Evil Island – “King Death”
Photo: Ross Robinson
From Los Angeles, Evil Island have arrived to completely remove your face with “King Death,” the latest single from their forthcoming LP Terraform the Afterlife.
This flaming ball of chaotic catharsis gets started with a thunderous rhythm section, creating a towering wall of savage drums, overdriven bass, and guitars that put the power in power chords. If we didn’t tell you “King Death” was a new release, you'd swear you'd unearthed a time capsule of lost punk rock from the '80s, back before Auto-Tune and commercial gloss were even a glint in the eye of the music industry.
The vocals follow suit, raw as fuck and unapologetically seething as they channel emotional exhaustion, detachment, and despair through surreal, horror-inspired imagery. Rather than wallowing in misery, vocalist Johnny Whitney weaponizes these emotions, transforming hopelessness into something feral and strangely invigorating.
For just over three minutes, “King Death” hammers you into complete submission, leaving you ravenous for the rest of the record, which is due out on August 14.
Be sure to check out the accompanying video:
-O.Meaney