Evestus

Eastern Europe is the home of the quirky performer Evestus. He incorporates cultural sounds and the essence of dance with the macabre, but in a very delicate way. The Sacrifice single explores flexibility of music through remixes, successfully showing alterations of the songs with out losing the vibe of the original tune. The SunStream Jumpstyle mix is highly suitable for a giant party or rave with its thick pulse and driving force that can drag anyone onto the dance floor. Raging drumbeats are the backbone of this mix, and the listener has no choice but to tap his/her foot along with the rhythm – it’s an inevitable reflex to this catchy and fun version of “Sacrifice.” Additionally, there are spurts of soft piano and keyboards between the dance themes. A heavy piano accompanies the Nostalgic mix. Halfway in, there are similarities to “Love Last Forever” by The Sagittarian with an edgier take. It’s all very pretty, and this track makes one wonder if the nostalgia is embedded solely in Evestus himself or if he means to evoke similar feelings in his listeners. Perhaps he is just bringing in the nostalgia of the original tune. Whatever emotion grasps the fans or Evestus himself, the track is enjoyable. “Everybody Dies” is very catchy as well as dark beats give it a depressing, doom-laden atmosphere along with sing-a-long lyrics. It’s almost humorous with the clash of ambiences. The lyrics could remind one of Smiths, where the music is peppy but the lyrics are definitely depressing to an extent. The irony is very clever. Evestus has explained that he is very tired of the lack of originality within the music industry and he has kept to his statement by expressing individualism with each album he produces. The Sacrifice single is no exception. - Claire Morrison, Regenmag.com

Evestus' catchphrase is "Every day alive,you suffer... and then you die? You've got to be fucking kidding me!" The eclectic Estonian sneaks this message through the majority of his songs. The lyrics and musical composition constantly contrast with each other, with one delving within darker tones and meaning - wisdom and the suffering of knowledge and aging, while the other parts of his songs are very light and peppy, diving into the innocence of childhood. The only real complaint about this EP is that it is too short!

The title song sounds much more like a demo than a complete track. While the quality is great, it doesn't seem finished, and at the same time, this raw quality makes "You're Not Good Enough to be My Enemy" even more special. Evestus' passion clearly rings throughout the track. It's a warrior tune, full of hate and passion, beauty and darkness swirling in a fighting rage. It's a great pump-up track. "Disko" is one of this writer's favorite songs of all time to date. It incorporates Eastern European instrumental trills that are reminiscent of Rom (gypsy) culture, along with the feeling of floating on a merry-go-round. It's light-hearted and ethereal, while the lyrics attack thoughts of wonder but is still grounding in its pursuit and exploration of death. It could almost be a sequel to "Everybody Dies" from Evestus' Sacrifice single.

Evestus' philosophy is thoroughly expressed in "Perfect." It's the weakest song on the EP, but also the boldest as it has a different sound than any of his other work. It's a saddened ballad, to an extent, incorporating emotions of the seasons with the pondering of aging and the transition after life ending, similar to watching trees lose their leaves and fade away into the cold and isolated winter.

Evestus is a sage, a deep thinker who appears to be in constant battle with his inner beliefs and with those that society upholds. His questioning and philosophical views make his music all the more appreciable and eccentric. While there should be more musicians like him, if there were, Evestus would lose his originality. He is a truly unique creature.
- Claire Morrison, Regenmag.com

Hailing from Talinn, Estonia, Evestus began work as a solo electronic music project around 2004. “Destiny in Life”, his self-released hardcore-industrial debut album was later re-released by the Canadian label D-Trash Records and, in 2006 Evestus released his second full-length recording, “Wastelands”, an album which draws inspiration from the universe of the “Fallout” computer game series. Coming from D-Trash records and judging from the cover I was expecting something along the lines of a no holds barred post-apocalyptic digital hardcore/industrial assault. To my surprise, what I found is more adequately described as an excellent and engaging, sample-heavy soundtrack to a post-apocalyptic road movie with plenty of 50’s ‘Atomic Age’ retro feel and the occasional “Mad Max” references thrown in (a track titled “Thunderdome” should be pretty obvious). “Don’t judge a book by its cover” and all that…

Narrative pieces from “Fallout”, two tracks, “Intro – Leaving The Vault” and “Visions Of Before”, provide setting and context for the album. Placed at the beginning and end of “Wastelands”, they divide the album into roughly two halves. The first half seems to focus on bits and pieces of a hypothetical main character, while the second half functions more like a world description. “Cat’s Paw” provides an epilogue of sorts, while an untitled last track aims at providing some perspective at the past and present of US politics.

Most, if not all tracks, consist of musical constructs arranged around samples which form the core of the “Wastelands” experience. Musically, the album is anything but easy to describe, considering the variety of musical styles that is present in it, as Evestus seems to be quite at ease working with a variety of music styles, whether composing or sampling them, from jazz to industrial and breakbeats to hardcore. Testament to his sampling and musical skills is that “Wastelands”, both as isolated tracks and as a whole, functions extremely well and each half flows almost without a glitch, the album being a textbook example of accomplished musicianship and tasteful sampling skills.

Eclectic and full of ear-catching twists and turns, “Wastelands” is a case in which no single track can be considered as being representative of the album but there are stand out tracks. “Reflection” is a particularly memorable one, starting from the catchy cello and rhythm work and culminating with the clever use of sampled Travis Bicker lines. The jazzy “Health Guide”, while seemingly playful on the surface, becomes deadly serious when one listens to the commercial’s words more attentively. In the second half, the “Navarro”-”Fallout”-”Vault Tec” is particularly effective, from an almost ambient start to a composition revolving about the dangers of radioactive fallout, culminating in an almost epic track with pounding beats and intense guitars. For those wanting a dose of digital hardcore, “Jetflight Part II – Bad Trip” is the track to look out for, merging contrasting elements into a chaotic but highly coherent whole.

Skilfully composed and performed, “Wastelands” is an evocative album that defies simple categorization and is sure to appeal to a wide audience, despite (or perhaps because) of the large amount of musical elements and influences which are successfully merged in Evestus’ compositions. It is a must for anyone interested in good music and confirms Evestus as a musician to be on the lookout for in the future. - Miguel de Sousa, ConnexionBizarre.net