Evil Spirits (album)

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Evil Spirits
Studio album by
The Damned
Released13 April 2018
RecordedNovember 2017
StudioAtomic Sound, Brooklyn, New York
Genre
Length41:06
LabelSearch and Destroy, Spinefarm
ProducerTony Visconti
The Damned chronology
So, Who's Paranoid?
(2008) 		Evil Spirits
(2018) 		Black Is the Night: The Definitive Anthology
(2019)
Singles from Evil Spirits
  1. "Standing on the Edge of Tomorrow"
    Released: 19 January 2018
  2. "Devil in Disguise"
    Released: March 2018
  3. "Look Left"
    Released: March 2018
  4. "Procrastination"
    Released: 9 April 2018
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic75/100[3]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]
Drowned in Sound7/10[5]
Exclaim!7/10[6]
Louder Sound[7]
PopMatters[1]
Slant Magazine[2]

Evil Spirits is the eleventh studio album from the Damned. Released on 13 April 2018, it was their first album in ten years and was produced by famed producer Tony Visconti who is best known for his work with David Bowie. The album was largely crowdfunded by a successful PledgeMusic campaign.[8][9][10]

Background[edit]

Captain Sensible said of the album: "we deliberately recorded the album retro style, the same way our debut album was made, basically. There's something wonderful about the seventies sounds; glam, rock and punk records, they all sound so great and Tony specializes in beautifully crafted old school production. He had us all playing live, bashing it out in the same room with a focus on getting the initial band version of each song as close as possible to the finished thing."[11]

Reception[edit]

The album received some of the best reviews in years for the Damned. Zachary Hoskins of Slant Magazine said, "The Damned sounds like the same band they were 35 years ago. While it's admittedly hard not to miss the explosive presence of drummer Rat Scabies, Sensible's lashing power chords on "The Devil in Disguise" are a welcome reminder that this is still technically a punk band, and David Vanian's baritone has aged into a powerful growl reminiscent of latter-day Nick Cave. While Evil Spirits isn't a late-career masterpiece, Visconti's production chops have at least ensured a warm and rich listening experience." Ian Rushbury of PopMatters said, "Evil Spirits is a strong, weirdly timeless album. It's hard to pin this record down to a point in time – it certainly doesn't sound like 2018, but it sure as eggs are eggs doesn't sound like it's from 1978 either. It sounds like a band stretching out and having fun in a studio, under the watchful eye of someone who is accustomed to working with mavericks and outcasts." Evil Spirits became the band's first album to make the top 10 on the United Kingdom's Official Charts, peaking at number seven.[12][13]

Track listing[edit]

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Standing on the Edge of Tomorrow"Dave Vanian4:10
2."Devil in Disguise"
  • Pinch
  • Pat Beers
4:31
3."We're So Nice"Captain Sensible4:09
4."Look Left"
  • Pinch
  • Jon Priestley
4:43
5."Evil Spirits"Sensible3:54
6."Shadow Evocation"
4:10
7."Sonar Deceit"Sensible4:12
8."Procrastination"
  • Oxymoron
  • Sensible
3:50
9."Daily Liar"
  • Vanian
  • Sensible
5:55
10."I Don't Care"Vanian3:16

Personnel[edit]

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes, except where noted.[14]

The Damned

Additional musicians

Technical

  • Tony Visconti – producer, mixing, backing vocals[16]
  • Kevin Killen – engineer
  • Erin Tonkon – assistant engineer
  • Joe LaPorta – mastering engineer
  • Jez Larder – pre-production (Skyline Studios, Ashford, Surrey)
  • Jon Priestley – pre-production (Abatis Studios, Honiley, Warwickshire)
  • Mitchell Thomas – front cover design
  • Laurence Thomas – front cover design
  • Alex Tillbrook – additional artwork
  • Shigeo Jones Kikuchi – photography
  • Kurt Steinmetz – photography
  • Steven Gullick – photography
  • John Nikolai – photography

Charts[edit]

Chart (2018) Peak
position
Irish Albums (IRMA)[17] 88
Scottish Albums (OCC)[18] 5
UK Albums (OCC)[19] 7

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Ian Rushbury. "The Last Punks Standing: The Damned Team With Bowie's Producer for 'Evil Spirits'". PopMatters. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
  2. ^ a b Zachary Hoskins. "Evil Spirits". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  3. ^ "Metacritic Review". Metacritic. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
  4. ^ Deming, Mark. "AllMusic Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
  5. ^ Wydle, Nicoletta (20 April 2018). "Drowned in Sound Review". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 12 February 2020. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
  6. ^ Sylvester, Daniel (16 April 2018). "Exclaim! Review". Exclaim!. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
  7. ^ Chris Roberts. "The Damned – Evil Spirits album review". Louder Sound. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
  8. ^ "The Damned: Evil Spirits". PledgeMusic.
  9. ^ "Listen to The Damned's new single as they announce first new album in 10 years - NME". nme.com. 22 January 2018.
  10. ^ "Evil Spirits – The Damned – Songs, Reviews, Credits – AllMusic". AllMusic.
  11. ^ Moore, Sam (22 January 2018). "Listen to The Damned's new single as they announce first new album in 10 years". NME. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  12. ^ Sherwin, Adam (20 April 2018). "Punk legends The Damned finally score first top ten album after 41 years". Retrieved 21 April 2018.
  13. ^ Hits Daily Double (20 April 2018). "U.K. CHARTS: HARRIS & LIPA SET A RECORD". Retrieved 21 April 2018.
  14. ^ Evil Spirits (CD liner notes). The Damned. Search and Destroy / Spinefarm. 2018.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  15. ^ OfficialDamned (18 April 2018). "Huge thanks to Kristeen Young". Facebook. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  16. ^ Press Release (10 October 2019). "Punk Rock Icons The Damned Release New Single, "Black Is The Night"". OrcaSound.com. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  17. ^ "Irish Albums Chart: 20 April 2018". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
  18. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
  19. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
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