Review by Felix on April 20, 2025.

More than eight billion people live on our planet, and exactly none of them saw a reason to write a review for “Evil Always Return” (is an “s” missing?) in the last (almost) 15 years. You would almost think that this could have something to do with the musical content. Well, this thought would not be completely wrong. The EP houses six tracks which cruise through the landscapes of black thrash metal without leaving an impressive trace. The band does not lack enthusiasm, that’s for sure. I saw them live as an opener for Sodom in February 2011, and they performed passionately. In particular, I remember the massive appearance of bass player Harry. By the way, he wears an Onkel Tom t-shirt on the cover. We see that everything stays in the family.

Anyway, “Evil Always Return” does not boast with great moments in abundance, to say it politely. The cool, expressive melody line which introduces “The Weak Lead the Blind” spreads some personal vibes and lends the track an appropriate degree of individuality. The fact that the band loses control over the song during the instrumental part does not prevent a positive overall impression. However, Die Hard mostly does the things a black thrash metal band usually does, and the level of inspiration remains comparatively low. The riffs are acceptable, high velocity parts are integrated, multi-voiced choruses and more or less demonic lead vocals celebrate the typical, sometimes somewhat monotonous approach. Unfortunately, the songs do not shine with a high degree of coherence. The songwriting skills are not totally underdeveloped, but they remain within a rather narrow range.

You ask for catchy sections? We apologize, not here, not today. Especially the choruses are going nowhere. Although the EP ends after 20 minutes, no song sticks in my memory. I have an overall picture, of course. It is characterised by the slightly dull negativity emanating from production and the total absence of any forms of experimentation. The sinister guitar lines just go on and on, and I am happy that they usually create a more thrilling sound than they do in the boring “Beneath Pain and Death”. In view of this less-than-ideal performance, the question of whether the boys will ever release new music again remains open. Metal Archives says yes, they are still active – but active in what? In picking their noses? Including eating boogers? Anyway, if something new comes along one day, it will be the turn of one of the other 8 billion to write a review.

Rating: 5.9 out of 10