Evolocity

Evolocity
Helicoil
Badluckbliss Productions, 2003

Hold on tight pilgrim, Evolocity is about to kick your ass with its brutal blunt-object-to-the-head aural assault.


If ever there was a supergroup metal band that actually formed from scratch with little, to no, actual major label experience, it’s name would be Evolocity. Conjuring up the best concoction of two words that aptly describe the fivesome, velocity and evolution, the Arizona-based band has a lot ot prove and more to shove down the listener’s throat.


Without robbing Evolocity of its neoteric sound and place among the wilting metal scene (how quickly bands such as Limpbizkit and Creed can destroy the forward moving movement of metal on radio; so sad), the band has compelling resemblance to a number of kick ass bands.


Take for instance, lead singer Aaron Ingham’s favorable Chris Cornell impersonation (okay, so he’s almost identical to Scott Stapp on Seedling), guitarist Shawn Baker’s keen sense of Audioslave/former Rage Against the Machine axe-man Tom Morello, bassist Ryan Anderson’s low-end thrash reminiscent of Metallica’s Jason Newsted, drummer Patrick Gillespie’s competent, if not Neil Pert-ish tribalism, drumming and finally, Efrain Gonzalez’s turntables. That’s right, they are hard pressed to rid themselves of the last vestige of nu-metal. It’s dead, okay?


So it’s easy to pigeonhole the players as playalikes, but it’s the combination that makes them truly lethal. From the flanged-up lead off of Set You Free to the straight forward rock of Gone and back to the bash-your-face-in rambler Cockeyed. This album, although only nine tracks, is a fine representation of what hard rock should be sounding like these days. Plain and simple, it rips.


Duh Wayne sounds a bit too close to old Soundgarden (Full-On Kevin’s Mom era ‘Garden) with a raucous and fuzzed-out rockabilly touch.


Favorite track: Hep Cat; it’s the best Primus song that Bay Area trio never composed with a Mother Love Bone lyrical treatment. As much as I want to despise Gonzalez for his turntables, his saxophone playing on this track is beyond comprehension. It’s sax on a heavy rock track and it works better than an artsy yowl from Thom Yorke on his type of music. Can anybody say Faith No More?


This record is so diverse and too the point that every metal, hard rock and even modern rock band should take a lesson from the thoroughness.


Evolocity’s sound in one word: archetype.

Out of 5, this gets a 4.


By FFR

Back to Top




| in this issue | about us | archive| contact | secret | home |





- Aftertaste Magazine

Evolocity
Helicoil
by Susan Salva


Evolocity's Helicoil album is the unique pairing of evolution and velocity. The band considered modern hard rock has been compared to Tool, Primus, Kings X with a twist of Hip Hop and the Beatles. They utilize forthright poetic lyrics and an aggressive sound.

"We are dark, edgy, funky, heavy, sexy, melodic, but not conventional, says lead singer Aaron Ingham. "Each of us is a product of our influences, but our influences and musical tastes differ so greatly, within ourselves and between each other, that no single is going to dominate," says Patrick Gillespie.

Evolocity is about to not only or merely push, but to rip the envelope wide open. "We want to put our stamp on music history. When we're long gone we want people to know that we've been there. You can hear stokes of color from our influences but in the end…it's entirely new sound," says Shawn Baker.

Based out of Phoenix, Arizona Evolocity is comprised of Aaron Ingham, on vocals and guitar, Shawn Baker, lead guitar, Ryan Anderson, bass, Patrick Gillespie, on drums and the jack of all trades Efrain Gonzalez, keyboard, sax, DJ on turntables, and guitar.

"Set You Free" the first track has a very strong opening reminiscent of Godsmack or Sevendust and deals with the topic of people making excuses for their shortcomings. "It's like shut up and leave it to me. I'll get it done. It's in the vein of it you want something done right you better do it yourself," says Ingham.

"Dog Lover," the second cut can be taken literally. "I do have three dogs and I like spending more time with them than with most people."

"Gone," the third song and probably the most radio really tune on the disc is very poetic that deals with an ego trip gone wrong. "You figure out that you are not making that much of a mark in the world as you might think. If you don't leave a mark no one's going to remember you. Add a little bit of 9/11 in there with the theme that you can be so strong, but you can be wiped out in a minute. Try making your mark," says Ingham.

