Devious
(NL), Death / Thrash
With Deity
Down Records from 2006-present
"Domain"
TRACKLIST:
01 Entrance…
02 Room 302 MP3
03 Incantation Of The Earthbound
04 Boundless Domain
05 Misanthropic Entities
06 Suoived Pt. II
07 The Repentance MP3
08 Third World Suicide
09 Days Of Disorder
10 Dead Cannibal Civilization
11 Shibito
12 Lowest In The Food Chain
Released 01 February 2007
Devious "Domain" is available through the nearest record store.
Devious “Domain" is available from the Deity Down Records online shop:
(BUY NOW button will take you straight into our shop section. Bank transfer,
PayPal accepted)
Devious "Domain" is
available from Apple iTunes:
REVIEWS:
Nedermetaal
Webzine (NL, link not longer valid)
by Deathmelz
Published 28 February 2007
Rating: 90/100
Het jonge Deity Down Records komt na de release van het vette 'A Nihilistic
Swarm' van het Nederlandse Vermin met een volgende vette schijf: de tweede
langspeler van het nog niet zo lang geleden getekende Devious, getiteld
'Domain'. En wat een blije verrassing is deze plaat - voor zover je dit
gierende overzicht van het eind van de wereld 'blij' kunt noemen... Het eerste
wat ik dacht toen ik 'Domain' opzette was: deze band heeft een visie. Klinkt
wellicht wat stichtelijk, maar daar kom ik later op terug. Het geheel -
artwork, foto's, songtitels - ziet er goed verzorgd uit. De aardige jongens van
DDR waarschuwden mij al persoonlijk voor het stukje videomateriaal dat er in de
CD geflashed zit, de vorige ontmoeting met deze extra's verliep namelijk niet
bepaald soepel. Gelukkig is er van de ervaring geleerd en de clip van Room 302
wordt zonder morren gelanceerd in een antiek TV-toestel. Wat een lekker nummer!
Dat beloofd veel goeds. In de muziek herken ik - zonder in de bio te kijken -
direct een paar invloeden. Ik noem bijvoorbeeld een The Aborted, een Lost Soul,
een Morbid Angel en een Detonation. Al deze stijlen worden vermengd tot een
cocktail die qua kwaliteit niet bijster veel onderdoet voor die van de genoemde
bands. Ik had het net al over de visie die Devious lijkt te hebben. Die visie
uit zich op verschillende manieren. Ten eerste de thematiek van de nummers.
Devious bekijkt de wereld van een redelijke afstand en ziet vanuit dat
standpunt een hoop neerwaardse bewegingen. De teksten spiegelen de luisteraar
grauwe en afbrokkelende visioenen voor. Hier en daar flitsen sommige van de
actiepunten die Greenpeace waarschijnlijk hoog in het vaandel heeft staan
woordelijk voorbij (Invocation of the Earthbound). Best apart voor een
metalband - maar ga nou niet meteen denken dat je hier met een stelletje
schreeuwende stinkhippies te maken hebt. En zelfs als ze dat wel zijn, dan nog.
Het thematische geheel is beklemmend, zo heb ik het ook echt ervaren - de mix
is namelijk zo helder dat je de teksten (als tamelijk doorgewinterde
metalliefhebber) aardig kan volgen. Daarnaast uit de vermoede visie zich in de
structuur van de nummers. Ik ben van mening dat je als band niet zulke
intrigerende structuren kan componeren als je niet een bepaald idee hebt, een
gevoel of een sfeer die je wilt bereiken. Dan had je je er net zo goed van af
kunnen maken met een paar pakkende riffs en blastbeats, maar toch kiest Devious
er telkens voor om een onverwachte of tegendraadse weg in te slaan. De visie
lijkt dus iets te maken te hebben met het onverwachtte, met de verborgen
opties, met de schoonheid in het absurde. Toon en maat worden op verfrissende
en verrassende wijze gemanipuleerd en afgewisseld, gemixed en verwrongen tot
een avontuurlijk en bij vlagen geheimzinnig kronkelend geheel. Nadeel hiervan
is wel dat na een nummer of acht de aandacht wat begint te verslappen. Zoveel
niet-saaiheid is gewoon lastig te verwerken. De CD telt twaalf nummers maar
naar mijn bescheiden mening had de band het ook afgekund met acht of tien
nummers. Dat had de aandacht meer geprikkeld ("He, is de CD nu al
over?" in plaats van: "Oh, stond de CD nog aan? Ik was even niet meer
aan het luisteren"). Al lijkt het een luxeprobleem, het is wel een gegeven
dat zich al na de eerste luisterbeurt aan me openbaarde. Een van de mooiste
stukken op de CD vind ik de interlude Suoived Pt II. Ik heb nog steeds geen
idee wat het betekent, maar misschien kan iemand van de band daar een leuke
ingezonden reactie op geven. Het stukje verraste me volledig en het is een
uitstekend voorbeeld van de melodieuze creativiteit die Devious ten toon weet
te spreiden en een goed en uiterst beklemmend gebruik van soundscapes aan het
eind van dit tussenstuk. Daarnaast is bijvoorbeeld de opbouw van het nummer The
Repentance noemenswaardig, een dikke double bass laag wordt precies op tijd
leegekieperd waardoor de adrenaline lichtjes begint te stuwen. Het is
opmerkelijk dat een band zowel de akoestische en sferische gedeelten van de
muziek aan de ene kant zo goed weet te beheersen maar aan de andere kant ook zo
mooi in elkaar laat overvloeien! Vaak kom je tegen dat een mooi tussenstuk
schril afsteekt tegen het muzikale geweld van de rest van de CD. Op 'Domain'
beleef je echter een vloeiende reis door een apocaliptische omgeving waarbij je
achter elke hoek nieuwe verschrikkelijke taferelen te wachten staan:
verschrikkelijk mooi en verschrikkelijk goed. Ik ben blij dat ik deze CD ben
tegengekomen en ik hoop dat deze jongens het bruut ver gaan schoppen.
Lords Of Metal Webzine (NL, English version)
by Koen
Published 01 March 2007
Rating: 91/100
After their self-released self titled mini CD in 2002 and their debut
full-length 'Acts Of Rage' (2003, Spitzenburg Records), Devious joined forces
with Deity Down Records, whom proudly released Vermin's 'A Nihilistic Swarm'
last year. 'Domain' is the second release for the label and I surely hope Deity
Down will keep on continue to sign Dutch bands of this calibre because I really
like the "quality instead of quantity" approach of the label, which
is quite a good way to promote band as label. After the release of their
debut-album, Devious shared the stage with bands like Malevolent Creation,
Aborted, Darkane and Vader and even did a European tour with Krisiun and I
assume these touring experiences proved very inspirational to main man Guido
(guitars and production) and I am convinced he gave the best of himself. Each
and every song is written thoughtfully by him and is hauntingly aggressive and
has dept, which is very revitalizing in death metal these days. Of course, the
rest of the band completes the overall sound and are not to be forgotten and
new vocalist Coen perfectly matches the band's style as his voice is extremely
looooooow. Devious takes a giant step forwards with this release and is
destined for world domination. If you're not able to find this CD in stores,
check out Deity Down's homepage, where it's available for € 12,- (shipping and
handling not included).
Lords Of Metal Webzine (NL, Dutch version)
by Koen
Published 01 March 2007
Rating: 91/100
Na de in eigen beheer uitgebrachte mini CD in 2002 en de eerste voltallige CD
'Acts Of Rage' (2003, Spitzenburg Records), is Devious klaar voor de volgende
stap in haar carričre en heeft daarom de handen ineen geslagen met het
vaderlandse Deity Down Records, wat vorig jaar het helemaal niet
onverdienstelijke 'A Nihilistic Swarm' van Vermin uitbracht. 'Domain' is
zogezegd de tweede release op het label en ik hoop dat labeleigenaar Gerard de
Koning aan het adagium "kwaliteit gaat voor kwantiteit" vasthoudt,
want deze wijze van opereren is zowel goed voor label als bands. In de tijd
tussen de debuut CD en dit nieuwe werkje heeft Devious zich het apenlazarus
gespeeld met grotere broers als Malevolent Creation, Aborted, Darkane en Vader
en absolveerde zelfs een Europese tour met Krisiun. Deze activiteiten hebben in
mijn ogen duidelijk haar weerslag gehad op de inspiratie bij de grote man
achter Devious, gitarist en producer Guido want hij heeft het onderste uit de
kan gehaald. Elk nummer is tot in de puntjes uitgewerkt en heeft diepte en
slaat daarom als de beroemde mikerslag in je bakkes en dat is in dit geval erg
verfrissend! Uiteraard staat de rest van de band ook zijn mannetje en past
nieuwe vocalist Coen perfect in het plaatje. Concluderend walst Devious met
deze CD in zevenmijlslaarzen naar de top van de hedendaagse death metalscene en
daarom geldt hier alleen het bindende "blind kopen" advies. Vind je
de CD niet in de winkel om de hoek, laat je dan vooral niet weerhouden om Deity
Down's homepage te bezoeken alwaar dit kleinood voor € 12,- (exclusief
verpakkings- en verzendkosten) te bekomen is.
