As I wander down into my lair the ping on my mobile signals only one thing… A new review.
Tag: Devouring Famine
Devouring Famine – Haunting Echoes
1.) Vampire Embrace 5:04
2.) Dirge For the Devoured 5:02
3.) Eldritch Curse 5:28
4.) Haunting Echoes 5:21
5.) Contract From Below 4:49
6.) The Mentor’s Skull 5:39
7.) Pernicious Deed 5:24
8.) Petrified Forest 2:00
9.) The Wrath Of The Lamb 6:53
Devouring Famine – Contract From Below
1.) Contract From Below 4:48
2.) Abyssal Specter 6:15
3.) Dread Presence 5:48
4.) Smother 3:24
5.) The Reflection In The Mirror Of Oblivion part 2 3:42
Here we are now getting into the depths of winter and with it we have possibly the best music to accompany those colder, bleaker mornings. Yes that’s right, Devouring Famine has dropped the 4th demo in a series of pure uncompromising hateful and purely blistering releases providing the only fire to keep you warm on those bitterly cold days ahead to your impending doom.
The new demo opens with the title track of the E.P. “Contract from Below” a beautifully slow and grinding opening with the entities vocals ringing out like a siren shrieking from the rocks, luring sailors to their final resting place.
The riffs keep the icy cold pace up and until the mini bass interlude where the warm notes Creep through before being plummeted back to the icy depths. This track is another well constructed and mix of genres delving between a somber doom and blackened thrash elements but the secret is hidden in the little interludes little DSBM moments keep you gripped but that little bass and drum build up clinch it mid way for me. I just love the depth and exploration this entity will go to this includes the talented solos that take you back to those days of NWOBHM.
Abyssal Specter opens with another slow opening leaving you just a moment to catch your breath before the ferocious opening takes a hold this shortened BM intro scoops you up and wraps you in its cold embrace before the slower and heavier riffs engulf you in their darkness. This is merely brief before a ripping solo rings through bringing the tempo of the track right back up into the freezing atmospheric levels. The back ground riff is very reminiscent of the opening of Sepultura’s Propaganda opening. That icy tremolo picking definitely harks back to this tracks opening for me and the mix of the thrash and doom elements to this track definitely follow that tracks formula and this just makes it a great example of quality song structure. A great pay of homage to an amazing track by those boys from Brazil. Encompassing these elements just shows that anything is possible with this entity and what can be infused as inspiration.
Track 3 “Dead Presence” opens with some extremely thick DSBM riffs. This is very reminiscent of Shining’s “Yttligare Ett Steg Närmare Total Jävla Utfrysning” opening. Vocals are sparing on this track definitely leaving room for the music to do the talking. This is a much slower track than that of anything previous by D.F. the midsection is where it speeds up a little nothing too major in pace, but its definitely a build up before the bass and drum interlude which once again definitely takes you back to that very Shining Halmstad sound captured on that release.
Track 4) Smother is a instrumental track which is just purely guitar and bass. This sombre little break to the whole E.P. is a exquisite little piece. It exudes that loneliness sound, very dark and encompassing. It definitely has that build of emotion that can indeed leave you smothered in emotion.
Track 5) The Reflection In The Mirror Of Oblivion part 2 goes in hard and takes you back to the previous release of the same name. With classic blackened thrash riffs blended between that of the black metal, these welcomed old school thrash elements make for a very all encompassing closing track to this mixed and yet very three dimensional release. It just goes to show that no matter what style the entity turns his hand too, he literally makes the very best of it. So far over 4 demos I cannot think of an act that has surpassed this level of consistency on every release.
Not only just within the BM genre but encompassing so many other styles on his releases and doing it with ease and precision. I really don’t have enough good things to say about this act and what he’s accomplishing at every release but, I’m pretty sure he signed a Contract From Below with the Devil Himself.
Foras – Lord of the Shadows
Devouring Famine – Mirror of Oblivion
1.) The Reflection In The Mirror Of Oblivion. 5:33
2.) The Bubonic Herald. 4:55
3.) Heretical Passage. 1:18
4.) The Mentor’s Skull. 5:39
I’m going to start my review a little different today. See below:
Prolific
adjective (of a plant, animal, or person) producing much fruit or foliage or many offspring.
So can this adjective ever be used within this genre? Well this is what I’m here to seek and with this being the third release under Devouring famine’s belt we open up the 7th circle of hell and look transfixed as the fires grip us.
Track 1) The Reflection In The Mirror Of Oblivion opens with thick colossus riffs and heavy drumming quickening in pace as we move into the first verse. The vocals are that of perfection, they almost take me to Carpathian Forests Nattefrost style vocals. That bitter and venomous style but still able to drop to lower octaves is what makes the entities vocal range something of his own. The track shifts in pace and mid first verse into the second we are treated to a mini solo, very rock n roll in style, so there seems that nice crossover of black n roll and I feel like this is where the comparison to that of Carpathian Forest lies. However it doesn’t end there, little elements of some dsbm riffs are creeping in too.
These little filler riffs are a welcome break from the hell battery of sound of the remaining track. These elevate the track to another level.
This let’s in that almost Leviathan “Silhouette in Splinters” / Shining “Halmstad” vibes. The incorporation of this makes for such a dynamic mix within just the first opening track.
Track 2) “The Bubonic Herald” continues where track one finished off. The opening riff matches that of the first so it almost feels like part two. This is a much slower track with a much more rhythmic pace.
The use of the guitars is beautifully transcending in verses leaving the chorus to be the proverbial driving nail as the pace switches to that of your more well known black metal riffs, piercing tremolo picking and a more concise attack on the ears. However the surprise breakdown mid way through after a brief pause were treated to a more death metal breakdown, this showing just all genres can be included. This coupled with the stunning little Leviathan sequence lulls one into a false sense of security as the hell battery comes back in to close this extremely experimental yet well acustrated track. Track 3) Heretical Passage is a great little fill, incorporating that beautiful melancholy synth passage that leaves you feeling sombre and like your wondering the halls of lonely crypt. This little Dungeon synth ditty is just proof all is possible.
Track 4) The Masters Skull tears through you with razor sharp riffs and blast beats from the offset. If you weren’t ready for this then believe you me this is like a line drive to the chest. The thunderous beats and the bass lines are enough to deliver the most punishing blows as they hammer home this crushing track. The entity’s vocals are the most venomous I’ve heard throughout this release which just adds to the absolute ferocity of the track. Whilst the crushing blows are being delivered throughout the verses, the inclusion of some old school N.W.O.B.H.M. riffs are a great welcome break. Taking you back to those early Iron Maiden days these riffs are a great tribute and a great hark back to a well appreciated act. As the riffs subside the track begins to build again and the ferocity in everything is back ten fold. The track closes on a brutal assault of the senses. This is another well structured well thought out demo once again, proving that the entity or D.F can truly up his game with every release possible is just a sheer game changer.
I know a lot of critics have already judged this band before truly digging deep into what there is to offer. Spread across three demos we probably have the most 360° notion of sound, all bases are covered within the genres mixed into these releases. There is something for everyone and to capture this mix it well is definitely raising the bar within this genre of music. So before you shut the door on this act consider what you will be giving up and go back and take a long hard look into the Mirror Of Oblivion.
Hails #Foras #LordOfTheShadows.
Mirror of Oblivion is available now via Bandcamp
Full album video courtesy of Transmissions From The Dark