Interview mit Ol Drake von Evile

Hi Ol! Thank you very much for taking some time to answer our questions. These are strange times we live in and I hope you and your family are well. How are you?
I’m good! It’s been a very strange year, but the lockdown provided me with more time to see the family, start up a Twitch stream, and perfect the new Evile songs last year. Slightly grateful for it!

Eight years have passed since EVILE’s last album „Skull“ came out. What happened during this time?
I left the band in 2013 just after Skull was released. The band continued in the following five years after replacing me but they didn’t really make any new music without me in the picture. Piers (my replacement) stopped showing up to rehearsals and I told Matt (initially as a joke) that if they need a lead guitarist to let me know. I thought about it and actually wanted to do it again so it all fell into place in Oct 2018. I started working on new material, but then the complications with Matt happened which meant it didn’t get released until now.

While there have been several line-up changes over the past eight years, yet the biggest „shock“ to many fans might have come last year, when Matt left the band. How do you feel about being the band’s vocalist in addition to being the lead guitar player?
I was initially nervous as I’d never done it before, but the help from Chris Clancy („Hell Unleashed“ Producer) and Melissa Cross, I’ve gained a lot more confidence. I recorded the vocals for the demos of the songs, and I could taste blood after recording, so I really needed to get my voice in training, which I’m still doing. Chuck Schuldiner was an inspiration in thinking it was “OK” to do what I was going to be doing in terms of lead guitar and vocals.

Do you think it’s weird that you’re now EVILE’s frontman after not having been part of the band for five years?
I don’t see it as weird. It felt like a natural progression since Matt had left. We considered getting a new vocalist but felt that a familiar face would go down better with people. It’s obviously different but it’s unavoidable.

Was there ever any doubt that you would continue the band without Matt?
No. We were going ahead with or without him.

How would you describe „Hell Unleashed“? What would you say are the main similarities and differences when comparing it to your previous records?
The similarities are that „Hell Unleashed“ was mostly written by myself, like a majority of the previous records. The main difference is the vocal approach. The material did not call for a melodic approach at all. We tried a few things and it just did not work. The aggressive approach was the only one which fitted.

Would you agree that „Hell Unleashed“ takes EVILE back to the more uncompromising sound of the first album?
Yes. It wasn’t 100% our intention, but we definitely wanted to get back to the same mind frame of straight to the point, fun riffs. We feel a similar love for HU that we do for Grave; they’re very much in the same ball park, „Hell Unleashed“ is just way more aggressive. Matt’s vocals weren’t at all melodic on that album, which is something people forget.

What can you tell us about the songwriting and recording process for „Hell Unleashed“?
For this one we did as usual where the song’s seed is planted then I work on it at home. I send the tracks in progress to the band and we discuss them. Any changes or suggestions are made then I carry on. The process this time was a lot longer as Matt was too busy to do any vocals or lyrics, but it was a blessing in disguise as it allowed a lot more time to work on the tracks. The recording was bizarre as we were in lockdown and couldn’t go anywhere. We recorded at Andy Sneap’s Backstage Studios with Chris Clancy producing. We were there for 2 weeks but we finished in 13 days. It was mostly Ben, me, and Chris in there due to restrictions; Joel and Adam would come by when possible.

The new EVILE album will be released on Napalm Records. How did this collaboration come about?
When our contract with Earache ended we wanted to try somewhere new. We were talking to a few labels, but when Matt left the band most of the labels didn’t want to go with it; Napalm were the only label that still believed in us. They’re a great label with great people behind the scenes; very relaxed and cool vibe from them all.

Right now concerts still seem to be far ahead in the future, but are you already making post-pandemic tour plans? Any chance to see you in Germany?
We have plans in the works but it is still all just hoping that they will happen. We will no doubt be coming to Germany, but Brexit has complicated things quite a lot. It is currently too expensive for us to tour in the EU.

The COVID-19 pandemic affects all areas of life but it seems that touring bands and venues are hit especially hard. How do you feel about that?
I feel annoyed, as the arts and music are already under-valued in today’s society as it is. We need to get some to some normalcy as soon as possible.

Finally let us do a bit of brainstorming. What’s the first thing that comes to your mind regarding the following tems?
Concept album: Prog Rock
Slayer: Thrash
Old School: Death
Infected Nations: Underrated
Summer Festivals: Sad (because I miss them)
Social Distancing: Sneeze
EVILE in 10 years: Older

Thank you again for your time. Would you like to say a few closing words to our readers?
If you like what you hear from the new EVILE tunes please consider buying a physical copy of the album or the digital download. Most people have no idea how vital it is for the product to be sold when on a record label. It goes beyond buying gig tickets and merch; the sale of the product goes towards paying off the money a label fronts to record the album. Support artists! Buy Hell Unleashed! See you all on the road!

Publiziert am 29. April 2021 von Thomas Meyns