The quality and depth of the current metal scene in NZ is staggering. Evangel epitomises the craft and cunning that we see around the country. The Hamilton four-piece have created an EP of controlled intensity and power that is by turns melodic and hardcore. If you’re holding your breath for a new Tool album then let it go, you’ll find something new and a notch more extreme here. The riffage is massive. Like a physics problem gone wrong the modes of the guitars are exploded in a Rubik’s cube-like layer on layer, all set against a rhythm section intent on undoing the world. Insane levels of double kick and bowel-rattling subs that shift you around the room are provided by Jared Hunt and Seth Tobin respectively. The compressed and unrelenting guitar work and vocals of James Dean and Joshua Tobin compound things. Dean handled the production, recording and mastering at Envy Studios where he works. The six tracks sound crisp and you feel the power of the whole band. A must for metal fans, Evangel’s influences are evident but what they have built on them is something special.