The sad news that Ol Drake has decided to leave Evile broke yesterday lunchtime (read statement here.) James offers his thoughts:
I think we can all recognise the prominence, and importance of Evile to the British metal scene over the past six years. Part of the importance of Evile lies in their ability to draw a much younger crowd than many other bands of their ilk and. Speaking from personal experience ‘Thrasher’ was the first song that really made me sit up and become invested in thrash metal and I’m sure there are plenty of other fans who will attest to similar experiences.
Throughout their evolution Ol Drake has always been a central tenant to their sound as they go from strength to strength – be it his trademark blisteringly fast solo’s or adding an extra dimension to the pure riffage of Evile with his ever-inventive lead parts, something that became even more established with this years ‘Skull.’
Regardless, it will be interesting to see what the future holds for both Evile, and Ol. Any further announcements from Ol or from the band regarding his replacement will be covered here on Rocksins.