True to their name, Canadian four-piece, ENDORPHINS, deliver high-octane, metal-inspired rock n’ roll with youthful exuberance and gusto on their debut, Where Evil Lies. The one-two punch of “Flux” and “Welcome to My Hell” sets the pace with energetic, four-on-the floor rockers that keep the foot tapping and the fist pumping. Musically the band draws from Wolverine Blues-era ENTOMBED with hints of THE HELLACOPTERS thrown in to create something out of a lost Threeman Recordings or Man’s Ruin session. Vocalist/guitarist Michael Amaral screams his lungs out doing his best L.G. Petrov tribute while the band keeps things moving and shaking, with a strong sense of groove in addition to turning things up to “11.” But while the band is adept at bringing the rock, ENDORPHINS are also capable of whipping up thrash- inspired frenzies as seen on “Haunting Them” and “The Rise and Fall of Lord Hades.” However, Where Evil Lies isn’t a perfect album and oddly enough, the last two cuts tend to drag lazily, as if the band had run out of gas, with the band offering up slow, plodding riffs that are somewhat of a downer after what the band had established early on. Regardless, Where Evil Lies is a solid debut from a promising band that serves as the perfect soundtrack to a night of drunken revelry at the bar of your choice. (Urgent Music Records)