Taking their name from a Possessed song, it is expected that Evil Warriors are a homage to the proto-black and death scenes. But no. Even though they started their career closer to this thrash sound, the Leipzig act soon blossomed into something far more potent, sinister, and overarching. While their debut record,Expressions of Endless Dreams, found its footing in schizoid, maniacal thrash, their sophomore,Fall From Reality,offered a deeper dive into various aspects of the black metal form. The raison d’être for Evil Warriors is no longer to pay tribute to one particular expression of extreme metal, but multiple. That is what their third, self-titled full-length, aims to deliver.
The opening alone shows much has changed. Instead of a fast-paced, thrashy beatdown, what greets the listener in “Zweifel” is an atmospheric descent to the abyss. The slow start creates an infernal ambience, the dissonant lead work piercing through the darkness. Stylistically, it carries some of Necromantia’s decadent aspirations, this dark, vampiric sense that not so much embraces evil but rather radiates it.