Evil Invaders – Feed Me Violence

Just a few years ago, Evil Invaders burst onto the European speed metal scene with an inspired, energetic record that was designed to crush, kill, and destroy posers. It shouldn’t be a surprise that the band has followed that up just a couple years later with a similar offering of no holds-barred speed metal. “Feed Me Violence” does exactly as the title suggests: it feeds pure violence. Not content with a barbaric approach, nor a completely clean one, Evil Invaders has carved a niche by opting for a technically precise, yet completely wild and off-the-rails sound.

The biggest advantage in Evil Invaders’ corner is their sheer enthusiasm. Between the screeching solos and equally shrieky vocals, the Belgians are out for blood on this record. It’s worth pointing out that the band’s singer has a fairly clean delivery when he’s singing, but often tends to channel his inner-Schmier. Predictably, the outcome makes “Feed Me Violence” even better. It helps that the band spends much of their time at a driving pace, unleashing furious riffs, and equally potent rhythm work.

To their credit, Evil Invaders is not a one-trick pony. There are a couple of instrumental interludes, and even other moments where the band adopts a softer sound. These moments excel when there are melodic, thoughtful leads that take advantage of the space the rhythm section provides to them. Truthfully, the band does neither their fast nor their more restrained sound better. The two styles work in tandem to offer sufficient diversity on an already succinct record. 

There aren’t any clear failings of “Feed Me Violence”. Much like its predecessor, it doesn’t necessarily have the songwriting chops of some of the leaders of this scene. But it fills such a unique void in the style (cleaner than bands like Ranger yet more aggressive than others like Enforcer) that it is still a must-listen. There are still plenty of great songs on this record, and even if there weren’t, it’s simply too charged-up to deny!

Be sure to check out and like Evil Invaders on Facebook!

Highlights

"Mental Penitentiary"

"As Life Slowly Fades"

"Oblivion"

Final Rating

4.1/5 or 82%.

Stälker – Shadow of the Sword

New Zealand’s Stälker is a new find from the ever-popular Napalm Records. These guys play raw, rough, and dirty speed metal. While their cover art might have you thinking of cleaner modern bands, Stälker finds themselves in an interesting position between having the precision and songwriting chops of these bands, but the production and attitude of less polished groups. This entire album feels like the band is just completely going for it: lots of shredding, wild high-pitched screams, and a general tendency to fly off the handle. Nowhere is this more evident than in the raging opener, “Total Annihilation”, which features some of the most brilliantly catchy speed metal around.

Stälker being a 3-piece is an interesting choice, as it has a two-pronged effect on “Shadow of the Sword”. The first is that there isn’t a lot of harmonized guitars, as the band would obviously be unable to replicate this live. For this particular sound, harmonization is often a big selling point, but it is the more aggressive side of the band that carries them despite a lack of killer harmonies. The other side of this, however, is the fact that it allows the bass to stick out often. Nearly every track has several killer bass licks, and at times, it’s hard to believe that the band’s low end is provided by the same guy who is shrieking his guts out.  

As you might imagine, the sheer speeds that the band often reach result in some thrashier moments. Early Razor is an apt comparison, as the bands both enjoy utilizing more simplistic, NWOBHM-influenced riffing at tempos that are off the charts. Stälker tends to utilize more basic choruses, comprised mainly of shouts of the title. The result is that each song is easy to sing along to even on a first listen, and most of them won’t leave your head for a while. “Shocked To Death” marks the obvious example, but nearly every track shares the same enthusiasm and straightforwardness. 

Towards the end of the record, Stälker covers one of the most covered songs in metal history: Death’s “Evil Dead”. Their rendition shows just how brilliant this song is because it works as well as a speed metal song as it does a death metal track. It seems like the band’s vocalist does go for some harsher, more drowned out vocals in the verses, but like most choruses on the record, he tears out his voice hitting the highest notes possible. The end result is yet another great cover of this masterpiece song! Overall, “Shadow of the Sword” is an impressive offering from a new band. There are no bad songs on this album; just songs that are better than others. Despite all of the bands playing this style, Stälker does feel just a little bit different from the others, and that makes “Shadow of the Sword” an immediate winner!

Be sure to check out and like Stälker on Facebook!

Highlights

"Total Annihilation"

"Shadow of the Sword"

"Shocked to Death"

Final Rating

4.4/5 or 88%.