Alongside fellow Finnish old-school death metal band Purtenance,
Convulse are back in 2013 with their first full-length album in about 20 years.
Convulse’s “World Without God” was easily among the highlights of the entire
Finnish death metal scene, and “Evil Prevails” certainly attempts to reclaim
that glory. The good news is that, for the most part, they do. Everything about
this release sounds like it was pulled from 1991. Even the production isn’t
really that modern. The guitars have a sludgy tone that is almost certainly the
result of downtuning. They generally play any number of standard, speedy death
metal riffs with all of the appropriate fanfare: galloping, tremolo picking,
chugging, etc. Though they never quite reach the excesses of the Swedish scene,
Convulse know when and how to slow things down with crushing breakdowns (the
middle of “Unholy War” has a prime example). In addition to these types of
breakdowns, the band also uses slower sections for the occasional clean guitar
moments. The aforementioned “Unholy War” has a very “Seasons In The Abyss”-esque
example of this sound.
In direct contrast to this mellowness, the band moves into “World
Downfall”, which is an obliterating force of blastbeats and riffs. This track
also displays the remarkable vocals of Rami Jämsä. Perhaps what is most amazing
about his growls are that they don’t sound any different than they did over 20
years ago. They’re still quite deep, with little emphasis on clarity. It is a rugged
assault of force with one primary goal: brutality. Aside from the vocals,
another area of emphasis on “Evil Prevails” is the lead guitar work. Though not
as prevalent in every song, some tracks like “God Is Delusion” feature lengthy
solos that conjure contrasting emotions from the rest of the record. The title
track likewise displays some of this excellent lead playing. In many ways, this
is the one area where “Evil Prevails” differs from “World With God”. There is
an overarching theme of darkness and despair, which is no better displayed than
in the outro to “Days are Dark”, which gives an Insomnium-like vibe by using
clean guitars to create a melancholic feeling.
Overall, “Evil Prevails” is one inspired slab of death metal.
It certainly isn’t identical to the band's opus record, but it is a true continuation
of their legacy. While nothing stands out as being particularly enthralling
about the album, it is highly recommended to all fans of old-school death metal
because it accurately captures the atmosphere and sound of a record from the
early 90’s. Likewise, it goes without saying that fans of Convulse and other
Finnish bands will also really enjoy “Evil Prevails”.
Highlights
"World Downfall"
"God Is Delusion"
"Days Are Dark"
Final Rating
3.6/5 or 72%.