Evil Army Rules, OK? – Memphis Flyer

Don Perry

When it comes to Memphis metal, Evil Army have held the crown for quite some time. The band has been around since the early 2000’s, and their following is one of the strongest in all of Memphis, uniting different factions of the local punk scene in addition to skate rats, metal heads, and the Black Lodge Video sect. They’ve released records on Contaminated (Alicja Trout’s old label), Get Revenge Records, Housecore Records, and most recently, Hells Headbangers.

My favorite era of Evil Army was when they practiced below singer and band leader Rob Evil’s house in a spot they dubbed The Armory, a one car garage that also served as a show space for around a year or so. Those that attended shows at The Armory weren’t there to look cool or to find a one night stand, they were in attendance for one reason: the music (well, that and to get loaded).

In Addition to Evil Army being the “house band,” Armory gigs included locals like Bury The Living, Vile Nation, Porn and Grenades, and Jet Jaguar and the KR-3 Killing Spree, as well as touring acts like Uncurbed, Bitter End, Forward to Death, Life Crisis, Chronic Seizure, and Municipal Waste. Yeah, Municipal Waste played a one car garage on Cleveland Avenue. That’s something that won’t ever happen again.

Evil Army capture the best elements of bands like GBH, Slayer, Metallica, and the Misfits and crank out some of the most authentic thrash metal since the genre was created in the early ’80s. Their records are still pretty easy to come across, and Rob Evil’s two-song side project with Jay Reatard- the black metal band Winter Coffin- had a single released on Blak Skull Records last year. Get acquainted with Evil Army in the videos below, and read my interview with Rob Evil here.