Metalrage
Webzine (NL)
by Mindsaver
Published 04 March 2007
Rating: 93/100
After reading their bio, I feel ashamed that I never heard of Devious before.
These guys shared stages with Cryptopsy, Suffocation, Vader, Darkane, Crowbar,
Aborted, The Dillinger Escape Plan, God Dethroned, Malevolent Creation, Dying
Fetus and Krisiun! They exist since 2000 and they come from Hengelo, The
Netherlands. In 2002 they recorded a self-financed EP and in 2003 they released
their debut full-lenght on Spitzenburg Records, titled Acts of Rage. Now it’s
time for their second record, Domain, distributed by new label Deity Down
Records. The album opens up with a tension-building instrumental intro which
immediately makes clear that this is a very quality record. The production is
perfect and the introduction itself is even better.. melodies and samples take
you along to the entrance gate of Devious’ ‘domain’. Now, the tension was high,
but it wasn’t hard to guess what was up next.. pure heaviness! ‘Room 302’
begins with some modern death/thrash riffs, but not long after, pure death metal
takes over. Devious’ sound is technical, brutal, fast and thrashy, simply
tagged as ‘very aggresive’. After four uptempo tracks, Devious calms down a
little bit with a guitar intermission called ‘Souived Pt. II’. Of course to be
followed with yet another great devastating track. The whole record is just so
un-Dutch. We sure have some nice bands in this country, but a fantastic
production like this is unheard in its genre. I would compare Devious with
death/thrash bands from Scandinavia such as Deathchain from Finland and Impious
from Sweden, mixed with the Polish tech-death sound from for example Deivos. A
good example is ‘Misanthropic Entities’ which includes all these ingredients:
the technical sound, but most of all outrageous fast and grooving. Devious made
an excellent product. First of all the sound and production itselves, but also
the artwork and the booklet look very nice. They also added their videoclip for
‘Room 302’ as bonus on the cd. Now I’m very curious about their live
performance. I’m pretty sure that their music leads to big moshpits, and the
names that they’ve been playing with say enough of course. I’m not sure if they
are still on the No Mercy Easter Festival-bill, but if they are, they are a
must-checkout!
Burning
Misery Webzine (NL, link not longer valid)
by Marco
Published 04 March 2007
Rating: 85/100
In 2006 Deity Down records released their first album with the Dutch deathmetal
band Vermin, that turned out to a fucking nice brutaldeathmetal album with
loads of good feedback. And here we have the second and quite fresh cd from
Devious. And like the first release of Deity Down records, Devious also got a
nice goodie for us. When you put this disk into your computer some fucking nice
and professional recorded video's. Devious is also a Dutch band that has begun
in 1998. And the are making some pretty awesome technical death-thrash a la the
Swedish style. Alright lets put this disk into my cd player. The great recoding
sound is the first thing I noticed. They start with an instrumental kind of
intro with some awesome heavy melodic kind of deathmetal, and some nearly
church sounding keyboards. Not a bad start at all guys. The five guys of
Devious are using a lot the single guitar riffs that sounds sometimes like
"Death" and are mainly up-tempo. As I listen to the third track which
start excellent with some tight fucking blast beats I hear some heavy triggered
bass drums in the little acoustic part. Maybe a bit to much. O well, the idea
is pretty cool and the complete production is then again fucking superb. The
vocals is low and aggressive and fits perfectly between this wall of technical
death-thrash. And technical it is, I'm definitely convinced that loads of Dutch
death-thrash bands can learn a lot from this sick band called Devious. Because
these are some good musicians who know what they fucking do. However I'm not a
big fan of to technical metal but this is some very good stuff to listen to.
Overall a great album that ya got to try cause Holland got a new attack of
metal masters "Devious". So be fucking sure that you grab a copy of
this album I'm sure you gona like it! You can them also out there on BM and if
you like to hear them first go to their myspace and go fucking crazy!
Penny Arcade Metal
Thread (Last.fm)
by chimerstry
Published 20 February 2007
Rating: 90/100
A highly impressive sophomore assault from this Dutch band. Great production,
great songs that straddle the gray area between oldschool death, melodic death,
and thrash. They can do fast. They can do slow. And they can do both well.
Something about the band recalls Hypocrisy, Vader, Unleashed, and maybe a dash
of Amon Amarth. Fans of those bands might just shit themselves bloody when they
hear this. Personally I am a fan of song titles like 'Incantation of the
Earthbound' and 'Dead Cannibal Civilization'. A truly worthy record and I'm
eager to track down their debut.
Zware Metalen Webzine
(NL)
by Andreas
Published 11 March 2007
Rating: 86/100
Sommige bands uit ons kikkerlandje leggen de lat lekker hoog voor andere bands.
Devious is er ook weer zo eentje. Ik ben toch echt van mening dat deze band
toch wel tot een van de beste bands van Nederland hoort. Sinds 2000 bestaat
deze band en heeft al een andere full-length op de markt gebracht. En nu hebben
ze een ander stukje muziek voor de liefhebber beschikbaar. Hoe leggen ze de lat
hoog dan? Door retestrakke death metal met een vleugje thrash te produceren
waar weinig aan op te merken valt. De plaat is van begin tot eind een sessie
beukwerk op het gebied van alles zowel snaren als trommels heeft. De rauwe
strot is een lekkere brute aanvulling en is geheel in harmonie met de muziek.
alle nummers hebben zo'n beetje alles wat death metal hartje begeert, brute
blast stukken, gave riffs, ingewikkelde stukjes muziek en omdat het toch wel
lekker klinkt, hier en daar wat synth-opvulling. Dit alles doet het gat wat
toch wel een beetje is gecreeëerd door het gebrek aan solo's vergeten. Nummers
die voldoende afwisseling hebben werken hier ook zeker aan mee. De plaaat is
geen moment aan het vervelen, dit is puur genieten van het wapperen van de
haren als deze tornado uit je speakers komt zetten. Een plaat die strak klinkt
en zeker een van 's Neerlands betere releases is van de moderne tak van de
metal. Appetijtelijk stukkie death metal!
Bira Webzine
(TR)
By Güncelleme
Published 12 March 2007
Rating: 11/13
Lalesiyle, uyuşturucu işleriyle,
sarı faresiyle ve tabiki gacılarıyla dillere pelesenk olmuş underground
memleket(rakım şeysinden) hollandadan, pek taze olmayan ama benim yeni
tanıştığım ve akabinde pek sevip çobuk kaynaştığım bir grup Devious. Aslına
bakılacak olunursa grubun temelleri 1998 de atılmış ama elle tutulur ilk
icraatları 2002 de bir demoyla oluyor.Hemen bir sonraki yıl "Acts of
Rage" isimli albümü çıkartıp tamamdır diyip oturuyorlar bir kenara. Aradan
dört yıl geçiyor ve Deity Down Records etiketli "Domain" albümüyle
yeşil sahalarda tekrar boy göstermeye başlıyorlar yigitler. Grubun "Acts Of Rage" isimli
ilk albümünden sadece bir parçayı dinledim(hayırsever biri el atsada şu işe,
dinlesek o albümü de)..bundan da bi yerlere varmak zor ama eski halleri daha
brutal ve daha amerikan vari deathmiş onu söylüyebilirim..ve eklemeden de
duramam vokalci gencin okuma stili David Vincent abimide pek andırıyomuş
doğrusu(dinlemek lazım tabi tamamını). Yeni albümlerindeki sounda ise thrash
metal diyebiliriz..biraz daha açarsak thrash/death/melodik death+hardcore karışımı
bişey, kısacaysa melodik thrash demek de münasiptir diye düşünüyorum. Domain
albümünde ilk dikkat çeken olay gitarcılar, iki becerikli gitariste sahip
grup.Bu arkadaşlar grubun soundundaki paylarının altından kalkmakla kalmamışlar
kanaatimce seri ve melodik olan gitar rifflerinide dadından yenmez bi hale
getirmişler.Davulcu gençde çok klas işler yapmış, alttan verdiği çift croslar
ve aradalarda ufakdan kitliyen davul ritimleride pek alâ pek şuğar olmuş.
