When it comes to Metal in Norway you immediately think of all those unholy forces our Northern neighbours has spread over the globe since the early 90s. But you must be aware that there are still some other hordes around operating in other genres of our beloved music. How about a lethal dose of Speed / Thrash Metal like in our case here? "Evil Never Dies" is the debut full length of this Porsgrunn (an important harbour in the Telemark province) based Thrash commando following a six song EP ("Evidence Of Things Unseen") released back in 2011. The history of this outfit dates already back to 2005. After the first riffs burst out of the speakers you immediately could think that this is a new offering by (old) METALLICA but with an own identity. I can’t help but it is like that. And I mean this in a positive manner as this is stuff the famous Bay Area outfit hasn’t been able to deliver anymore since the, hmm let me say, "Master Of Puppets" or "And Justice For All" albums. Just to make it clear: the band is no copy cat, they just have a similiar sound. This four piece here has this youthful spirit, this special charm which you can hear in every single note of the songs. Besides this enthusiasm and passion the members are blessed with excellent musical skills as well making this 14 tracker to an quite enjoyable and entertaining trip. The tunes are packed with loads of crispy Thrash riffing, marvellous lead guitar work and sophisticated drum patterns. Apart from the emphasis of heavy Thrash rhythms the four piece garnishes their solid compositions with some traditional Heavy Metal elements to bring in additional freshness and a maximum of variation. The material is mostly played in the midpace or moderate uptempo department which is quite perfect to showcase the squad’s class. And this James Hetfield inspired vocals totally kill as well. The production of "Evil Never Dies", which includes eleven own compositions plus three cover versions – ‘Speed King’, ‘Killed By Death’ and ‘Seek & Destroy’, is absolutely top-notch. This is no big surprise as it was done by the well known axeman Andy La Rocque of KING DIAMOND fame. The overall packaging is rounded off by an amazing cover artwork and nice fold out booklet. Fans of old METALLICA and oldschool Headbangers in general should not hesitate to get this little gem to add it to their collection. Highly recommended!! www.facebook.com/criticalsolution