Evoken

Evoken is a pioneer group of the American Doom Death Metal and is one of the oldest still active formations. Having developed a very strong musical identity over the years, many consider him one of the best bands of the genre. The origin of Evoken dates back to 1992 in New Jersey in Lyndhurst where guitarist Nick Orlando, bassist Rob Robichaud and drummer Vince Verkay founded a band called Funerus. After the traditional departures and arrivals and a brief period under the name of Asmodeus, in 1994 the line-up of the group is as follows: John Paradiso (Guitare / Chant), Steve Moran (Basse), Nick Orlando (Guitare), Vince Verkay Bbatterie) and Dario Derna (Claviers). Together they choose the name Evoken , inspired by the track of the same name present on the cult Fhtagn-Nagh Yog-Sothoth of Thergothon . The first official release of the band, entitled Shades Of Night Descending and originally released in 1994 by the group of its own resources, was republished in 1996 as an ep by the French label Adipocere Records with a new coverage. It is followed by two demos, as well as a participation of the band in 1998 in a tribute album in tribute to Iron Maiden , A Call To Irons: A Tribute To Iron Maiden (with the song Strange World). In the same year, the formation signed a deal with its compatriots of Elegy Records. The result will be soon, with the band's first album Embrace The Emptiness in just a few months. The training demonstrates a fantastic compositional quality, giving in an ultra slow and incredibly heavy Doom Death Metal register interspersed with accelerations, all mixed with elements from the Funeral Doom Metal. This applies to the band to be compared to the big names of the Doom Death Metal such as Thergothon, Disembowelment or Winter and the album to acquire the status of cult record. In 2000, the band participated in another tribute album, this time in tribute to Black Sabbath, Hell Rules 2: A Tribute To Black Sabbath (with the title Snowblind ) and signed by Avantgarde Music for two albums. Quietus , their second effort, landed in 2001 with a sound heavier and darker than ever, resulting from the group's desire to pay tribute to the very first groups of the genre. The formation then began to give its first concerts in the United States and Europe in particular. After a first demo in 2002 showing an evolution of the band towards new sounds with the progressive incorporation of violins and dry guitar parts, a new album appeared in 2005, entitled Antithesis Of Light. The direction taken by the group with the previous demo is fully exploited here, with a much more experimental approach to sound and a very Dark Ambient atmosphere. This album is definitely the reputation of Evoken as one of the must-sees of the Doom Death Metal scene. It was in 2007 that the band returned with a signature from I Hate Records and a new album, A Caress Of The Void . Evoken is very discreet before returning in 2012 with Atra Mors at Profound Lore Records. Years later Hypnagogia released in 2018 on the same label.