Albümde yer alan 12 parçanın sazlı sözlü olanları genelde orta tempo ve bazı
bazı üstlerde..yani tamamen gaz bi albüm deil Domain, ki benim içinde makbuldür
böylesi..bu tip gruplar paso gaz yükliycez sevdasına girdiklerinde çok
sıradanlaştırabiliyorlar. Bu 12 parçanın 2 taneside sadece enstürmanlı olmakta..açılışdaki
"Entrance..." çok klas fevkalade bir çalışma iken albümün ortalarında
yer alan sadece gitarlı parça "Suoived Pt.II" ise pek olmamış bence.
Grubun sound da hardcore da var demiştik.Melodik icracısı gruplar çoğunlukla
hardcore un bokunu çıkartırlar fakat Devious da hiç sırıtmamış doğrusu..
"Suoived Pt.II" isimli parça; mühtemelen uzun süre suda kalmış yada
tutulmuş birinin sudan çıkarçıkmaz aldığı güçlü-derin nefesle aniden biterken
devamında bodozloma giren "The Repentance" introsundaki hardcore ritimler
çuk oturmuş şahane olmuş mesela. Sonuç olarak pek falsosu olmuyan ak pak seri
melodik ve uzun süre dinlenebilecek kıymetlimmsss muamelesi yapılacak bir albüm
Domain. Hem seri hem melodik işlere çok pis hasta olanların ve aynı derten
müzdarip eşine dostuna ekürisine çoluğuna çocuğuna ninesine dinletebileceği bir
albüm Domain.. 3 adet parça http://www.devious.nl/?page_id=79
bu adresden online dinlenebilmekte..afiyet olsun.
Masterful Magazine (PL)
By Wouter Roemers
Published 24 March 2007
Rating: 80/100
This is the second album for
Devious and their first for growing Dutch label Deity Down Records. Devious
debuted strong with 2003's "Acts Of Rage" on Spitzenburg Records.
"Domain" takes everything that made the band's debut strong and takes
it into the next level. Devious' death metal is inspired by the American and
European scenes and while most bands concentrate on being the most brutal
around, this band concentrates on writing groovy, brutal and memorable
technical death metal in vein of the early progenitors. In comparison to
"Acts Of Rage" the band's material has become faster, more technical
and overall there's more groove to be found on "Domain". Also,
occassionally Devious inserts atmospheric synthesizers into their songs, which
elevate the material and somewhat reminiscence of US death metal combo Aurora
Borealis. Another factor that contributes to Devious' recognizable sound is
their 6 string fretless bass, which in combination with Frank Schilperoort's
impressive drumming form the foundation for each of these highly brutal cuts.
Since their debut, the band has enlisted a new vocalist in Coen. He succeeds
suprisingly well in replacing previous singer Arnold Oudemiddendorp. The
production on this record is outstanding and easily outdoes their criticaly
acclaimed debut. Artwork and lay-out are great, although the cover artwork is a
bit on the dark side. This definitely is a very promising release for both
Devious and their label Deity Down Records, pick it up now!
Aardschok Magazine (NL)
By Roman Hödl
Published Aardschok Magazine,
issue April 2007, page 50
Rating: 80/100
Het nieuwe jaar is weliswaar nog
maar net begonnen, maar Devious legt de lat voor de extreem metalen
concurrentie meteen al vrij hoog. De band uit Hengelo verrast op haar tweede
full-length CD namelijk met opvallend strak spel. Tevens overtuigt men met veel
origineler materiaal dan dat nog op het debuut ‘Acts Of Rage’ te horen was. Men
klinkt simpelweg volwassener, niet in de laatste plaats door het ondersteunende
gebruik van keyboards en de erg vette productie. De Europese tour met Krisiun
heeft de band hoorbaar goed gedaan want ook individueel zijn de musici
gegroeid. Mijn persoonlijke favorieten zijn het aan het oude Hypocrisy
refererende ,,The Repentance” en het snelle (en soms ook logge) ,,Third World
Suicide”. Wat er ooit in ,,Room 302” gebeurd zou kunnen zijn kan de koper in de
bijgeleverde multimedia videoclip bewonderen. ‘Domain’ is een verrassend vet
album geworden!
Blackfuel Webzine (NL)
By Gerco Zwiers
Published 30 March 2007
Rating: 82/100
In 2003 debuteerde het
Oost-Nederlandse Devious met ‘Acts Of Rage’, een plaat vol stuwende, hoekige
maar tevens vrij anonieme death metal. Groot is dan ook de verbazing wanneer
het nieuwe ‘Domain’, ondersteund door een muur van toetsen, aanvangt met het
symfo/death metallende ‘Entrance…’. Waarmee Devious meteen duidelijk maakt dat
de koers van de band enigszins is gewijzigd. Op ‘Domain’ is death metal nog
steeds de hoofdmoot, maar is door het integreren van toetsenpartijen en een
veelvoud aan wervelende gitaarsolo’s wel voorzien van een symfonische rand. In
ondermeer het nummer ‘Incantation Of The Earthbound’ vertoont de band zelfs
lichte black metaltrekjes. Wat eenieder van deze ‘change of plans’ vindt is
natuurlijk een kwestie van smaak, maar feit is dat Devious hierdoor wel
aanmerkelijk interessanter en origineler is gaan klinken.
Metalfan
Webzine (NL)
By Kristof
Published 03 April 2007
Rating: 82/100
God Dethroned, Callenish Circle,
Gorefest, Severe Torture en Katafalk. Ik noem hier spontaan vijf bands op. Wat hebben
ze gemeen? Dat ze uit Nederland komen! Daar heb je gelijk in. Dat ze allen een
vorm van death metal spelen? Dat is ook correct. Dat ze alle vijf uit Nederland
komen, een vorm van death metal spelen en minstens één professionele cd hebben
afgeleverd? Bingo! Op basis van dit tweede album getiteld Domain hoort Devious
ook in dit rijtje thuis. Dit album is namelijk tot de puntjes verzorgd. Van
artwork tot teksten, van een bijhorende (uitstekende!) videoclip tot de songs
zelf. Devious speelt een strakke vorm van death metal met veel groove, de
nodige thrashinvloeden en slimme hooklines. Als ik een poging zou moten wagen
om de sound van Devious te moeten omschrijven in bandnamen kom ik op het
volgende uit: de kille death van Yrkoon vermengt met de eerste worp van The
Haunted gebracht met een uitstekende droge Pungent Stench productie die toch
dynamisch klinkt. Ach, ga gewoon zelf luisteren op hun MySpace. Is er nog
ruimte voor verbetering? Dat is bij bijna elke band van toepassing. Maar bij
Devious moeten enkel de details nog een stukje scherper. Een originele
gitaarsolo of een jazzy drumstukje zou de muziek naar een hoger plateau tillen.
Maar dat is voor volgende keer, laat eerst maar eens een reeks concerten
passeren.
Metal Injection Webzine (USA)
By Cosmo Lee
Published 05 April 2007
Rating: 80/100
Death metal is almost 20 years
old, and for having such explosive beginnings in Sweden, England, and Florida,
its rate of progress has slowed to a crawl. Part of the problem is due to its
nature - when you trade in extremity, what do you do when you get there? Now
drummers regularly blast upwards of 250 bpm, vocalists make Cookie Monster
sound like Jewel, and guitarists sweep pick and multi-finger tap in their
sleep. The Netherlands’ Devious tackles this issue by stepping back and
surveying death metal’s history. But its second album, Domain, doesn’t retread
the usual retro haunting grounds - early Cannibal Corpse, Left Hand Path-style
Swedish metal, Suffocation. Instead, it’s absorbed sounds from across the death
metal spectrum and recombined them into a fresh, coherent whole; imagine Altars
of Madness-era Morbid Angel somehow gaining knowledge of Swedish melodeath, Death’s
last three albums, and today’s technical death metal. The result is one of the
most balanced death metal albums in ages. It has plenty of blasting, but it’s
never so fast that the body stops responding. It’s technical, but the riffs are
memorable. It’s brutal, but flashes of melody constantly shine through. The
album is even sequenced like an LP or cassette tape, with six songs on each
side forming a logical progression. So much death metal now just flies by you;
this album will make you nod your head, pump your fist, do whatever it is you
do when metal physically affects you. At the same time, this album moves the
mind. The harmonies and melodies are adventurous, recalling Carcass’ Heartwork,
not in note choice, but in spirit. Varied song tempos, rich guitar tones, and
strong production make this album a deep listen. Add evocative artwork and a
well-shot video, and you have one of death metal’s finer packages in recent
times.
