Evilgroove-Cosmosis

Self-Release/Independent
2017


Formed some twenty years ago as Sunburn, Evilgroove is a much better name for this sinful hard and heavy metal band from Italy. On the group's post-grunge debut, "Cosmosis", band members Luca "Fraz" Frazzoni (vox), Daniele "Doc" Medici (guitar), Matteo "Matte" Frazzoni (bass), and Christian "Sepo" Rovatti (drums) show that they are up to no good at all! As lead vocalist Luca Frazzoni finds himself possessed by the spirit of Layne Staley(!), Evilgroove's musicians lay it all on the line as they play up to their obvious influences. First and foremost that means Alice In Chains and (later day) Soundgarden. The "groove" part in the band's moniker would be Pantera. With Black Label Society, Tool, Down, and (post-"Blind") C.O.C. filling in the little gaps, Evilgroove's first album is very much a product of the group's listed influences. Is that a problem? To these ears the answer is no. Those lead vocals are slick & sick and unlike a lot of the other group's out there today, Evilgroove's grunge and groove comes from a place of reverence. It's not a pile of poor carbon copies of the originals! Available on CD and (surprisingly) as a name-your-price download, "Cosmosis" is a release that I found easy enough to like. With a bit more originality, I might just love the group's follow-up to this disc. Only time will tell...