Freddie Wolf

Evil

EVIL is perhaps not a name readily on everyone's minds; that tends to be the case when a band slips between the cracks for over 30 years. Now, and (almost) all thanks to mastermind Freddie Wolf, a new album has been released: "Shoot The Messenger". Julius Mikkelä had an indepth conversation with Freddie about the band's difficult-but-fruitful resurrection, the Danish Rock scene and the new vocalist, Søren.
By Julius Mikkelä
April 1, 2015
Freddie Wolf (Evil) interview
It's been 31 years since Evil's Message was released, and now Evil's back from apparently out-of-nowhere. Why now? What was it that made Evil resurrect here and now?

In 2007 the guitar player from Evil 1984 contacted me and asked if i wanted to play a gig in Germany called Keep It True festival, i was surprised cause i thought he was dead after not have talking with him since 1986 where he was sick all the time, but he sounded alive and healthy, he had contacted the other members from the old days to meet in the rehearsing room.

You've ended up quite the multi-instrumentalist, as is obvious on Shoot The Messenger. How did you end up taking up and becoming so proficient on so many instruments, and what's it like making an entire album from end-to-end, so to speak?

After 4 years trying to make some new Evil songs, and after few rehearsing time where most of the original members didn't show up at all, we found a new singer new bass player, played some gigs, but we only managed to make 4 songs that never took off, some people in the band would only look back, others didn't have the time, i had some ideas but the music was missing something, no ones came with any ideas, and it would have been a shame to stop Evil like we did in 1986, so i started from the beginning not trying to copy my self, and not trying to go for a music style, but play with the joy i felt back in the old days. I started with writing lyrics cause i was a little pissed and angry, and i have played guitar and bass long before i started playing drums

How long have the songs that ended up on Shoot The Messenger been in the making, and were there songs that ended up not making the cut? If so, why?

I started to write the first lyrics in 2013, after that the music same year later, first there was a another singer evil had play some gigs with, but he did not have the time cause of he´s family life

The sound has changed quite a lot since Evil's Message. What was it that made you choose to take the band away from its Speed Metal origins and move towards that harder and thrashier, almost Accept-like, sound?

I have always liked Accept, and back in 1985 i helped the Danish trash band Artillery with their demo tape,  i started playing punk music in 1980, i really didn't thinking of any style when i was making shoot the Messenger, only thing I think was thinking  "harder heavy higher" and "go to hell consume music"

Søren provides quite the vocal performance on Shoot The Messenger, but his vocal style is distinctly different from Pearl Angel's style when he sang for Evil back in the days. How come you decided on going for a different vocal style, and what made Søren become your choice of vocalist?

I needed the final touch, the singer Søren Nico Adamsen is a old friend of mine, i have played hard rock with in 1996, he  liked the music, understood what Evil is about, and he made 2  lyrics on the album  for "Darker side of mother nature" and "World war 666".

Thematically there are a lot of differences in between the songs. For example on Darker Side of Mother Nature the theme is environmentalism, whereas on World War 666 it's war, evil and mayhem. How did you end up writing about such different themes - and with such different focus and perspective?

Nico wrote these 2 lyrics, and Evils is about that the world is fucked up and its our own fault most of the time, I think he was inspired.

You've been playing in the Danish Rock scene for quite a while now. What has that been like? Follow-up: Do you think playing with these bands and artists – as well as in this different genre of music – has had an impact on this renewed version of Evil?

The Danish rock scene have some interesting bands I like/liked, but I'm a little bored sometimes, most of my Danish friends had inspired me, and they listened/making movie music and watching old horror films, on the other side, I have learning from played with a Danish rock band for 5 years, how not to do it.

From a true veteran in the scene, what do you think about the current state of European Heavy, Speed and Thrash Metal? Is it stuck, is it evolving, are there any acts out there that you feel are leading the way forwards – or backwards?

It's a fusion, and I hope i near future that Evil would be a part of it, it would be great if people would look a little more inside them self, or look in the mirror closing their eyes, right at the moment I feel that the French band Gojira leading the way forwards.

Now that the album's out – or about to be about – what's next for Evil? Touring/releases, etc.

Evil is rehearsing this moment, after that Evil will play live, I would very much give you some more detail about it, but at this moment more information will come about that later.

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