By Frederik Cosemans
Published Rock Tribune Magazine
#61, April 2007, Page 64
Rating: 78/100
Vorig jaar kregen de mannen van
het Nederlandse Devious de eer om samen met Krisiun door Europa te trekken en
als we de muziek op hun tweede plaat 'Domain' even aandachtig beluisteren, dan
begrijpen we meteen waarom. Niet dat de muziek van Devious zo fel gelijkt op
die van Krisiun, maar de kwaliteit en de pakkende songs zijn onmiskenbaar
aanwezig. Muzikaal kan men het zaakje omschrijven als een mix van brutale, doch
groovy death metal (met de nodige melodische toevoegingen) en agressieve
thrash, al dekt dit niet volledig de lading. Her en der komen nog wat andere
genres om de hoek piepen, iets wat de afwisseling van dit plaatje alleen maar
groter maakt. Wat wel gezegd moet worden is dat de band soms iets te veel in
een enkel nummer probeert te steken en daardoor soms een beetje de draad
verliest. De plaat is met een speelduur van van net geen vijftig minuten dan
ook een hele zit, en dat is wel een beetje jammer. Met een beetje compactere
songs (en eventueel een of twee nummertjes minder) was 'Domain' nog net dat
tikje beter geweest. Neemt niet weg dat dit schijfje een zeer dikke voldoende
scoort.
Rockezine Webzine (NL)
By Friso
Published 03 April 2007
Rating 85/100
There it is, the second
full-length effort from Dutch Death Metal act Devious. Three years ago Devious’
first full-length ‘Acts of Rage’ was released. After that record some things
happened. Vocalist Arnold left. However, Devious didn’t let it hang down and
quickly came with new vocalist Coen. They started to tour and played with some
well known bands like Cryptosy, Darkane and Suffocation and so forth. Some
experience was gained, writing skills improved and when the time was ripe they
jumped into the studio and came out with this record called ‘Domain’. This is
an impressive record. After an instrumental intro the first brutal chords of ‘Room
302’ will definitely keep your attention and won’t let it escape. With melodic
yet brutal riffs, intelligent breaks and cool drum patterns they deliver a
product that is of very high quality and the production is also something worth
mentioning. It sounds really transparent and clear. With some surprising
moments, like the Cradle Of Filth-esque ‘Boundless Domain’ (which features
awesome riffs), the instrumental ‘Suoived part 2’ , which has a gasp for breath
at the ending and goes on in ‘The Repentance’ or the catchy hooks in ’Lowest Of
The Food Chain’, they deliver some impressive songs. But without mentioning
every song, I recommend every death and thrash metal fan to give this record a
chance. It’s full of cool breaks, explosions, rhythmic changes and vocals.
About the latter: Coen shows he has a pretty wide reach with his voice, from
whispers to screams. If you like your metal full of technique, interesting
rhythms and brutal riffs and your favourite bands are Morbid Angel, Malevolent
Creation or Hypocrisy this will be your cd. They’ve grown. And I predict a
future in the premier league of death/thrash for Devious.
Le Chant Du Grillon Webzine (FR)
By Olivier
Published
25 March 2007
Rating:
n/a
Ca vous dit un petit skeud de
death-metal avec tout ce qu’il faut ou il faut ? Et bien je vous présente
Devious, groupe hollandais, qui avec « Domain » nous offre son second album (le
premier « Acts of Rage » date de 2003). Ces gars lŕ maîtrisent largement leur
sujet. Ils sont autant ŕ l’aise sur les morceaux longs (« Incantation of the
Earthbound », « The Repentance ») oů ils arrivent ŕ plomber les atmosphčres,
que sur les courts joués ŕ 200 ŕ l’heure. Voilŕ exactement le style de death
que j’affectionne tout particuličrement. Des vocaux gutturaux ultra puissants,
aggressifs et brutaux (la classe quoi !), une section rythmique qui ne faiblit
jamais, des blasts en veux-tu en voilŕ et des guitares omniprésentes et
inspirées (avec quelques solos plutôt techniques). Leur death-metal a aussi un
petit côté thrashy non déplaisant. jetez une oreille sur ce groupe, vous ne
serez pas déçu. Une excellente découverte!
Metalworld
Webzine (RU)
By Lodborg
Published March 2007
Rating: n/a
Devious изглежда са от тези групи,
които успяват да си извадят поука от времето, грешките и опита си. За четирите
години след издаването на дебютния “Acts of Rage”, холандските детаджии са
успели така да променят звученето си, че от стандартна дет банда да приемат
облика на първокласна екстремна формация със собствено виждане и звучене. Може
би неслучайно към блъскащото и първично дет начало в композирането на песните,
младата група е добавила и един куп допълнителни влияния, след което е
разбъркала старателно до получаване на хомогенен коктейл от изтънчен
брутализъм. Тук и там забелязваме бурни пристъпи на лудост от тип Malevolent
Creation, плътна рифова стена като от Vader-ска класика, но изненадващо често
към нас се понасят и кратки акустични интерлюдии, позиционирани на подходящите
места без каквито и да било признаци на разхищение. Освен това частицата траш,
която се забелязваше бегло и в дебютния им албум, сега е набрала дързост и мощ,
за да блесне в най-добрата си светлина като равноправна стилова опорна точка. И
за да бъде амалгамата максимално заплетена и неразгадаемо сложна, младите
холандци не се колебаят при стъкмяването на кратки мелодични откоси, достатъчно
разпръснати, за да не пречат на систематичното унищожение, леещо се от
колоните. Албумът стартира с брилянтен мелодет инструментал – “Entrance...”,
чиято забързана, но и атмосферична, ритмично плавна обстановка няма да намери
еквивалент в която и да било друга композиция в записа. Оттук насетне ни
подхващат безмилостните писъци на Coen Tabak, допълващи идеално постоянното
рифово зверство. “Room 302” нахлува, за да разруши последните останали частички
здрав разум и да прочисти пътя за развихрянето на “Incantation of the
Еarthbound”. Прави впечатление майсторската работа на барабаниста Frank, който
демонстрира широк обхват от техники и похвати, далеч надхвърлящи стандартните
за дета и траша. Музикантското доказване на всеки един от Devious дава чудесни
плодове в “Boundless Domain”, която се гъне и извива като своенравна змия,
готова да те захапе всеки момент с хищнически барабанен залп, или да се увие
около гърлото ти, задушавайки те с нечестива траш мелодия. Част от наследството
на Aborted се открива в “Misanthropic Еntities”, добре разгърнато в неспирен
порой от насъскващо ожесточение. Кратката и напрегната акустична пауза завършва
в отчаяните опити на давещ се да изплува над водната повърхност и да си поеме
дъх, само за да бъде насилствено потопен обратно в течната бездна, точно както
и ние биваме помляни от последвалото “The Repentance”. В “This World Suicide”
ни подхващат изненадващи китарни интерлюдии и сола, но мелодичните отклонения
биват изцяло компенсирани от “Days of Disorder” и опустошителната първичност на
“Dead Cannibal Civilization”. А и за завършек няма укротяване за безграничния
бяс на Devious. С още по-голямо озлобление към нас биват запратени тоталните
бичкии “Shibito” и “Lowest in the Food Chain”, водени от принципа за запазване
на най-големите изненади за най-накрая. Колкото и изненадващо да е, цялото това
свирене и експериментиране с мелодиите не води до разпокъсаност или празнодумно
псевдо-новаторство. Пред нас стои един съвършено хомогенен и стилово постоянен
дет албум, който макар и неподминат от по-модерните тенденции, повече от
очевидно впива корени по-скоро в доброто старо време на блъскащия дет.
Резултатът – качественa бруталия в обвивка от интелигентност далеч над
средностатистическата – е повече от задоволителен, а фактът, че едва прохождаща
банда е способна да изстреля подобен албум с повече от ясна и методична
концепция за музика, може да ме изпълни само с положителни емоции. И с
нетърпение да чуя наследника на “Domain”.
