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After a first glance at the beautiful artwork on Powerkiller, supplied by none other than Ed Repka of Megadeth fame, you might think you're in for some old school Thrash. However, once you start up Evil Survives' second album, what you'll hear is some speedy NWOBHM/Iron Maiden-inspired Heavy Metal. Powerkiller is the follow up to the band's debut, Metal Vengeance.

Hailing from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, the young Evil Survives brings you the look and sound of the NWOBHM through their eyes. The band obviously wants to celebrate those majestic, vintage harmonies and the melodic intensity of that classic period in Heavy Metal music. Great music never goes out of style and Powerkiller would be right at home in 1983-84.

So much for the band's influences; what about their sound? On the whole, there is a full scale show of talent by both the instrumentalists and the vocalist. Both guitarists and the bass player cooperate as smoothly as the gents in Maiden. Their performances are spot on with no mistakes. Evil Survives stays true to the classic sounds yet tries to make something original, not being content to rehash the work of their heroes.

Powerkiller isn't perfect and this can be heard mainly in the production. On several occasions, the half Dickinson/half Diamond singer Axe N' Smash is overshadowed by the low-gain guitars. He's saved by his high pitched voice which can sometimes be heard normally. Also, the drums seem to fade in and out a bit.

Overall, Powerkiller is true, old school Heavy Metal and a fun listen to anyone who enjoys a fine slice of NWOBHM. The album shows good promise, despite the shortcomings of the production.

Additional Information

Vinyl edition on War on Music Records