"Duh Wayne," is a sexy sax oriented song. "That's our boy Efrain playing guitar, keyboards, DJ and sax. This is probably my favorite song," states Ingham on a phone interview. This tune has the unusual pairing of sax and rock. The lyrics tend to deal with a dysfunctional family.

"Pyramids," reminds me of a Middle Eastern tune with crunchy guitar. "Yeah, that's what it reminded us of and so we called it Pyramids."

Hepcat," is the merging of progressive jazz and rock. A sexy blend of jazz and rock with a haunting feel to it. "It doesn't really fit with the rest of the tunes on the CD, but I liked it a lot."

"We're not trying to change the world. We just love what we do and hopefully someone takes notice and then a whole lot of people actually take notice especially of our lyrics," explains Ingham. "With this CD we hope somebody in the know that can either can make it or break it give us the chance."

Evolocity would like to bring back good songwriting and musicianship. With Evolocity you're getting that and much more…you're getting a band that will hook you in and keep you for years to come. Evolocity has both the songwriting and musicianship to put them on the top of the heap.


Susan Salva is a Staff Writer. Contact her at susan@rockzone.com
- Rockzone.com

EVOLOCITY- "Helicoil" Villian Recordings

Nominated as Arizona's best kept secret in both 2002 and 2003, Evolocity are an act that up until now, have somehow remained under the radars of label scouts- WHY? Because most labels are content to sign and then resign 8th generation rip-off bands like Mest and Shinedown (who are hugely derivative themselves). Anyway, I'm not saying that these guys are ready for the big leagues just yet, but they're a promising act that should at least land someone insightful enough to see their potential and foot the bills along the way. Wrappin' this up, this band has gotten past comparisons to King's X and Tool, which I agree in hearing, but they occasionally have some old Filter moments, as well as some grind-ish Stompbox style riffs that reside well in the overall product. All in all, with a little work, these guys should be pretty damn successful at what they do, if they stick with it. Gotta' say, this cd was a pleasant surprise, and I dug the track "Duh Wayne," in particular, which even effectively incorporates some saxophone work!
-Deek www.evolocitymusic.com
- PureRockFury.com

Much like the UK, Phoenix is an incubator for excellence and change in music and produces some of the finest bands in the world. We suppose it’s because when temps reach 45C everyone is trapped indoors and the artist tend to focus, practice and become consumed by their craft. So in that respect, the rain in the UK and the heat in Arizona give us a common denominator. Tonight some of the desert’s finest bands come out to support e(v)olocity’s release of their self titled album and Gigwise loves a CD release party. The huge ‘Venue of Scottsdale’ is located in an area sometimes called the ‘The Hamptons of the Desert.’ It’s a dizzying lamplight district that is crammed full of bars, theaters and posh restaurants. The thriving nightlife here is wild and music blasts from the doorways whilst the lines to get into these sordid clubs often run down the streets long past midnight.

Riding a high after Warped Tour ColdFusion are a seasoned pack of young lads who’s progressive post-hardcore is fueled by a healthy dose of emo. A trippy liquid guitar lick leads us into ‘Prophecies’ as people against the rail beat their fist in the air and shout the words. One of the hallmark’s of ColdFusion is their high jumps and spins in unison whilst they play and they don’t disappoint us tonight. During ‘On My Own’ Mike Oliver’s piercing vocals seethe in bitterness, anger and betrayal. The mob uses it as rocket fuel to go insane on. He shouts “Lets get this party started!” then ‘Enter The Moonlight’ takes over the stage. Mid-song the crowd is jumping in unison too and there is a rousing cheer when it ends.

The next band are Signs Of Betrayal who’s alternative progressive metal creates lavish, spacious soundscapes rich in bass and esoteric moods. Dave Williams has a resonant rich tonal quality to his voice and a delivery akin to Dave Draiman’s from Disturbed. ‘Torn Down’ is an enticing overload of echoes, chugging bass and dark bewitching vocals. These guys are excellent musicians who are deep into their craft. Dave’s vox are intense and passionate during ‘Memory’. In the midst of the cheering crowd a mosh pit of very large lads starts to churn. The song’s tension builds into roars, releases and builds again as it journeys to a sudden, unexpected stop. This is a really good piece.

