Aussie skies darken further as Evoker slithers from hell with crushing first EP ‘Evil Torment’

Why is metal from Australia so vile and uncompromising? That place terrifies me based on the sounds coming out of there, but digging a little deeper, there are more things going on that have to be amplifying the terror. My guess is the spiders and snakes. The huntsman spider can 100 percent fuck off, as can the inland taipan. Wait, I’m learning there are huntsman spiders in the US?!

I also blame these things for the insanity that is spread all over “Evil Torment,” the debut EP offering from Evoker, a trio hailing from the Down Under place that offers punishment that veers into both death and black metal. They’re been going for about four years now, but this six-track, nearly 23-minute collection is the first time a larger audience will hear what they have to offer thanks to Blood Harvest getting behind this thing. The band–guitarist/vocalist Merlin Quinlan, bassist Hass, drummer Eren Steyr-Aug—mangles you from the start, and since we’re talking a mini release, they obviously waste no time taking it to you over and over again until they’ve gotten into your head and drawn blood physically. Like that goddamn snake!

“From the Depths” crashes in out of a lightning storm and rushes at you with an instant ferocity. Infernal howls buckle you at the knees as Quinlan howls, “From the depths, the evil awaits.” Furious leads trudge through old-school death grounds before rushing back out. “Old Evil” destroys with a rapidly spat chorus and Quinlan calling of “raising hell on earth.” Soloing blazes out as everything in sight is bound to be destroyed, with the final moments drenched in doom and death bells. “Shackled to the Grave” has ominous riffs and gruff shouting while the guitars swim amongst everything. “Let me die, endless torment,” Quinlan wails while the track devotes itself to a heavily thrashing finish.

“Exhumation of the Damned” clobbers right from the word go as it races dangerously and settles into a thrashy hell. Guitars light up and spread havoc while the title is howled over and over on the chorus, and the track hammers closed. “Sacrilicious Lust” blazes away and exposes you to monstrous heat while the vocals are heaved out like poison. The barnstorming pace at which they deliver this is intimidating as they set to squash everything in front of them. “Parasomanic” is your closer, and it begins with doomy riffs that eventually give away to a blinding assault. Nasty growls combine with a crushing pace, and then the soloing utterly explodes. Doomy winds blow again later, only to be dumped into a sizzling cauldron, left there to burn into oblivion.

Evoker’s first official foray into the smoldering death and black metal worlds is a short but effective burst that gives a good indication of what this band is capable of accomplishing. “Evil Torment” is a great first seed as their roots grow beneath the surface as they finally break through the Earth. This is some devastating stuff, and this is only beginning for this promising Aussie death squad.

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