Metalstorm
Webzine (EE)
By Herzebeth
Published 14 April 2007
Rating: 74/100
If an intro including a quote of
Braveheart doesn't hint you about where this CD is going, then you are more lost
than a 12 year old dude taking a quantum physics test…what sucks is that I
blindly fell into the trap, and while I was thinking this would be a Doom/Folk
album, the first song sucker-punched me and delivered Death Metal in a very
brutal yet melodic form, so why did these guys decide to add a quote from a Mel
Gibson movie? Damn it I don't know… Anyway, this band gathers most of the
Aborted elements and combines them with…well yeah! More Aborted elements, the
patterns are not exactly the same though, some of the drumming and riffing
sounds lined towards Thrash Metal instead of Death, that feature alone kept me
interested to the very end for a while, but to tell you the truth, my mind
focused on the similarities with the aforementioned band for the first couple
of listens. Once that bug died in my head, I started to fully enjoy the album;
this is one of those albums that "grow" on you with each listen, and
that's a feature which most bands lack of nowadays. The melodic approaches are
actually very interesting and they suit perfectly with the intense structures
within the album, the overall mix is quite good and the execution is almost
flawless, the guys really know how to exploit their abilities and instruments
in a very wicked yet interesting shape. So what went wrong? The album is quite
good, though it didn't break my neck to be honest. The songs are way too
similar with each other and the vocals didn't sound as intense as the whole
music did; technically "Domain" is a good album, and that's exactly
why it earned all its points, Devious did their job, but that's about it. The
worse thing is the album truly lacks of a stand-out track…let me explain more,
when an album has its highlights the listener will definitely replay it just
for the sake of hearing those tunes, when an album hasn't any, the replay
values drop to the ground. "Domain" falls into this thing exactly,
they play their instruments astonishingly, but they didn't write something
worth their technique you see? Deity Down Records is a great label, I remember
Vermin breaking my spine in 3 different places, Devious just broke my eardrums,
I surely was waiting for something out of this planet.
FYU Webzine (BE)
By Exo666
Published 19 April 2007
Rating: 87/100
Merely reading about Devious got
me interested: these guys have a great gig history, and what's more, they're
Dutch! Personally, I've always liked Dutch deathmetal acts for some reason, and
Devious most definitely belongs to that list as well. With 'Domain', the band
has released its second full album, which consists of inspiring death/thrash.
The production is largely capable of carrying the intended tone, as the whole
sounds quite solid and brutal, thus allowing the tracks to confront the
listener head-on. The musicians also possess the required technicality to
express their (equally abundant) creativity: the compositions are built out of
groovy yet relentlessly aggressive tunes, with quickly alternating riffs and
the sudden occasional twists to keep the attention focussed. This album (with,
not to forget, an awesome video on it as well) is indeed a fine release; and
recommended to everyone who is ready for 50 minutes of whirling yet demanding
deathmetal.
Possessed
Webzine (DE)
By Meden
Published 19 April 2007
Rating: n/a
Ja, Devious is back. Geil, denn
ich verfolge ihre Entwicklung bereits seit ihrem ersten Demo namens
"Devious". Die Holländer haben sich seitdem stets weiter entwickelt
und dürften eine Europatour mit Krisiun, sowie eine Tour mit meinen Göttern von
Cryptopsy machen. Wie geil ist das denn. Album nummero zwei kommt nun auf dem
Markt und die Jungs haben es echt drauf. Ihre Mischung aus Death und Thrash
Metal und vielen, eigenen Ideen sind einfach geil. Fans von Hypocrisy oder
Malevolent Creation können blind zuschlagen. Wie gesagt, sie haben dann auch so
ihre eigene Ideen. Nach einem zwar coolen, aber meiner Meinung viel zu langem
Intro geht es mit "Room 302" straight forward los. Besonders diese
melodischen Riffs sind hervorzuheben, die meistens brutal niedergebolzt werden
oder mit schönen Doublebassattacken verfeinert werden. Stimmlich ist alles
vertreten von Schreiben über Geflüster bis zum Gegrunze. Das Riffing bei
Boundless Domain geht schon fast in Cradle of Filth Gefilde,ist aber sehr geil
und wird nicht vom keyboard begleitet. Mit Suoived Part 2 zeigt ma, dass man
auch rein Instrumental was bewegen kann. Die 12 Songs sind wirklich geil und
beeindruckend. Wer auf Death und Thrash Metal steht, der sollte Devious
anchecken.
Obliveon Webzine (DE)
By Stephan Becker
Published 21 April 2007
Rating: 80/100
Nur knapp ein Jahr nach seiner
Gründung präsentiert uns das niederländische Label Deity Down Records seinen
zweiten Release. Wie auch schon das erste Signing – Vermin mit ihrem Debüt „A
Nihilistic Swarm“ – hat sich Labelowner Gerard einer einheimischen Death
Metal-Kapelle angenommen. Und die Hengeloer Devious präsentieren sich auf ihrem
zweiten Longplayer glatt noch einen Zacken besser als ihre Landsleute von
Vermin. Schon allein die Produktion ist erstklassig geraten. Eine Liga in der
zu spielen Devious durchaus imstande sind. Obwohl ich das 2003 auf Spitzenburg
Records erschienene Debüt „Acts Of Rage“ nicht kenne, wage ich zu behaupten,
dass der Bands die vielen Liveauftritte mit bekannteren Extreme Metal-Combos
und hier insbesondere der Zuschlag als Support-Act für die Europa-Tour der
Brasilianer Krisiun im letzten Jahr hörbar gut getan hat. Nach einem längeren
Intro namens „Entrance…“ brettern Devious mit der Nummer „Room 302“ los,
welches auf „Domain“ als Bonus auch noch als Musikvideo vertreten ist. Elf
Songs lang rasen die Holländer dann durch eine moderne Version des Death
Metals, die immer mal wieder durch thrashige Riffs aufgelockert wird und durchaus
skandinavische Anklänge aufweist. Auch wenn Devious – von der Ruhepause
„Souived Pt. II“ abgesehen – durchgängig schnell und brutal klingen, so haben
wir es hier doch mit einem intelligenten und technisch hochwertigen Werk zu
tun. Gutes Händchen Gerard! Weiter so! http://www.deitydownrecords.com
oder http://www.devious.nl.
Archaic
Magazine (NL)
By Ron Salden
Published 23 April 2007
Rating: n/a
First impressions are important
and with "Domain" Devious gave me an excellent first impression. I
dig this shit! Operating somewhere between thrash and death metal with
sometimes ever so slight touches of some black metal Devious showcase with how
much ease they found their style. It is obvious these guys know how to handle
their instruments well and they've ensured to implement a level of technical
prowess without overwhelming the listener. Add to this a production which is
clear, heavy, slightly dry but still wet enough to not leave any marks after
intercourse.
Each song has been given
considerable thought as is apparent from the arrangements and the variation of
rhythms and pace. Don't expect continuous blasting but a splendid mixture of
perfect head bang sections and frequent whirlwind attacks. Devious have
completely understood that it's the dynamics that count and while they're at it
they also manage to groove quite a bit. I guarantee you will feel the
adrenaline pumped to 110% upon hearing "Entrance..." and for 49
minutes you'll have a grande time
freaking out. Truly, songs like "Room 302", "Boundless
domain", "The repentance", "Days of disorder" or
"Shibito" are a treat for every extreme metal adept. In several songs
keyboards are sporadically used to enhance the atmosphere, check
"Incantation of the earthbound" for a prime example. This shit kills.
"Suoived Pt. II" offers a welcome instrumental breathing moment between
all the musical violence. In the old days this track would function perfectly
to make the transition to side B of the album. Devious kick some fucken arse on
their 2nd album and I wouldn't be surprised if they gain more exposure and
popularity soon. "Domain" comes highly recommended!
Klasma Magazine (DE)
By M. Riedel
Published: 24 April 2007
Rating: n/a
Was die Holländer DEVIOUS mit
ihrem zweiten Album auf den Markt werfen, ist ein durchgängig überzeugender
Brutalo-Trip. Der Fünfer wird es trotzdem nicht gerade leicht haben, bei den
Extremisten sofort Fuß zu fassen. Denn „Domain" ist nur vordergründig ein
simpler Mix aus Death und Thrash Metal. Das Dutzend Songs von DEVIOUS
verbreitet eine seltsam gemischte Atmosphäre aus Eingängigkeit, Melodik und
technischer Brillanz. Daß die Mannen um Sänger Coen nicht erst seit gestern
ihre Instrumente malträtieren, hört man schon beim Intro. Was sich da noch ganz
relaxt und irgendwie episch gibt, bricht aber schon mit dem folgenden „Room
302" (davon gibt’s ein Video als Bonus auf der Scheibe) mit voller Gewalt
über den Hörer herein. Variabel pendeln DEVIOUS zwischen Florida Death Metal
flotten Thrash-Zitaten. Danach zeigen die Holländer ein ganz modernes Gesicht.
Die Geschwindigkeiten werden in alle Extreme ausgereizt, Sprechgesang kommt
ebenso zum Zuge wie ein stärkerer Groove. „Incantation of the earthbound"
ist damit schon ein ganz komplexer Song, dessen Strukturen später immer wieder
auftauchen („Misanthropic entities", „Dead cannibal civilization").
