Evan Ryan Canady Returns With A New Record
The first time I saw the cover art for Evan Ryan Canady’s Trials and Tribulations, my mind went straight to Vikings. Sure enough, one of the tracks actually bears that name, and the association fits because the whole record feels like a charge into battle. This is a metal album through and through, loaded with thick waves of distortion, drums that land like war hammers, and bass that shakes the ground beneath it. At the center, Canady’s vocal performance cuts through with precision and authority.
There is a tight focus to the writing, as if he is working within a deliberately limited palette, using repetition and texture to weave every song into the same overarching vision. The result is an energy that does not just sustain. It escalates. I can tell you from experience that if you put this on alongside a strong cup of coffee in the morning, you will be pacing the room looking for something to conquer.
The consistency is impressive, but a few moments rise even higher. “Ride the Wave” hits with an infectious momentum, “Vikings” delivers exactly the kind of ferocity its title promises, and the ten minute closer “Moments of Contention” feels like a full scale epic, complete with shifts that keep it unpredictable to the end. For fans of metal with both muscle and intent, Trials and Tribulations should land like a gift.