Mexico’s EVILHEART have re-released their fourth album Quinquaginta, and it’s some genuine work. This time around is a bit more clear in sound than the previous version, and these guys did well for this disc; everything is more even-sounding. The sound of the record reminds me of that of DEATH, being really harmonic with their guitar work. A lot of death metal bands I hear today are extremely generic and a lot of the time unoriginal, but EVILHEART aren’t generic or unoriginal in the slightest. Overall this effort is really solid and strong, and the amount of work that went into this is obvious.
The album opens with “Perfection Collapsed.” This intro track is the perfect hook for the album. It’s fast-paced, it’s heavy, and it is immensely aggressive. It opens with a fast blasting riff, followed by the deep vocals, which are particularly heavy here. The riff builds up right before a harmonic double guitar lead, and it’s deeply mesmerizing. This song flows right into the next one, called “Misanthropic Decree.” This piece starts off with a slow and groovy riff that speeds up around the 45-second mark. The vocals enter along with the speed, and the drums speed up with it. It’s just a really groovy kind of song all the way through.
Right after “Misanthropic Decree” is “Selective Extermination.” This track is definitely one of my favorites, and I think it’s one of the most well-written. It’s fast all the way through, but there are some parts where the riffs get a bit more of a slower flow to them. The guitar work here is really technical, especially in the leads. This is actually very technical all around. The vocals here are my favorite part; they’re really deep and aggressive, even for this band’s kind of sound.
The self-titled closing track “Quinquaginta” clocking in at 9 minutes and 47 seconds, is the best song in terms of composition. It starts with an aggressive riff and rhythm, then slows down to a soothing slow riff. The piece then continues with aggression, and it’s an amazing display of the group’s writing skills. At around the eight-minute mark the music fades and a choir chorus and violin start, making it really epic. The guitar and drums then join in and it’s pretty damn cool. Then as the music fades, a piano riff comes in and acts as an outro. Definitely the best song on the album.
Overall Quinquaginta is a great album from a solid band. The vocals are definitely the standout of this effort from the group because they’re so deep and aggressive. The strings are fairly harmonic and technical, the work is really skillful. The drums are pretty good, they have a good flow to them. EVILHEART has done well with this re-release, and they’re worth a listen for anyone into some heavy stuff. Just make sure you get your copy now from Test Your Metal Records.
STANDOUT TRACKS: “Perfection Collapsed”, “Selective Extermination”, “Quinquaginta”
RATING:9/10
-TANKARD SMITH
