I will gladly admit that I was extremely excited to finally get this album in the mail. Murder Rape are amongst the last true warriors of Satan! They perform blacker than black metal in its most exalted form, metal that allows feelings of hate and disgust to boil and overflow! "And Evil Returns" lives up to its name, as it is a fantastic comeback for the band, and will no doubt become a legendary album, amongst the best of my collection. The amazing packaging sets the listener up for a brilliant CD!

Murder Rape haven't experimented much with the follow up to their impressive first LP. The vocals are indeed a good deal angrier now (they're ABHORRENT sounding), and the production has been tweaked to perfection. The entire album is BLACK, and never goes overboard in speed. This allows the music to develop blunt characteristics. You can feel the hate, the dark, RAGING melancholy. "And Evil Returns" never loses itself during the forty minutes it lasts for, and because of that, is as close to perfection as an unadulterated metal album comes.

The release won't appeal to those looking for another Dark Funeral clone band or more brain dead, "free from challenge" black metal. This is pure and unholy metal played in the name of crushing, slow, and HEAVY riffs. "And Evil Returns" is genius because of that.

Murder Rape return wielding the hammer of darkness, and with "And Evil Returns" find themselves at the top of my recommendation list.

© 1999 brand