The Evan Williams Project - 24 30

The Evan Williams Project

24 30
self-released; 2020

​3.8 out of 5

By Jamie Funk

The Evan Williams Project is a solo endeavor by Scott McGowan from Surrey, British Columbia, Canada. He previously released Take Two and Hatemachine. His latest release is entitled 24 30.

The EP contains five songs. The music is a mix of rock and metal but there are also some unexpected twists and turns. For instance the use of what sounds like a vocoder felt unconventional and inventive. I grew up in the ’80s listening to a lot of rock and metal. Although I was young, I do remember the surplus of prog and metal bands that had a somewhat similar aesthetic.

The album starts off with “Zero” and you hear a rumbling synth bass, guitar feedback and a drum beat that fades in. It doesn't take long for the song to build up and then breakdown when the vocals come in. I like the energy of his vocals. There are some pretty insane peaks that happen. I’d say it’s an introduction that can’t be ignored and I loved the Eddie Van Halen type guitar shredding.

Next up is “Set/Failure” and this song rocks just as hard. There are some interesting textures and tones on this song between the manipulated vocals and occasional organ. The song again has some crazy crescendos. Take for instance the vocals and combination of instruments around the one-minute-and-thirty-second mark. The short breakdown and guitar solo seemed to bathe in ’80s influence to my ears.

His unique signature is further formed on “Dreams Dispelled.” This song takes advantage of those vocoder like effects but he chooses his moments carefully. The song is really a thrill ride and adrenaline inducing. He keeps the energy at ten for the entire song.

We do get a little bit of breaks from the intensity on “The Price of Freedom” but not much. This might be a ballad, all things considered, but that doesn't mean there isn’t a great guitar solo. It’s very much in the spirit of Joe Satriani and Yngwie Malmsteen. He closes with another killer entitled “Two for Three” and perhaps the most unique aspect of this song is the breakdown section with the spoken word. The song does ramp and explodes once more before simmering on a couple of lonesome keys that fade away.

​This is an intense release. There is no denying it. I think fans of metal and rock primarily from the ’80s and early ’90s will embrace it.

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