Evil Is Forever

This is very generic, boring Dio-esque retro heavy metal/hard rock.

This hard rock tinged stuff is really, really not my thing.

It's pretty catchy in that "it's overly repetitive so of course it's going to get stuck in your head" kind of way. Dirt simple, complete Dio worship with the riffage, and contrived, typical heavy metal type lyrics.

"Love, hate and fury coming my way; Cry out in anger, got nothing to say; Cool, rich and famous, smoking cigars; The hole in my brain, won't stop me to ride the flame."

One thing that helps the attitude of old heavy metal is the badass traditional lyrics. And these aren't really what I'd hope for. Sometimes they don't even make sense. They're not well written, and they're not badass in the least. They're just words to fit the singing.

The production is a tad sterile. Too clean for it's own good. The playing is average on every level. And the goofy little keyboard in the background is just too much for me.

Nils vocals are the only real noteworthy portion of the music. He's got just a touch of raspiness, but he can hit some lofty notes. I really love his voice. But in the end it isn't enough. There's nothing noteworthy in the playing, in the style, in the song writing or any where else to be found.

Okay, so Bride of Christ is pretty catchy and The Flame is actually nice borderline power metal. But the overwhelming majority of the songs are too generic to do anything for me. Fear In Their Eyes, Praise the Bones and Time To Rock, among others are utter Dio worship. Again, if not for Nils vocals, the songs would feel like soulless replicas.

For diehard traditional heavy metal fans only.