Review by Vladimir on April 11, 2023.

It’s time for some Brazilian Metal Assault with the three-piece speed/black/thrash metal band Evilcult! The band has recently put out their second full-length album The Devil Is Always Looking For Souls via Awakening Records on March 31st. I have already heard their previously released single 'The Witch', so I was more than curious to hear the full album and see what deviltry and witchcraft it has to offer. If you are ready to sell your mortal soul to the devil, be prepared for this one.

Starting out strong with the first track 'Ancient Power', from the very beginning we are already greeted with raw speed/thrash metal riffing and drumming, falsetto screams, blackened raspy guttural vocals, while also throwing some nice melodic riffing in the song’s later section. The second title track 'The Devil Is Always Looking For Souls' provides us mid-tempo drumming and more falsetto screams which reminded me a bit of Wagner Antichrist’s falsetto heard in various Sarcófago songs. The fifth track 'Die In Hell' gives us some evil organs on top of the song’s mid-tempo section, which after a while turns into a guitar solo. Plenty of catchy riffs with melodic solos can be heard throughout the album, especially on 'Chants Of The Night', 'Call Of Evil', 'Die In Hell' and 'The Witch'. This album is a work of pure satanic speed metal with black and thrash metal combined to its overall musical formula, with a dynamic songwriting which doesn’t mind throwing in catchy moments beside all that evil speed and rawness. Thematically the album is pretty straightforward and simple as it can get, focusing on the usual themes of satanism, witchcraft, blasphemy and satanism. Overblown as it may be to many, I still find this lyrical theme fitting for a speed metal band, and if it ain’t broken, don’t fix it! The album’s production is really raw and sharp, the guitar sound resembles some album from the mid 80’s and it really feels as if Evilcult came straight from that era.

The album came in nicely which was what I expected from Evilcult. I never doubted for a second that this was going to be a disappointing release and it certainly did its job at keeping the simplicity in the band’s musicality on point. For fans of satanic speed/black/thrash metal, check out Evilcult and their new album The Devil Is Always Looking For Souls! 

Rating: 8.8 out of 10