first heard the songs “Wrong Approach” and “Evil Army” off of a compilation CD from Hell’s Headbangers. They were so infectious and really the best tracks off of the CD. I eventually picked up their self-titled album and for a year now it is still one of my favorite and most played albums. 13 no mercy head banging tracks and the album is basically the best 25 minutes of your miserable existence.

            For having such a great unique sound and fantastic cohesion for all 13 tracks, it does not feel repetitive or boring at all. It feels like running across no man’s land hopped up on amphetamines with a bayonet in your teeth and violence in your heart. The guitar style has really been inspired by the best aspects thrash; a little bit of early Metallica, Exodus, and a sack of glass shards swinging at your face. The drums are perfect war style thrash. Wicked good speed and snare hits keep you marching towards your certain death. The bass is fast and blends well with the guitar. Lastly, the vocals are perfect.

            Bad or even mediocre vocals can really keep me from fully enjoying an album, but Rob Evil has a style that is terrific. His voice works great in both lightning fast and more slow delivery; great shouts, and snarls, almost punk like.

            As of this posting, there is only one review on Metal Archives for this album. I find that shocking. This is definitely in the top 5 best thrash albums of the 00-10 period. I just hope these guys don’t have to wait for the next generation before they gain recognition from the metal community. 

Putrid Gore Art

              

                Before Myspace cocked itself over with the new layout, I would actually follow bands and learn a good deal about small labels and those who made the art. During one of these exploratory periods, I discovered “Putrid Gore Art”. After some time and discovering that Razorback Records sold out of them, I found a copy at Hell’s Headbangers. 

                I was very pleased and disgusted with this little booklet. Some places the “Putrid Gore Art” book is advertised as being in “glorious black & white”, I would have to disagree with this elevating of the black & white pieces over the color ones. In fact the color pieces add such a huge element to the art. The gore and blood of varying reds, the putrefied skin tones, and Jesus all the shades of pus and vomit! But regardless, this is a very eye catching book! The first 4-5 pages are some of my favorite. “Plague of the Zombies”, “Impetigo”, “Black Tooth Skateboards”, “Skunk”, and “Street Trash” pieces are so good! The book continues with some covers he did for the zine “Liquid Cheese”. Putrid knows more than just how to draw zombies, he knows how to make good covers that get the viewer interested. I never heard of “Liquid Cheese”, but I would love to get my hands on some issues simply because of Putrid’s covers. The book then proceeds to show off his album covers. 

                Some of the great contemporary horror metal bands have some of Putrid’s best work. Fondlecorpse, Revolting, and Bloodfreak, have all been lucky enough to have albums from this sick bastard. Putrid does many albums in just black and white, but once again it’s the colored albums that really stick out. Whether it’s a heavily detailed cover like the Fondlecorpse/Frightmare splt or the “Dreadful Pleasures” by Revolting, color makes the piece so much more enjoyable. 

                His black and white work is still really good. What I really like is that Putrid has two styles; one which has heavy cross hatching and the other which is more linear with crisp lines and solid shading. Both styles work tremendously to show scenes of horror and blasphemy, and reflect how talented Putrid is. I hope this book has been successful for Putrid (aka Matthew Carr) and that more bands have commissioned his work. It is 32 pages in total roughly digest size, A5.

I keep this on my desk for those times when there is not enough liquor in the universe at least I have my “Putrid Gore Art”.