Los Angeles’s newest up and coming thrash band Evul Maniax. Born off of kush smoke and beer, with influences of 80s old school thrash, from many genres, rolled into a speedball that’s thrown into your earhole. The new upcoming EP, “3am” is very busy, with tons of virtuoso string bending, drum pounding, bass flailing, and racy rhythms. It contains powerful, mesmerizing, exhilarating, emotional pieces of music. This record is intense on so many levels, while the musicianship is off the charts, and the lyrics are sincere. The ‘all killer, no filler’ slogan is a perfect fit here.
Evul Maniax has assembled a top notch crew that capture the thrash-punk vibe set down years ago in the burgeoning skater punk music that became crossover metal. If you’ve never bought a thrash-punk album in your life – well, you must either be very young or extremely old, but either way, you’re probably wondering where to start. This EP has all you can handle, the riffs, drums, solos, and vocals. “3am” is what being in this genre should sound like.
Evul Maniax defiantly sticks to their guns and release a brutal thrash recording at a time when the thrash-punk movement has long started to lose its steam. This EP came out of nowhere. It’s nothing like any other thrash band is doing now; it’s better and more aggressive. Four songs and every one of them kicks ass, with lots of intricate guitar leads and tempo changes, while the drumming is out of this world!
The title track, “3am” slays and sees a group of musicians at the absolute top of their game. Dark and tortured, the vocals challenge the riot-running guitar riffs and machine-gun drumming. Obviously the title track is as good of an EP opener as there is – A flat out ass kicking anthem of classic thrash metal and punk so sorely lacking in many of today’s bands. I went full steam ahead to “Know Your Enemy” with its sinister guitar opening and outstanding riffs, which once again showcases the band at the peak of his creative powers.
Evul Maniax has fierce, furious guitar solos and riffs that color, accentuate, punctuate, and razzle-dazzle throughout every song. The drumming is full of energy, drive, and precision, keeping “Sinful Bliss” firmly grounded, while the vocal and guitar virtuosity adds a noticeable flair to the proceedings. The lyrics here are particularly brutal and cynical here – a line like “I killed my parents, and laughed and cried about it!” doesn’t leave much to the imagination and is certainly not intended for the weak at heart. The angst-ridden “Vatican Hit Squad” closes the EP with its manic intonations.
Seems like this current lineup has great chemistry, and it translates over to the EP. Great tunes, great musicianship and pure power prove to make “3am” a standard for all other thrash metal-punk albums released this year to measure up to.
OFFICIAL LINKS: REVEBNATION – FACEBOOK – INSTAGRAM
More Stories
Extra Time’s single “The Boy Who Dreamed of the Stars” Captivates with Emotional Depth and Cinematic Elegance
Joel Goldenberger’s Heartfelt Ode to Friendship: A Closer Look at His New Single “Rely On”
Kendall Lake – “Reputation”: A Song for the Bold and Unapologetic