In today’s alternative music there are many styles that follow the same vein but there is only one e(v)olocity. They are heavy alternative rock verging on metal with addictive rhythms, a hint of dark funk and vocals that are confident, compelling and edged with sensuous power. The stage is set, smoke billows out from the sides, fragmented laser lights whirl and the audience chants then roars as the band takes their places. Melon on bass and Jazz on the lead guitar dish out heavy riffs, Core’s cymbals clash, a plaintive melody is set and ‘To Far’ begins. Aaron paces in circles, stops, points his finger upward and cocks his head to the side as he launches into this piece that questions the direction of science and its effects on the world.

Raydn1 picks up his saxophone and the crowd goes wild. ‘Duh Wayne’ is welcomed by women shouting “I love you” at the lads and Gigwise ducks to avoid panties being thrown on the stage. Aaron’s performance becomes a dance of possession as he closes his eyes and his voice takes over the venue. The excitement builds with the hard driving ‘Crutch’ as he sings “I can’t understand, I only need your touch…” causing spontaneous random screams from the audience. It’s followed by the song ‘Pyramids’ which has that exquisite exotic twist to the melody that permeates the Phoenix area’s sound. With the last song ‘Herbie’ its overwhelming beat even has the ever cool stage manager rocking out and ends to a roaring crowd. It was an excellent concert and e(v)olocity put on a world class, amazing performance that compelled Gigwise to buy a handful of CD’s, shove one in the player and listen to the songs over again while grinning all the way home.


- GIGWISE.COM/JANICE FRENCH

As music and its genres grow, so to do the ridiculous amount of styles and sub-genres. Over the past decade or so, rock has been through some serious changes. From Grunge to Nu Metal, rock music has been pushed and pulled into the big mess that it is today. Now however, with the recent emergence of a solid rock act named Evolocity, the complicated genre is about to come home. Evolocity started in the late 90s with two members, Jazz and Aaron and when Evolocity first began appearing in clubs and small shows, they were known as SPILL. Nevertheless, deciding that a change was in need, the guys moved to Phoenix from Vermont and there, Melon, Raydn 1, and Cor(e) joined the band and Evolocity was born.

Evolocity is sort of a bluesy hard rock band... sort of like Colin James, but they at times also sound a little bit like The Trews, or Red Hot Chilli Peppers. Now although Evolocity does sound sort of like the bands I just mentioned, they do in fact have their own unique feel about them. It’s almost like the music puts you into some sort of trance and all you do is listen to the music... wondering how the song sounds so unique, yet so good. So weird, yet so good. This is the kind of band that can easily be appreciated by other musicians as well... not that hard to give respect to a band that brings the true meaning of rock back to the genre.

Now, onto the debut self-titled album. The disc opens up with “Intro” - a distinctive guitar riff and ingenious drum beat... slow and catchy. As it ends, the intro flows extremely well into the first actual track on the album, “Too Far”.

This song takes a lot of the main body from the Intro and throws it into the mix and Aaron’s voice adds some unique qualities to the song. I actually felt like the band was right there with me the first time I pressed play. The pre chorus riff is actually sort of heavy and grabs the listener’s attention essentially luring them into the song and enticing them to want more.

Another great track is “Save Me”, which when I first looked at the track title, immediately made me think of Shinedown. The song however, is not a Shinedown cover. It is definitely Evolocity’s own tune! Although Aaron’s voice does at times remind me slightly of Shinedown’s frontman, the instrumental is nothing like them. The track is pretty darn catchy... it’s one of those songs you can sing along with when you’re in your car on the way to work. I can see this song being played on the Edge or Chum FM (Canadian radio stations).

The best track on the album in my eyes is definitely “Dark” and the name suits it extremely well... the intro is pretty damn dark if you ask me. The song opens up with a dark bass riff which instantly grabs you by the throat and has you sitting down in the closest available chair. It certainly got my attention and made me completely ignore all of my surroundings. Thumbs up for this one dudes!

Altogether, the album was done pretty damn well. I think I’m gonna give this beast of a debut CD a 7.8/10. Evolocity is freakin’ good, but does need to tighten it up a little bit. Not a lot though... just a smidge. Can’t wait to see what they deliver in the future! Thanks for your time people
- PUREGRAINAUDIO.COM/CHRIS HOATH