Review by Felix on March 23, 2022.

Do you know Norway? This is the country where they reanimated the most sinister sub-genre of metal at the beginning of the nineties, but some years later they had forgotten how to forge good black metal. Nowadays, Norway has lost its once leading role on this field. However, this is elegantly compensated for by a huge production of high-quality black thrash. With Seeds Of Death, Evoke joins the noble society around Aura Noir, Shakma, Nekromantheon and many more. And how! Terms like meekness, gentleness and hesitation are foreign words for the three bullies. Seeds Of Death is an outburst of pure frenzy. Should anyone claim otherwise, he is a liar or a pathetic scoundrel.

Okay, I admit that there is also one calm part on this debut. Exactly one. It is the intro to the closer which is performed on a cello or its electronic cousin. This silent intermezzo seems to be the alibi for the guys to prove evidence that they do not suffer from narrow-mindedness. But bad idea, because it constitutes the only non-impulsive and pretty useless sequence here. Anyway, that’s just a marginal note, because the remaining 32 minutes scorch the earth and burn the sky. Evoke worship high velocity, they love to hunt the audience with craggy riffs and evidently they are of the opinion that non-dynamic songs are no songs at all. Perhaps it is true that the seven tracks do not distinguish significantly from each other... and I don’t care. I bought an album, not seven single tracks and Seeds Of Death works in its entity. The whirlwind that the three dudes from Norway create is impressing, no doubt at all.

Three dudes from Norway? That’s not totally right, because the drummer originates from Paraguay and so it is only logical that some percent of the South-American impetuosity shimmers through the tracks. On the other hand, the production does not show the filthy approach some bands from South-America stand for. Seeds Of Death sounds powerful, vigorous and direct, but it avoids a big amount of dirt. Either way, the album does not suffer from the transparent production, because it helps the songs to show their full strength. They are based on very vital riffing and an explosive mood, they can rely on a good flow which is not hurt by badly arranged breaks and they find a good balance between complexity and primitiveness. And I guess it is needless to say that the level of energy is extremely high from the beginning to the end.

Evoke do not use any stylistic devices alien to the genre, but they are clever enough to hide their influences. Seeds Of Death has no obvious big brothers. It stands on its own feet in the centre of the tornado that it creates. Surely, this is a good place to celebrate 'Leviathan’s Victory', to mention one of the best songs. Yet beware, there are no big differences in terms of quality. All tracks add value to the album. Only when you want to find something bad at all costs, you can give the guys the advice to shorten their songs. The technical data (seven songs in 33 minutes) do not indicate an overly opulent design and the tracks do definitely not lack substance as well, but sometimes black thrash feeds on short, crisp bangers. But never mind, the quintessence is Seeds Of Death, aptly published by Pulverised Records, pulverizes everything and marks a highly recommendable work. I am curious to see which fruits will still emerge from these seeds.

Rating: 8.3 out of 10