Enter The Grave - Critical Reception

Critical Reception

Originally scheduled for issue in early 2007, Enter the Grave was released outside of North America and Japan on 27 August 2007 by Earache Records and debuted at number 33 on the UK Rock Chart. Released in North America and Japan almost one month later on 25 September by Earache Records and Howling Bull Records respectively, the album sold 200 copies in the United States during its first week of release. Its Japanese edition included the bonus demo tracks "Darkness Shall Bring Death" and "Sacrificial", both of which were also available as an exclusive red 7" single vinyl. A limited-edition "redux" version of the album was issued on 13 October in Europe and on 28 October in North America, housed in a slipcase. This re-release included three bonus tracks, an Enter the Grave patch, a guitar pick, and a two-hour DVD including the entire full-length played live in rehearsal, live footage from Evile's February 2008 European tour with Megadeth, band interviews, and exclusive behind-the-scenes footage of the group on the road. Writing mostly favourable reviews of the album, many journalists referenced 1980s thrash groups, particularly Exodus, Slayer and Testament. Awarding the album eight out of ten stars, Dom Lawson of Classic Rock described Enter the Grave as "a monstrous, life-affirming metal album that craftily welds misty-eyed nostalgia for the glory days of Exodus, Testament and Arise-era Sepultura to contemporary sonic values". Rock Sound writer Ronnie Kerswell observed that "title track "Enter the Grave" nods towards Slayer's classic "Angel of Death"", and summarized by calling the full-length "old school as fuck", while awarding Enter the Grave eight out of ten stars. Dave Ling of Metal Hammer gave the album eight out of ten stars as well, feeling that "with the galloping likes of "Bathe In Blood", "Thrasher" and "First Blood", Evile have fulfilled their side of the deal". Chris Kee of Zero Tolerance Magazine noted that "the influences are easy to spot – Metallica, Exodus, Testament, Forbidden, Laaz Rockit, Slayer", but still called Enter the Grave "a triumph, a resounding war cry from the spearhead of the new UK thrash assault", awarding four and a half out of five stars. Ian Webster of Terrorizer wrote that "First Blood" is ultra-Exodus and goes head to head with the Slayer attack of "Schizophrenia" and "Armoured Assault"", and hailed the album as "the best UK thrash debut since Sabbat's History of a Time to Come", awarding nine out of ten stars. Giving Enter the Grave four out of five stars, Kerrang!'s James Hoare commented that the album was "honed on a steady diet of early Slayer, Sacred Reich and Nuclear Assault", summarizing the full-length as "an absolute hair-swirling, air-punching beast". Terrorizer dubbed Enter the Grave the nineteenth best album of 2007, whereas Classic Rock rated the full-length the thirty-eighth best album of 2007.