Look, I know not everyone is a fan of Evil Scarecrow. For the record, I enjoy their stuff. I’m not averse to the odd bit of comedy metal; hell, I own several Manowar albums. I know that several readers will take a look at the artist and click elsewhere, and that’s fine. If they’re not your thing, then they’re not your thing, but don’t just be put off by the…well…wackiness of the whole thing. Yes, the comedy thing can, on and in itself wear off when done badly. It requires music that’s actually worth listening to in order to survive, even if the live shows are often just tremendous fun.
All of which is where the real challenge for a band like Evil Scarecrow come in. I’ve enjoyed them since their first “Crowcifixion” release, though as I said way back in that review, it was more for their rather knowing satire of mid-90’s symphonic black metal than it was for the out and out comedic elements of the lyrics. So it is here. Of course, the production is better, and – sure – some of the lyrical content is good for a laugh, but it’s the musical content that makes or breaks whether this is something you’re going to have on heavy rotation.
In that regard, well, there are some bloody good tunes in here. “Red Riding Hood” is another prime slab of weirdly Ancient-esque symphonic, keyboard heavy metal, while “Way to Die” sounds like it could have come from Testament, circa their “Low” years, with an infectious guitar riff and soaring chorus. “The Magician” is overblown and full of overblown pomp, and to that end only about half as ridiculous as the last couple of Dimmu Borgir albums. “Hurricanado” was, I suspect, a song written with the stage show in mind. I’m guessing it’s going to get a grin out of me on stage, but on record I found it a bit irritating to be perfectly frank. “Gus, Zag and the Turnip King” is an oppressive stomper, with a marching tempo, while “Polterghost” takes a not-too-spooky tale of haunting and ghostly goings on and has an almost Zimmers Hole / Strapping Young Lad kind of vibe with it. “Cosmos Goth Moth Gong” comes at you like a good track from Eric Peterson’s “Dragonlord” band. Make of that what you will! “The Ballad of Brother Pain” is…erm…a ballad. About Brother Pain, band guitarist. It’s not bad, if you like ballads. (I don’t). It’s got a nice guitar solo though. Which is nice. Closing track “Antartartica” is over ten minutes long. It has some great musicianship, and some excellent ideas too. Is it too long? Well, to my tastes I think it outstays its welcome, but perhaps that’s the point?
Production wise, this sounds pretty damned impressive, with the same kind of “oomph” you’d expect from other, higher profile bands with bigger budgets. Not every song on the album is a killer – I think with a slightly smaller track list and some judicious pruning, this could have been the bands most successful musical outing. As it is, while large parts of it are impressive, there’s also a lot of bloating, some creative flatulence and one or two jokes that flatline. All of that being said, they’re still the second funniest metal band from Nottingham. That’s worth something, right?
(7/10 Chris Davison)
Leave a Reply