Aber erstmal lassen DEVIOUS gut melodischen Death/Thrash vom Stapel. Klänge wie
bei „Boundless domain" herrschen auf dem Album vor. „Third world
suicide" zeugt davon ebenso wie „Shibito". Nun ja, und hier und da schleichen
sich gar mal tückische, schwarzmetallische Elemente in den Sound ein, die mich
an düstere Belphegor’sche Höllenqualen erinnern. Ganz zum Schluß kommt „Lowest
in the food chain", neben dem vorhin genannten „Room 302" mein
Lieblings-Song der Scheibe. Warum es ausgerechnet diese sind, kann ich nicht
mal genau sagen. Vielleicht kriegt die Band hier die perfekte Mischung hier.
Als Death-Metal-Fan sollte man DEVIOUS auf jeden Fall mal antesten. Puristen
und Anhänger lieblichen SchwedenTods werden allerdings mit „Domain" nicht
klarkommen. Die Extrem-Fraktion wahrscheinlich schon eher. DEVIOUS liegen
irgendwo zwischen Frickelei und schierer Härte. Das aber weit über dem
Durchschnitt.
Fret Magazine (NL)
By Unknown
Published 24 April 2007
Rating: n/a
Vier jaar geleden debuteerde Devious met de cd Acts Of
Rage en tourde daarna onder meer met het Braziliaanse Krisiun door Europa.
Afgelopen februari verscheen het tweede album dat de titel Domain meekreeg.
Hierop gaat de vijfkoppige band voort op de ingeslagen weg en dat is er een van
vrij technische en afwisselende death metal waarin plaats is voor diverse
sferen. Dit is onder andere goed te horen in Incantation Of The Earthbound. Dat
brengt mij meteen op de teksten, waarvan een aantal wel erg suf is (Dead
Cannibal Civilization, Lowest In The Food Chain) of te veel stoelt op
waarschuwingen met betrekking tot de toestand in de wereld. In extreme metal
zou het eigenlijk niet moeten uitmaken dat het een aflopende zaak is.
Optimistischere metalliefhebbers krijgen een gevarieerde plaat, met
noemenswaardige muzikale hoogtepunten alsBoundless Domain en The Repentance.
Legacy Magazine (DE)
By UI
Published Legacy
Magazine 2007 issue #49, pages 95 and 103
Rating: 10/15
Steckt der moderne Thrash Metal
tatsächlich in der kreativen Krise? Angesichts der Diskussionen um die jüngsten
Entwicklungsschritte solcher Grössen wie etwa The Haunted oder Hatesphere muss
diese Frage gestattet sein. Feiern die einen die musikalischen Evolution ihrer
Helden bedingungslos ab, schlagen andere fassungslos die Hände über den Kopf
zusammen und attestieren lediglich künstlerische Müdigkeit und ideenlose
Anbiederung an ein pflegeleichtes Publikum. Indizien für die beginnende
Talfahrt eines gesamten Genres oder schwer nachzuvollziehende Quantumsprünge
der Vorreiter? DEVIOUS gehen derlei Problemchen wohl gepflegt an Allerwertesten
vorbei. Alles, was die Niederländer wollen, ist, den Schnitzelklopfer zu zücken
und ihren Hören ein unvergessliches Andenken in die Trommelfelle zu stanzen.
Und das gelingt ihnen auf ihrem zweiten regulären Album über weite Strecken
sehr gut. Irgendwo zwischen eingangs erwähnten Hatesphere in deren furiosesten
Momenten und Todesblei nach typisch geschmeidiger schwedischer Rezeptur zünden
die Jungs so manche Riffbombe, verwusteln zich aber durchaus auch mal in den
eigenem Wust an Ideen. So knallt etwa 'Incantation of the Earthbound' zu beginn
alles weg, mit seinen geilen Tempowechseln, atmosphärischen Einschüben und
drückenden Riffs, nur um immer wieder für kurze Momente in die Belanglosigkeit
und wieder hinaus zu stolpern. Der quasi-Titelsong 'Boundless Domain' zeigt,
wie es besser geht und überzeugt mit geilem Gebell von Shouter Coen und lässt
vor allem auch Bassman Sven glänzen. Letzterer ist ohnehin Gold wert, vereint
er doch ausgefeilte Spieltechnik mit einem Mördergroove. Was es umso
bedauerlicher macht, dass ihm die zwar satte, aber irgendwie zu wenig
transparente Produktion nicht mehr Raum gewährt. Dennoch, 'Domain' ist bei
allem Gemäkel in den Details ein verdammt feines stück Death Thrash geworden
und für die Zielgruppe definitiv antestenswert.
By Bust
Published 29 April 2007
Rating: 4/5
Devious kommer her med sitt andre
album siden oppstarten i 2000, og de kjřrer fortsatt pĺ med dřmetall der
rřttene er plantet i gammel thrash.
Det hele bćrer preg av kvalitet og
at bandet drar i samme retning. Musikken er skrudd sammen slik at albumet
inneholder nok variasjon til ĺ tĺle hyppig bruk og siden det meste ligger i det
lavere sjiktet av midt-tempo er det ingen tvil om at dette lett kan fenge mange
hvis bare Devious fĺr et střrre apperat i ryggen og hjelp til ĺ spre navnet
sitt og musikken. Jeg hjelper gjerne til med det lille jeg kan, for denne
smĺtekniske og groovy ekstremmetallen tiltaler meg meget. Selvfřlgelig fĺr vi
en intro, noe som i disse dager tydeligvis er obligatorisk, men den er mer som
en instrumental innledning til lĺten Room 302 ĺ regne og funker til dels. Room
302 fĺr du ogsĺ med en musikkvideo av, og det hele virker mĺlrettet og
profesjonellt. Nĺr resten av dřmetallbandene vrenger opp og fĺr blemmer pĺ
fingrene pga frenetisk riffing er det godt ĺ hřre et band dra tempoet ned pĺ en
sĺ vellykket mĺte. Riffene er minneverdige, variasjonen sĺ stor at lĺtene stĺr
fjellstřtt og det befriende med en vokal som ikke mĺ vćre sintest i byen, men
heller har vekt pĺ ĺ bćre melodiene fremover. Spenningen og lyttervennligheten
holdes oppe gjennom alle 12 sporene og det mangler ikke pĺ tekniske finesser og
andre krumspring som nok vil overraske de fleste. Sjekk ut Room 302 og den litt
mer melodiřse Days of Disorder for ĺ finne ut om dette er noe for deg. Aldri
kjedelig, flotte melodier og befriende gjennomfřrt er en grei oppsumering i
denne omgang.
Carnage Deathmetal Fanzine (DE)
By LT
Published: 19 April 2007
Rating: 60/100
Die niederländischen DEVIOUS
tummeln sich bereits seit 2000 auf der Bildfläche rum und haben nach einem Demo
(„Devious“ 2002) und einer CD („Acts Of Rage“ 2003) hier ihre zweite Scheibe
auf den ach so kleinen Markt geworfen. DEVIOUS hört man's aber auf jeden Fall
an, dass sie nicht erst seit gestern unterwegs sind, da die Songs doch schon ne
ordentliche professionelle Note haben und nicht im Einheitsbrei von belanglosen
Scheiben untergeht. Grundtenor der Scheibe ist melodischer Death Metal Marke
Schweden, gepaart mit ein paar Black Metal und US Death Metal Einflüssen, die
meist im UpTempo angesiedelt sind und zudem noch das ein oder andere Thrashriff
hervorzaubert. Klingt zwar alles recht modern, hat aber schon eine recht
ähnliche Atmosphäre wie die Frühwerke von DARK TRANQUILLITY, wobei mich das
ganze komischer Weise auch das eine oder andere Mal an NILE erinnert. Ist auf
jeden Fall eine weitgefächerte Scheibe, die man sich gut reinziehen Kann.
Generell können mich aber die heftigeren Songs wie „Misanthropic Entities“,
„Days Of Disorder“ oder „Shibito“ mehr überzeugen. Eine nette Scheibe die
irgendwo zwischen alle Stühlen angesiedelt ist und deshalb es wohl auch nicht
leicht haben wird. Trotzdem ganz nette Scheibe, die man sich als MelodicDeath
Fan mit Hang zum brutaleren Sound auf jeden Fall mal reinziehen kann.
By Verrottuh
Published 01 May 2007
Rating: 90/100
After the mini-cd in 2002, and an
album (acts of rage) in 2003, after a four year waiting period they came up
with a second album. Devious, another solid act in the Dutch death metal scene.
Were these four years worthwhile? That's a question I can answer with a BIG
YES!! The music of Devious is hard to describe but i will try. I think it's a
mixture between "Yyrkoon", "At the gates" and even a piece
of Morbid Angel. That's the closest I can come up with. Due to the layers of
keyboards they get a symphonic vibe, and in a song as Incantation of the
eartbound they also show that they are familiar with blackmetal. The music is
more intelligent than the average death metalband, unexpected twists,
adventures and contrary riffs molded in well build up songs. Ok, this is all
just a small indication of what you can expect from them. The production is as
clear as cristal. A must for this highly intelligent album 'cause every detail
no matter how small, needs to be heard. I can tell you more how great this
album is, but you'll have to find out for yourself.
