Evile’s Ol Drake: the UK’s new thrashin’ idol
EMMA PAINTER
SEEMINGLY UNDAUNTED BY any situation, Lancastrian youngsters TORTURED DEMON continue to swell their ranks of admirers with every show. Jacob Parkinson acts like he’s rallying a crowd of thousands instead of dozens, with the band oozing confidence as they plough through tracks from last year’s In Desperation’s Grip.
Tonight is an opportunity for anthemic thrashers DIVINE CHAOS to show off their new line-up and material from The Way To Oblivion. The venue’s acoustics lend themselves perfectly to the rumbling rhythm section but are less sympathetic to Jut Tabor’s vocals. Yet the frontman battles on and admirably encourages engagement from the initially hesitant crowd. Upon The Shrine’s regal twin leads and Serpents Words’ undeniable groove underline the band’s status as one of UK metal’s most unsung commodities, with the set ending just as they are starting to build up steam.
Speaking of which, EVILE dispense with the steam engine in favour of a Formula 1 season’s worth of four-stroke piston speed. It only takes the opening salvo of Paralysed and Killer From The Deep for the tentative crowd to disregard restraint and lose themselves in a sea of whirling heads and pits on the crammed dancefloor. For many, this is the first time seeing guitarist Ol Drake stepping up to the mic vacated by his brother Matt in 2020. Precise in performance and affable between songs, he’s a natural frontman, encouraging profanity before Cult and taking pleasure in the crowd’s inability to clap in time before We Who Are About To Die, as well as the more important task of effortlessly tossing out the riffs of Gore and Infected Nations. The PA has a hard time handling drummer Ben Carter’s rampage during Head Of The Demon and The Thing (1982), while Joel Graham and new guitarist Adam Smith are enjoying every minute in front of the enthusiastic onlookers. In what appears to be no time, Evile have gone from fresh-faced thrashers to being respected elders of the British scene. And on the latest live and studio evidence, it’s a title they’re wearing with confidence and a suitably immature dignity.