The influence Sepultura (particularly the Max Cavalera period) have had on metal can be felt in multiple sub-genres, including thrash, death, groove, and even nu metal. Their music always had a primal, visceral feel to it that has influenced countless bands over the years. This is certainly the case with Flagellum Dei, the latest EP by the Italian progressive thrash outfit Eversin.
On this latest release, Eversin cover “Refuse/Resist” from Sepultura’s Chaos A.D., with guest lead vocals by Mick Montaguti from Electrocution. It’s a pretty faithful version of the song, and happens to be one of my favorite Sepultura tracks. When you compare it to the other three songs on this EP, it’s clear how much influence it has had on Eversin’s groove-oriented metal.
The three original tracks are re-recordings of previously released songs and, unfortunately, don’t quite hold up as well as the cover tune. The riffs have plenty of groove, the bass is thick, and the snarling vocals are reminiscent of Slayer, but the mix gets bogged down by the drums, particularly the cymbals. There’s so much going on, and everything is turned up so high in the mix, you get this extra-distorted sound that really makes things too muddy to enjoy. The songs themselves are fairly enjoyable, though the last track is an “industrial remix” that doesn’t quite work due to the production issues. With less crash cymbals in the mix, as well as backing the reverb on everything off a bit, this could have been a pretty decent record. Even “Refuse/Resist” would benefit from a little cleaning up, though the care put into re-creating the original feel of that song can certainly be felt in the performance of the musicians.
Although Eversin have some decent songs, unfortunately they fall just a bit short of releasing a decent EP. Even with a pretty excellent cover, poor production really prevents Flagellum Dei from being a must-own record. Unless you’re already a fan and feel the need to snatch up everything they release, it’s probably best to wait for another full-length.