Rock
Underground Magazine (BR)
By RC
Published 040 May 2007
Rating: 75/100
A banda iniciou as atividades em
98 como uma banda de Thrash Metal, mas transformaram em tempos depois em
Thrash/Death Metal com o passar dos anos. Depois de uma bem sucedida turnę com
o Krisiun em Março de 2006, gravaram este segundo álbum fazendo onze músicas
brutais exaltando o terror. Com um novo selo, e um novo CD, a banda mostra
estar querendo chegar no primeiro escalăo do Metal Extremo e da cena Thrash. A
banda da Holanda combina o novo Death Metal com as raízes do Thrash oitentista.
By Spina
Published 07 May 2007
Rating: 75/100
Os ofrecemos el segundo álbum de
esta joven formación holandesa nacida en el 2000 de la mano de su batería Frank
y su guitarrista Guido.
Su primer álbum, "Acts Of
Rage", fué editado en 2003 y gracias a las buenas críticas que tuvieron,
consiguieron compartir cartel con bandas como CRYPTOPSY, SUFFOCATION, VADER,
GOD DETHRONED, MALEVOLENT CREATION o DYING FETUS, dato que nos da pistas de lo
aguerrido de su sonido!! Tras un par de ańos en los que apenas se tiene
noticias de ellos, se meten en los estudios Ground Zero para registrar este
nuevo disco y consiguen fichar con el joven sello holandes Deity Down, que son
quienes les han lanzado esta obra el pasado mes de Febrero. El álbum está
dividido en 12 cortes y como extra trae un videoclip del tema "Room
302". La banda nos abre las puertas del infierno con la instrumental
introductoria "Entrance...", un tema en clave medio tiempo con un
toque oscuro que desemboca directamente en "Room 302" y su brutal
mezcla de death/trash con momentos cercanos al black metal más agerrido y
rápido. Es de destacar el buen sonido de guitarras que han conseguido y los
rapidísimos ritmos que se curra la sección rítmica. "Incantation Of The
Earthbound" nos acecha con su toque técnico y en cuya "intro"
nos vamos a encontrar desde un pequeńo interludio acústico muy oscuro hasta
estallidos de pura violencia. Tras ella, la banda nos asalta con un tema mucho
más cańero que el anterior, con unas voces brutales a cargo de Coen que tiran
de espaldas y unos ritmos enmarańados, rápidos e hiper técnicos por parte de
los músicos, con partes a medio tiempo, otras de autentica locura a lo brutal
death o pasajes a lo black melódico. La verdad es que los músicos no paran ni
un segundo de crear un ritmo tras otro, dandole una variedad impresionante al
corte. Con el siguiente tema "Boundless Domain" aclaran un poco el
panorama musical ofreciendonos un tema death/thrash muy rítmico, con guitarras
bien cargadas de melodías y la cańera voz en primer plano. Algunos pasajes
ritmicos son exquisitos en una onda thrash moderno o incluso jugando con el
death melódico, aunque la banda se empeńa en radicalizar el ambiente a la menor
oportunidad, con esa mezcla entre la rabia del black y la potencia del death
más destripante ya mostrada en los primeros compases del cd. En
"Misanthropic Entities" la banda sigue dandole cera a su lado más
técnico, con la rápida sucesión de ritmos que nos presentan en este corte. Es
impresionante el número de diferentes ritmos que consigue meter esta gente en
sus temas!! Cuesta seguir la onda general de sus cortes y aquí no es una
excepción, dependiendo del oyente y sus gustos si esta gente acierta o no con
el sonido que nos presentan. Como mínimo, interesantes son. Antes de que los
vecinos llamen al siquiatrico nos llega "Suoived pt 2", un pequeńo
corte semi acústico que vamos a aprovechar para tomarnos un bien merecido
respiro. "The Repentance" rebaja la cańa que nos habia acompańado
hasta ahora, con una sonoridad más a medio tiempo en la que mandan las
guitarras rítmicas y el percutir más lento de su sección rítmica. Es a partir
de la mitad del corte el momento que aprovecha la banda para meter algo más de
cańa y convertir el tema en death/thrash más clásico y casi de inclinación
nórdica, aunque las voces sigan siendo brutales. Uno de los temas favoritos del
compacto, sin duda. Volvemos a la línea general del cd con "Third World
Suicide" y esa especie de mezcla entre el death, el thrash y el black,
aunque la banda ha optado por meterle más melodía al asunto. Un tema
instrumentalmente muy rico, plagado de buenisimas guitarras y algún momento más
técnico y destripante, con una parte final perfecta. "Days Of Disorder"
comienza rápida y con el brutal ataque vocal que venimos observando a lo largo
del cd. La batería no para de golpear los parches con virulencia en muchos
momentos mientras los guitarras nos regalan algunos de los mejores pasajes del
compacto, en otro corte que nos puede recordar la onda nórdica. Un tema que
transmite buenas vibraciones y que se convierte en otro de los favoritos. El
título del siguiente tema ya nos deja entrever qué nos vamos a encontrar en él,
"Dead Cannibal Civilization". La banda vuelve a la onda super técnica
con multitud de cambios de ritmos y cierto aire a lo brutal death en algunos
agerridos momentos. "Shibito", bajo este raro título nos encontramos
con uno de los temas más rítmicos del compacto. Las melodías de guitarra son estupendas
y encima le meten ritmos más a medio tiempo que engrandecen enormemente el
sonido general. La nota más brutal la pone la incansable y agresiva voz de su
cantante y ciertos momentos más rápidos, en plan black/death nórdico. Otro gran
tema. Con "Lowest In The Foodchain" llegamos al final de viaje y lo
hacemos con una buena mezcla entre la parte más rítmica del death/thrash y la
más desgarradora del death/black, todo ello iniciado por la larga intro en plan
hiper técnico que se han currado. Un tema que arrasa con lo poco que quedaba en
pie. DEVIOUS caminan entre la locura y el autocontrol, mostrandonos que
técnica, imaginación y recursos no les faltan. Un disco y una banda que apenas
ofrece descanso y aunque podríamos considerarlos como death/thrash, su ataque
es bastante más radical que el de la típica banda de este estilo. Recomendado a
los que os guste el death más técnico y cańero.
By Azriel
Published 07 May 2007
Rating: 75/100
Sich mit voller Absicht zwischen
alle Stühle setzen und dabei nicht wie ein kompletter Vollidiot aussehen ist
auch eine Kunst. Jeder der sich auf Omis 78sten Geburtstag schon mal mit
Eierlikör und Doppelkorn die Kante gegeben hat, weiß wovon ich Rede. Nichts ist
peinlicher als wenn das schwarze, tätowierte Schaf der Familie besoffen auf den
Arsch fällt und der ungeliebte fette Cousin mit Abitur und fiesem
Seitenscheitel dabei zukuckt. DEVIOUS aus Holland beherrschen diese Kunst, denn
der hier dargebotene Death Metal mit tiefschwarzen Einflüssen, auch als Black
Metal bekannt, dröhnt auf technisch höchstem Niveau aus den Boxen. Allein die
Nummer „Room 302“ ist schon ein Hammer. Mit fiesem Thrasheinschlag und jede
Menge Hitpotential in der Melodieführung klatscht mir der Song meine
Frontlappen an die Schädelrückwand. Sehr fett. Leider ist mit Hit und Melodie
dann auch schon Feierabend. Der Rest der Scheibe fungiert dann hauptsächlich
als Laufsteg für die Frickelfraktion. Meine Güte, was für ein Geschepper. Der
Härtegrad und Aggrofaktor ist zwar exorbitant hoch, aber dafür auch die
Komplexität. Das Material ist unglaublich sperrig. Wo eine Band wie IMMOLATION
trotz Jazz, Frickeleien und Spaß am Unorthodoxen es trotzdem schaffen ihren
Songs ein Schema zu verpassen, sucht man eben dieses auf den restlichen Songs
vergebens. „The Repentance“ kann aus diesem Schema ausbrechen und besticht
durch epischen Songaufbau, der Rest ist mir aber einfach zu hektisch. „Domain“ ist
sicher eine gute Death Metal Scheibe und sieht gegenüber den letzten Alben von
GOD DETHRONED, ABORTED und ähnlich gelagerten Bands gar nicht so schlecht aus.
