Release date: 28 February 2025 (digital), 28 March 2025 (physical)

The Evilizers project is an idea by Fabio Attacco (vocals) and Fabio Novarese (guitar) who, with the collaboration of Alessio Scoccati (bass), Giulio Murgia (drums) and Davide RuFa (guitar), came to life in Piedmont between Novara and Vercelli in 2017. The idea was to produce original music and together they
decided to create an album that contains the best of the historical groups of the most classic Heavy Metal, collecting the legacy of Black Sabbath, Metallica, Iron Maiden and Judas Priest.

Review

Opening with a right proper thrashing riff is “Rise Up”, which also had some nice melodic guitarwork interwoven. While I didn’t personally care much for the vocal style or the lyrics in this one, the musicianship itself was top notch. For something that tows that line between heavy metal and power metal, this was surprisingly chock full of nice riffs.

“No Return” featured more of the same great riffs, though the vocals did grow on me a bit here. They reminded me quite a bit of the vocals used by fellow Italian metal band Gengis Khan. So, with more great riffing and vocals that started to click with me, we had a song that was stronger than the first.

“Goddess of Pain” again featured solid riffs, as well a more pronounced grandiosity in the songwriting. It’s a hard thing to explain, but this one just felt bigger if that makes sense. Nowhere was this more pronounced than the almost gothic sequence just after the 3 minute mark, it was a key piece in making the track a true standout.

“Scanners” was almost the complete opposite of the last one, as I felt this one to be a bit tired and overall too samey to the first two songs. While it was technically sound by every measure, it just felt slightly half-baked. That being said, it wasn’t a terrible song by any measure, and even had a great guitar solo thrown in, it was just dull.

“All is Gone” started off as exactly what I wanting, something fresh. Melancholic guitars kicked it off with a nice atmosphere, Fabio Attacco’s delivery was perfectly morose for the overall vibe of the song itself. That being said, I did feel like it didn’t stick around quite long enough for me to get fully into it, and I felt it ultimately lacked a big hook or an emotional payoff.

“Facing My Fear”, the album’s lead single and it’s easy to see why, featured a nice cross between thrash and power at its onset. It definitely has that ‘single’ feel to it, though I found the build-up to the, genuinely strong, chorus to be a bit plodding. Have to shoutout the extraordinary guitarwork of Fabio Novarese and Emanuele de Bernardi.

“A Thousand Thorns” attempted to balance to the thrashiness with a touch of melody, to mixed results. While the injected melodies are appreciated, the track felt more formulaic and not like a necessary part to the album as an experience. Wasn’t into this one very much at all unfortunately.

“Before Getting Lost” served as less of a track itself, and more of a prelude to the finale. There wasn’t much to it really, just some borderline shredding.

“Lord of the Lost Souls” featured more of the epic feel that the album had flirted with a few times here and there. It was a strong enough track and good way to close out the album, but I felt like it was somewhat of the inverse to “All is Gone”. By that I mean, while that track didn’t feel like it stayed long enough, this one felt like it overstayed a bit.

Conclusion

Evilizers’ third studio album, Lord of the Lost Souls, stands as a testament to the bands commitment to the NWOTHM formula. However, while the album showcases their dedication, it often feels like a retread of familiar territory without introducing significant innovation. While the production quality is high, thanks to Aldo Lonobile’s expertise, the songwriting often feels derivative. Fans of traditional metal might find enjoyment, but those seeking innovation may be left wanting more. I was initially going to give the album a slightly higher score, but frankly I find the horrendous AI cover art to be inexcusably bad, and definitely something that would turn me off of picking this one up.

TheNwothm Score: 6/10

Links

Bandcamp: https://evilizers.bandcamp.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Evilizers

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/evilizers/

Label: Punishment 18 Records