Evil Ed

Evil Ed (1997)
Directed by: Anders Jacobsson
Rating: 3 out of 4 Pentagrams
Reviewed by: Jeff Deth

I have to start off saying, I've always wanted to rent this flick due to the head-splitting cover art. It took a while but I finally got around to it. And I'm glad I did. In an obvious homage to Evil Dead, Evil Ed, does it's best to offer outrageous violence with plenty of laughs along the way. I felt a strong Bad Taste (Peter Jackson) vibe interlaced into this film as well. Both of these influences are a good thing for this little Swedish film. Director, Anders Jacobsson stretches his dollar impressively well, getting great quality from his special effects department. I was most impressed with the monster characters which pop-up from Ed's sick and deranged mind.

Ed, goes nuts after editing one too many ultra-violent horror films. After being hired by a low-life movie producer of the hit series Loose Limbs, Ed is sent off to a big empty house immersed in film. Working all alone, Ed quickly transforms from straight-laced nerd into raging homicidal maniac. He percives everyone around him to be a demon trying to kill him. So, basically anyone making the mistake of showing up at the house is in trouble. He eventually gets locked up in the nuthouse where it would seem he rampage was over. Not a chance. Ed lights up the loony bin with an even greater barrage of carnage.

Evil Ed, if not totally original, is mostly great fun. There are some definite limitations in acting talent, but that is made up for in campiness and self-abasing humor. Wearing it's influences on it's sleeve, this is a film that knows it's not to be taken seriously.

Like it's predecessors, Evil Ed sets a goofy tone, going for the blood and guts jugular. An easy and enjoyable film to watch, although not a classic worthy of dozens of viewings. Possibly a cult-classic. I would be interested to see more films by Jacobsson, but as of yet this was the only credit for him I can find. Bummer.

Midas Touch

Midas Touch

Presage of Disaster (1989)

Noise Records

Rating: 2.75 out of 4 Pentagrams 

Reviewed by: Jeff Deth

Midas Touch were a very short-lived Swedish thrash band, baring a strong resemblance to many of the German Thrashers of the late 80’s era. I found this cassette on a dollar rack at the Record Collector amongst a treasure chest of other hard to find thrash albums. Given the dirt-cheap cost I grabbed it based on the Noise Records logo alone.  Also, the record cover art gave me a good impression, their logo spoke to me and said, “hey! We’re a thrash band, look at my sharp edges!”

Presage of Disaster shows a lot of promise. the technical playing as well as the interesting lyrical content set Midas Touch up firmly next to bands like Nuclear Assault and Destruction. The album has a good flow of peaks and valleys. like all thrash bands they keep the pace mostly very aggressive and heavy but some of favorite moments where the quite intros or breakdowns.

The vocal style is acceptable but not unique. There actually seems to be a bit of a punk influence in certain parts. The political lyricism is also especially punk tinged dealing with war, religion and censorship. This album is defiantly a time capsule of what was going on in metal 87-90 and if you’re already a fan of these types of bands you won’t find anything disagreeable here. At the same time there’s nothing that is extremely memorable either. 

All in all it’s a nice addition for someone looking to expand his or her thrash-metal collection. For the average or temperate fan this is certainly not a must have masterpiece, definitive of the style. Rather it’s a technically solid debut record by some young musicians at the time trying to break into a fairly established metal scene at that point. And this was Sweden before “Swedish Death-Metal”. Midas Touch remains relatively unknown being that this was their only release. Had they stayed together, toured more and recorded a few more albums they could have had more success. But for most people there really is only so much room on the shelf. But for me, I’ll continue to stack’em to the ceiling till I’m dead.