Evilon – A Warrior’s Way

Evilon
A Warrior’s Way
Label: Fetzner Death Records
Out: November 1^st, 2024
Playing time: 46:36

Evilon hail from Arvika, a small town in the Swedish province of Värmland. Founded in 2015 by guitarist Kenneth Evstrand and guitarist/vocalist Jonny Sjödin, the band plays Melodic Folk/Death Metal. The second album ‘A Warrior’s Way’ will be released in November via the label Fetzner Death Records. At least according to the press info provided. What the info doesn’t mention, however, is that the album was already self-released in September 2023. So, it is probably a re-release. Founding member Jonny Sjödin was obviously still involved in the recordings. However, he left the band shortly afterwards.

The title of the opener ‘Yggdrasil’ refers to the world ash tree in Norse mythology. A calm introduction with horns of different pitches. Later, epic keyboard tapestries sound. But fortunately it doesn’t stay that way. The drums, guitars and bass soon kick in with brute force. This is reinforced by the evil growls. But it also becomes melodic, thanks to the clear vocals that can be heard later. Then it’s off to the mythical region of ‘Jotunheim’ in the east. It gets really epic. The growls sound less evil. Instead, the drums, especially the double bass, drive forward mercilessly. This contrasts with the beautiful guitar melodies. Epic Folk guitar melodies also dominate on ‘Walk Of The Damned’, driven by booming drums. The title track ‘A Warrior’s Way’ is a beautiful ballad, even though the double bass is used here. Otherwise, strings and acoustic guitars can often be heard. However, the beautiful guitar melodies dominate. ‘Into The Battlefield’ is a rhythmic and atmospheric song. Almost completely underlaid with keyboard tapestries. But here, too, you can hear many highly melodic guitar hooks. Certainly one of the highlights of the album. ‘Foreign Land’ is characterised by fast riffs and pounding drums. Then the Swedes enchant us with ‘Galdr’. At least according to the title. You can hear a lot of Folk influences. But without losing any of the metallic heaviness. ‘My Runestone’ moves in the high-speed range. The drums drive forward and the guitars easily keep up the pace. ‘Skald’ is dedicated to the Nordic singers and poets at court. Accordingly, the song is epic and melodic. ‘Blot To The Skies’ is a hard rocker. Once again, drummer Anders Hagen fires up his bandmates to peak performances. ‘Valkyria’ is a celebration of the Valkyries, the Nordic shield maidens who were feared warriors. You can literally hear them marching swiftly into the battle.

Wow. Recently, the development of Nordic Folk Metal has almost stagnated. But Evilon are setting new, fresh accents in this genre. A lot of Death Metal elements are incorporated here, especially the evil growls of Jonny Sjödin. Clear vocals are clearly subordinate and can often only be heard in the background if you listen carefully. ‘A Warrior’s Way’ fuels new hope that this genre can be revitalised.

Evilon – Valkyria: https://youtu.be/9vsJyHVofmg?si=_pKxUsxCVzhHBS14

Lineup:

Jonny Sjödin – Guitar, Vocals
Kenneth Evstrand – Guitar, Backing Vocals
Björn Wildjärn – Bass, Backing Vocals
Anders Hagen – Drums

Track list:

• Yggdrasil
• Jotunheim
• Walk Of The Damned
• A Warriors Way
• Into The Battlefield
• Foreign Land
• Galdr
• My Runestone
• Skald
• Blot To The Skies
• Valkyria