DEVILMENT - The Great and Secret Show review

 DEVILMENT - The Great and Secret Show

Nuclear Blast Records

https://www.facebook.com/devilmentcorps

It took multiple listens to before I arrived at a firm conviction regarding this album featuring CRADLE OF FILTH's frontman Dani Filth. They're more laid back than COF, though I really dig the vibe of this release. It fits into a couple of different genres of metal and a lot of the music reflects that of CRADLE OF FILTH and DRACONIAN. The main thing that keeps this album interesting are the guitars, they're all over the fret-board accompanied by some synthesizers and female guest vocalists. It's good a cool groove feel to it and Dani sounds like Dani on COF.

What distinguishes this band from the rest of the metal community are the innovation of the guitars. They down-tune their guitars making the music have a thick tone. This is all their own work, even if they reflect a little of DRACONIAN's newer album, DEVILMENT uses more of a gothic/groove metal fix to their song. Dani keeps the energy up with his moderate dark throat and some screaming. Definitely a band worth checking out because the music owns and the guitar compositions are pretty unique. I liked every song on here, no doubt.

I cannot relate to their lyrical topics, but the music is what's the most important. It would be good if more metal bands wrote about things more meaningful, however, that just isn't the case. It would make albums more worth relating to the listeners' own life. But let's face it, metal is an angry type to listen to, which demands morbid lyrics. It doesn't always have to go by those rules, maybe when I was 13 and first heard DESTRUCTION's "Live without Sense", the music is what grabbed me the most. DEVILMENT is a band that's an acquired taste.

The production for this release is fantastic. Everything mixed in accordingly. I cannot complain about that, it's absolutely superb. The fact that they were able to get in the guitars sounding kick butt, synthesizers not too drowning out the music but rather augmenting it, the drums rightly justified and the vocals in sync with everything. From someone that despised this album at first, I've turned into someone that really enjoy hearing it. It's rather diverse in many different senses. They change things up all the time, but are still heavy!

I just flat out bought the album when I heard about the band less than a year ago. My theory was that since it's Dani Filth in the band, I thought it'd be worthwhile. I heard a few tracks on YouTube and thought "Hmmm...."  turns out, I grew to like the album. It's more experimental than COF but it still has that vibe to it, the gothic sense and Dani doesn't sing very different on this one. It's pretty much him to the core. I will just say this, do some research and form your own opinion, it's worth checking out, metal well driven in to the ear!

Ryan  “Death8699”  Fanucchi