If you haven't yet heard of Metalcore four-piece, Evangel, keeping read, you're about to find out.
The quartet originally hail from Hamilton and formed in 2007. After an unplanned hiatus when life took hold and quite literally moved them in different directions, fast forward a few years to now and they rekindled their passion for music after a chance gig threw them back into the fold once again.
Sea Of The Dead is Evangel's debut EP, the result of a mammoth labour of love by all. Blood, sweat and quite possibly tears but above all, great musicianship.
Evangel are no strangers to refined riffs, layers of melody, intermingled with a genuine love of crafting and shaping some great songs.
The six track EP crescendos left, right and centre, from start to finish. It gains momentum and dissipates when needed. Lyrically, Sea Of The Dead draws you in like a good story, forcing you to stop, and take every nuance in.
Vocalist and Guitarists, James Dean and Joshua Tobin have quite the set of pipes on them for depicting unearthly growls from within, interspersed with some pleasant melodies that make up Evangel's sound.
The rhythm section is equally as polished, providing the much needed backbone carry all that intensity.
With stand out tracks such as (second track in) Sanctified, you feel instantly like you want to jump into the mosh pit and break stuff, yet can still appreciate the craftsmanship and ability these guys have.
If a good riff makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, then you need this EP in your life.
The energy that is put into good music shows, and with the added bonus of a highly polished sound has made Sea Of the Dead a highly enjoyable EP.
Be sure to catch Evangel live also, because seeing is also believing and you won't be disappointed.
Evangel are a four piece metal outfit hailing from Auckland and Hamilton, New Zealand. Evangel's special blend of crushing metal and layered time signatures keeps the tracks interesting while leaving plenty of room for soaring choruses and strong vocal hooks.