Biography

Not Above Evil is a four-piece melodic death metal band based in Manchester, UK. The band's current line-up consists of vocalist and bassist Sideeq Mohammed, drummer Daniel Mucs and guitarists David Gwynn and Damien Levette.

Not Above Evil Band

History

Not Above Evil was formed in late 2009 by Sideeq Mohammed, Daniel Mucs and David Gwynn with the intention of developing a unique brand of metal driven by brutality and technical precision. Only a few months after getting together the trio recruited fellow University of Manchester student, David Horton to serve as a lead guitarist and released the band's debut EP. In addition to receiving generally positive reviews the six songs off this self-titled EP would later form the basis of the band's first full length record, Deification, which they released in summer 2010. It was this release that earned them a reputation for their ability to meld heavy, technical riffs with intricate guitar melodies as well as for over the top, death-metal vocals. Critics described the album as 'well written' and 'played with confidence, self-assured, devilish pace and a crushing appetite for precision' but the consensus was that Deification was, ironically, a stepping stone to greater things.

The band's second EP, The Transcendental Signified, marks the debut of a new guitarist after the departure of David Horton in late 2010. After an almost year long search with many auditions and shows as a three-piece the band settled on Damien Levette to take on the role of lead guitarist alongside David Gwynn. The Transcendental Signified also represents the band's foray into some of the heavier, darker and more progressive elements of their genre - an exploration which Sideeq mirrors lyrically through the fusion of the macabre imagery of heavy metal with the complexities of contemporary philosophical thought.

Influences

The band's influences span the entire spectrum of music, including both metal and non-metal acts, but their sound can be understood as being analogous to that of a melding of the talents of Metallica, Lamb of God, Mastodon, Sylosis, Trivium, Scar Symmetry, August Burns Red, Children of Bodom, Arch Enemy, Unearth and the melodic death metal of the bands originating from the Gothenburg metal scene.

Listen Not Above Evil on Spotify