Currently hard at work on album number four, British thrash metal band Evile are hoping the follow-up to the stunning Five Serpent’s Teeth will see them fully establish themselves and join the genre’s greats. Frontman Matt Drake is confident his band can deliver the goods.

It’s already been a long journey for the Yorkshiremen having started out as Metal Militia, a metal covers band, before breaking out on their own. Working with a superstar producer kick-started a run of three great thrash albums in Enter The Grave, Infected Nations, and Five Serpent’s Teeth, while the death of a bandmate continues to spur them on.

Geeks of Doom: How’s the new album coming?

Matt Drake: Very good so far … like we’ve always done, we’ve gone Grave, Nations was different to Grave, Serpent’s is different to them two … I’m thinking a bit more ballsy, more to the point, but without losing the melody that we can do and the harmonies we’ve done.

Geeks of Doom: There was a bit of a fuss made about “In Memoriam” [from the Five Serpent’s Teeth album, “˜inspired’ by the death of original bass player Mike Alexander].