EVILYN STRANGE – Evilution (2016)
A few years back we presented here the really interesting debut of Anglo-Swedish combo EVILYN STRANGE, now the band is back today March 7th with an EP called “Evilution” that is absolutely kickin’: heavy enough to make your bones rumble with a rich & deep sound, and a melodic dark-tinged mood that brings out a lot of power and passion.
Evilyn Strange can’t be pinned on a single musical style, although all are revolved around hard rock. The band covers a lot of ground from slow moody ballads to speedy deliveries and they are pretty original and effective at that.
However, where Evilyn Strange may well have mastered their craft is when it comes to playing mid-tempo rockers. I am thinking specifically of the song ‘Invisible Man’ form this new EP which has so much feel and melody and oooohh, sounds so good.
There is guitar work here that sizzles, burns, soars. There are vocals and melodies that are arena-shakingly huge and piercingly emotional. The end result: a release that is really well-crafted and tasty from start to finish.
“Evilution” has a strong hard rock and metal vibe, but is still melodic enough to provide lots of glow and shimmer. The first track ‘Let It Rain’ is a great example of Evilyn Strange’s sound on this EP: it is heavy and rowdy with speeding drums barreling into you, and also has plenty of swagger, a fierce energy, and some killer guitar.
‘Storm Clouds’ is where Evilyn Strange shows their diversity. This heavy number knock the breath right out of your chest: careening guitars, turbo-charged drums, and a thumping pulse. Some kind of modern day Ozzy the song is a cool experimentation for the band, but as said, I prefer them on the melodic side.
The final two tracks on this EP are solid: the bluesy midtempo ‘Never’ has a classic rock vibe but much more modern and dark. There’s a twang in the guitars (great solo) and some heart-piercing emotion packed into both the music and the lyrics.
Meanwhile, ‘Stay’ is a melodic ballad, however, not your typical with the vocals adding a strain of aching darkness to the tune. It’s a melancholic song, again with a strong solo, and one of the strongest compositions on the album.
Added here is Evilyn Strange debut album for those who missed it; eleven tracks with variation like the groovy ‘The Ballad Of Evilyn Strange’, the atmospheric rocker ‘Your Eyes Give You Away”, and the excellent midtempo ‘Everything’.
Evilyn Strange has grown on this new effort “Evilution”, especially in the strength of the lyrics and the musicianship. The band continues exploring sonic horizons, some kind of a ‘jack of all trades’. I prefer their melodious side, but the guys are true nonconformists and want to be different.
As vocalist Phillip Strange said; “Personally I love to mix styles and influences across an album – what’s the point in writing endless versions of the same song?”
If you’re into well-made and original heavy & hard rock, then you should definitely check out this band.
Evilution:
01 – Let It Rain
02 – Invisible Man
03 – Storm Clouds
04 – Never
05 – Stay
Debut Album:
06 – The Ballad Of Evilyn Strange
07 – Your Eyes Give You Away
08 – Everything
09 – All That You Do (You Do For You)
10 – Narcissistic Bar Statistic
11 – The World Needs Someone Like You
12 – Love Finds You
13 – No Mercy
14 – Please Don’t Tell Me
15 – Just A Little
16 – Will You Be There? (Kate’s Song)
Phillip Strange – vocals
Mikael Johannesson – lead guitar, bass guitar
The Ghost – drums, keyboards
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