The Thunderous Thrash Metal of Evile at Colchester Arts Centre

As the weather finally starts to cool down this October, a flock of rowdy fans make their way to the Colchester Arts Centre in search of this glorious breed of music known as Thrash Metal. Tonight’s lineup promises not to disappoint as the mighty Evile make their long-awaited return to Colchester after 17 years. Along for the ride are some of Essex’s finest in Beneath The Embers and Regicide. Let’s go!

Evile – Beneath The Embers – Regicide

Colchester Arts Centre – 14 October 2023

Words and Photography: Lawrence Potter

It has been a sweaty night for many already. Beneath The Embers and Regicide had The Arts Centre in raptures [see below], and I think if we finished the night off there, there would be little to complain about. But we still had one more act to follow, and that is the mighty Evile!

Evile

The lights turned to black, and the crowd gave off an almighty roar as our headliners, Evile, bounded onto the stage. For one more time tonight, the crowd are driven into a frenzy as the indistinguishable sound of thrash guitars bursts into Killer From The Deep.

A giant circle pit engulfs the floor, and the crowd won’t be letting up until it’s all said and done. 

Evile have recently released a brand-new album entitled The Unknown, which coincidentally was worked on by the same man who worked on Beneath The Embers’ last album, Chris Clancy. The album feels like a new chapter in the band’s history and, with that, has birthed a new sound which leans towards a bigger yet darker direction than before.

Tonight, Evile are not shy about sharing a few songs with us, which include the title track, The Unknown, as well as Monolith and Beginning Of The End.

The Huddersfield-based thrashers put on a masterclass of the genre without missing a beat. Playing through a select number of absolute belters such as Thrasher, Cult and Head Of The Demon, the band do not take their feet off the accelerator for a moment.

Evile gave Colchester a truly immersive experience it will not forget anytime soon. Although it may not have sold out, this took nothing away from the band’s performance or the incredible atmosphere that stuck around the entire evening. 

Evile ended the night in a fitting fashion on Enter The Grave, a slight nod to the fact there is a cemetery right outside the venue.

Beneath The Embers

Beneath The Embers look to follow in the steps of Regicide. As their intro, Contact, hits, the band climb the steps to greet an already riled-up crowd. Round two saw the Colchester-based rockers start off with the title track from their latest release, Condemned and yet again, the fans on hand were lapping it up. 

Beneath The Embers are one of the real workhorses on the independent Heavy Metal scene, touring all around the country and carving their name one show at a time. 

With the recruitment of Chris Clancy as producer on their latest release, Condemned, as well as joining Talija back in February for a well-acclaimed tour, Beneath The Embers have certainly stamped a large footprint in British Metal and are not looking to let up any time soon. 

It’s yet another hard-hitting performance that has the crowd in the palm of their hands. Every single head in the venue is banging in approval. Finishing off with What You Became and finally Fade Away, Beneath The Embers are the real deal.

Regicide

Regicide were first up to kick start the evening around 8 pm. With all guns blazing, the band go straight into You Ain’t Nobody. The crowd were feeling it already as the first of many mosh pits started to break out before our eyes. 

Since the Essex rocker’s inception in 2020, they have climbed the invisible ladder, playing shows all around the Essex, London and Suffolk regions, making a name for themselves. 

Wherever Regicide goes, you can bet they’ll bring carnage. The band carried on as they started, going into Unified Strength. The crowd are absolutely engulfed by Regicide throughout as bodies are flying all over the Arts Centre. 

Ending a well-thought-out set with a brand-new song, Disposable Crown and Run Your Mouth, Regicide shows how it’s done.

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