Evil Spirit Onerous Dispelled cassette
The world of punk music has always been built around a rather tight yet ever-changing circle of what we commonly and admiringly call “cult bands.” More often than not, punks are expected to like, acknowledge, or at the very least respect the value of said bands, even though they might not be into them per se. GISM is possibly the cult hardcore band of which I could never really get the appeal. As influential and striking as their music was to many, it never resonated with me, and while I could say this reluctance has to do with their total misunderstanding of the philosophy of CRASS, I think I just find their music cheesy in a bad way. EVIL SPIRIT is from L.A. and intentionally, purposefully sounds a lot like GISM. The vocals sound like a satanic Sakevi, and their metal punk music heavily tends toward old school heavy metal, which leaves me as cold as a Bergman movie. I am sure it is good for what it is, and you can tell EVIL SPIRIT certainly knows what they want to create and succeeds in doing so through a raw and primitive sound production and very well-executed solos. It can get the foot tapping on occasions, but it is just not my cuppa. However, if you love hardcore as much as you do heavy metal and own several sleeveless denim jackets with embroidered patches, Onerous Dispelled will delight you.