Stereoboard Talk To UK Thrash Metal Titans Evile Ahead Of Their Appearance At This Year’s Bloodstock
Monday, 30 July 2012
Written by Ben Bland
Hi Ol, nice to be talking to you. How are things?
Things are pretty great at the moment actually, thanks.
You’ve been promoted to the main stage at Bloodstock this year after Deicide dropped out. How are you feeling about that?
Yeah, that’s obviously really great news. It’s a privilege for us to be on the bill alongside so many great bands. That festival was really important to us as well. It was one of the places we really made our name and attracted a lot of new fans when we were just starting out.
It’s an honour to be on the main stage there this year.
It seems like a good time to be in a thrash metal band right now. How do you feel about the resurgence of the thrash scene in the last few years?
I think it is yes. At the time we first turned up perhaps thrash had sort of dipped in popularity a little bit but I think people are certainly getting more into things that are really fast and heavy again so that is great news for thrash bands everywhere.
Testament are one of the names that really stand out on the festival bill for me. As a keen devotee of thrash do you think they have sometimes been overlooked, by not being included in the ‘Big Four’ for example?
I think Testament are an amazing band for sure. I have nothing if not the highest respect for them. The guitar work in particular is really incredible. I think they should definitely be up there alongside the Big Four because they are an absolutely fantastic band. Yeah, now I
think about it I am definitely very excited about seeing them at Bloodstock!
You’re a very hard working touring band. Do you think a band like yours can gain any kind of success without real commitment to playing live?
I think it is all about playing live, especially when you are a metal band. You need to get people involved in the music and the best way of doing that is taking the music to them. I think the way people treat music nowadays means that live music means more than it ever has. Certainly I would say that the success we have had has largely come through being prepared to tour and tour really hard. That has got out music out there more than anything else ever could really.
I know you’ve got another UK tour queued up for October. What are your plans for the band following that?
Well I’m always thinking about what’s next for us a band. I am always trying to write music - that is what I love most of all about being a musician so we are going to kick on with new material and hopefully we will be able to get more music out there as soon as possible.
As Evile’s career has progressed the music has clearly gained more depth in terms of musicality but also in melodicism, which seems to be typical of a lot of thrash bands. What are your views on that?
I think after what happened with Mike (Alexander, sadly deceased former Evile bassist), we were really pushed as a band to take a step back and look at what we were doing, decide whether it was just a hobby or something we wanted to do properly. Once we did that I guess it helped us to perhaps explore more of what we could do as a band, to push ourselves even further. I know a lot of people have spoken about 'In Memoriam', the ballad like song on this record, but that song is really a tribute for Mike. It is not us saying that we are not about doing really fast and heavy music anymore at all. We have not moved away from what we have always been about, we are just trying to be as good as we can.
So the tragedy that has passed during the band’s lifetime has essentially pushed you to be the best band that you can…
Yes, exactly. I think it has pushed us a huge amount. Everything we do now we do for Mike as well as ourselves. If we are going to do this we have got to put our absolute all in to it. We have got to be the absolute best that we can be and I hope that we are doing just that.
It is so important to us. I cannot emphasise that enough. It put everything into serious perspective and, at the end of the day, we are just so lucky to be doing this that it has just spurred us on to make the most of what we have in this band and be grateful for the opportunities we have been presented with.
Evile play at Bloodstock Festival on Sunday 12th August and tour the UK in October.
Thu October 18th 2012 - ABC, Glasgow
Fri October 19th 2012 - Manchester University, Manchester
Tue October 23rd 2012 - O2 Academy Newcastle, Newcastle
Wed October 24th 2012 - Corporation, Sheffield
Thu October 25th 2012 - O2 Academy Birmingham, Birmingham
Fri October 26th 2012 - O2 Academy Oxford, Oxford
Sat October 27th 2012 - Open, Norwich
Sun October 28th 2012 - The Garage, London
Sat November 3rd 2012 - Holmfirth Picture Drome, Huddersfield
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You’ve been promoted to the main stage at Bloodstock this year after Deicide dropped out. How are you feeling about that?