Eine Duftmarke ist gesetzt, das nächste Mal aber dann bitte mehr Übersongs wie
die oben erwähnten.
Alternative
Webzine (IL)
By Alon Miasnikov
Published May 2007
Rating: n/a
I don’t know why it took 4 years
for The Netherlands' Devious to create a second release following their 2003
debut, but I have to say, it was worth the wait. Strictly speaking, the band
creates melodic death metal, if I have to elaborate, they also feature some
nice thrash riffs, black metal black beats and atmospheric moments, so
basically it's a combination of several extreme genres. Usually I advice such
things to be avoided, in metal – as in cooking, keeping it simple is usually
for the best, and sticking to one kind of cuisine, or metal genre, is probably
the best thing to do. Not here. These guys manage to stir the multi-genre
effort quite easily, sounding good and aggressive in whatever musical direction
they explore. The crisp and clear sound helps them quite a bit with their
endeavor, but the solid musicianship has a lot to do with it as well. While
opener – "Room 302" is mostly a melodic death number with strong
blast-beats, a track such as "Incantation Of The Earthbound" is much
more diverse and over the top, having several strong riffs and a solid drive
throughout; It's very complex and quite long, very aggressive too, but it works
thanks to the band's good writing ability. While their brand of death metal is
certainly not a new invention, I liked the way the band injects the proceedings
with enough modern sounding groove and progressive elements to make this not
sound dated. "Boundless Domain" is a fine example of that. Some other
interesting bits are such connecting instruments as "Suoived Pt.II"
that continue with strong aggressive numbers as "The Repentance",
quite an impressive technical display by the band, again feeling a bit more
like epic black metal during some of the verses, only delving onto death metal
later. The only problem I have here is that some of the later songs seem to
slip into complacency, with a few of them sounding quite similar and lacking in
any unique hooks. All in all - an impressive release, quite complex and
technical, this should probably tickle the fancy of tech death fans, but other
extreme metal fanatics will also find what to like here.
Brutalism
Webzine (NL)
By Twan Sibon
Published 16 May 2007
Rating: 4/5
After their demo in 2002 and the
"Acts Of Rage" in 2003 it is time to release their new album. So in
2007 they released "Domain" on Deity Down Records and the album is
containing 12 tracks. Devious plays death metal with a technical and groovy
approach. The songs are well structured and still sounding loose. Raw and
aggressive grunts by their new vocalist and fresh sounding thrashy riffs that
jump up and down. Together with the solid base the songs just rocks. Tempo is
various and with the blast, accoustic interlude or synth parts it is also multi
dimensional. No wonder it took almost 4 years to come up with this album as
they spend the time recording and had eye for details. Nice artwork and a cool
videoclip of "Room 302". Top release!
Blastbeat
Webzine (NL)
By Roberto
Published 18 May 2007
Rating: 75/100
Devious is een band die nu toch al
stilaan een naam begint te maken in de Metal wereld. Ze stonden onder andere al
op het podium met Cannibal Corpse en Krisiun. Devious speelt Death Metal met af
en toe wat Trash ertussen verweven. Deze CD is echt iets voor de Death Metal
liefhebbers, een ruwe stem en de capaciteiten van de instrumenten worden ten
volle benut. De cd wordt afgewerkt met hier en daar een vleugje synthesizer
gespeeld door gastmuzikant Carsten Altena. Maar ik heb het gevoel dat de
synthesizer een soort gat moet vullen dat gecreëerd werd door een tekort aan
solo’s. De CD brengt een zeer goede afwisseling tussen semi-akoestisch en
elektrische gitaar. Entrance is echt de toegang tot de cd, dit eerder
bombastisch nummer groeit naarmate hij het einde nadert. In dit nummer is de
synthesizer al onmiddellijk van de partij, je zal merken dat deze meerdere
keren terug komt in de verschillende nummers. De synthesizer creëert een
meerwaarde aan de nummers. Het brengt de cd als het ware naar een nieuw niveau.
Incantation Of Earthbound is qua riffs veel gevarieerde en dateerde uit de
periode van de vorige cd. Dit nummer duurt een goeie zes minuten en verveelt
geen moment, het is waarschijnlijk wel een van de meest gevarieerde nummers op
de cd. Vroeger speelden techniek, agressiviteit, diversiteit een grote rol bij
Devious maar als je deze cd beluisterd zal je merken dat ze melodieuzer zijn
geworden, er zit ook meer structuur in de nummers. Boundless Domain is hier een
goed voorbeeld van. Ik ben voorstander van instrumentale nummers op cd’s,
tenminste als deze goed geplaatst zijn. Ze bieden als het ware een adempauze op
de cd. Suoived II is echt de stilte voor de storm, dit semi- akoestisch nummer
dat het vorige en het volgende nummer eigenlijk perfect aan elkaar weeft, geeft
een duidelijke meerwaarde aan de cd. Dit nummer eindigt in een luide
ademhaling, en deze heb je echt nodig want de hel breekt los. The Repentance is
echt een knaller van een nummer, de enorm strakke gitaar rif en de drum die het
mooi begeleid. Ook een mooie afwisseling tussen het iet wat rustigere en
stevige gitaar werk. Days Of Disorder klinkt anders dan de vorige nummers op de
cd maar is daarom niet minder slecht. De riffs zijn snel, de drum is strak.
Kortom echte Death Metal. Als afsluiter is er gekozen voor het nummer Lowest In
The Food Chain. In dit nummer horen we echt de Morbid Angel invloeden, om dan
over te gaan in Devious. Dit nummer is een perfecte afsluiter voor de cd. Een
mooie solo op het einde maakt deze cd compleet.
Real
Rock Radio (NL)
By Geert van der Laan
Published Unknown
Rating: n/a
Devious uit Hengelo brengt ons met
het album ‘Domain' een mix van thrash/death metal met ondersteuning van veel
technisch geweld. Met de muziek van deze band worden we gelukkig niet verveeld
met ellenlange, overbodige solo's, maar worden we juist op onze wenken bediend
met afwisseling door middel van progressieve elementen uit de wat technischere
variant van de death metal. Verrassende breaks, tempowisselingen en het
hanteren van af en toe variërende maatsoorten zijn hier duidelijke kenmerken
van. Toch is dit aspect niet teveel aanwezig, zodat de nummers vrij structureel
te volgen zijn. De muziek bevat veel invloeden uit de verschillende subgenre's
van de metal. De meeste nummers tappen uit het befaamde death metal vaatje,
maar ook met black metal wordt gesjanst met tevens een klein knipoogje naar het
progressievere werk. Ook heavy metal wordt niet met rust gelaten en ‘Shibito',
een opener met een echte heavy metal riff, is daar een goed voorbeeld van.
Devious vermengt deze stijlen tot een eigen heerlijk brouwsel van extreme
metal, waarin een sfeerverhogende rol is weggelegd voor de toetsen. Het album
opent met een muzikaal sterke intro die wordt besloten met een sample uit de
film ‘Braveheart', waarvan de tekst ‘my hate will die with you..' uit de
speakers komt. Dit herkenningspunt zorgt even voor een moment van kippenvel,
waarna de beuk er flink wordt ingegooid met het ‘Room 302'. De productie is
moddervet en klinkt gewoon heerlijk. Het album bevat 12 ijzersterke nummers die
van uitzonderlijke kwaliteit doordrongen zijn. Het enige nadeel is dat de
verveling, bij het in het geheel beluisteren van de cd, enigszins toeslaat. Met
name na het beluisteren van de eerste 7 nummers heeft het album al haar
geheimen feitelijk prijsgegeven en is bekend wat gaat volgen. Als de cd iets
korter was geweest zouden de nummers eerdere een blijvende indruk achterlaten. Ook
door het veelvuldig gebruik van ‘speedpicking' beginnen de melodielijnen erg op
elkaar te lijken, hetgeen er weer voor zorgt dat het persoonlijke gezicht van
de nummers afzonderlijk iets verdwijnt. Het album bevat verder, naast de vele
up-tempo nummers, een zeer mooie rustpauze getiteld ‘Suoived Pt.2' en een
mid-tempo beuker ‘The Repentance'. Met dit album zet Devious zich definitief op
de lijst van de grotere bands van de lage landen. Snelheid, melodie, technische
variatie, afwisseling: kortom dit album biedt bijna alles wat het ‘hardere'
genre nodig heeft. Zeker een band om in de gaten te houden!
Novometal
Webzine (BR)
By Matheus Vireira
Published 31 March 2008
Rating: 70/100
Formado em 1998, os holandeses do
Devious chegam ao seu segundo álbum ,Domain, e pode ter o seu nome lembrado por
aqueles que acompanham a carreira dos brazucas do Krisiun, que excursionaram
pela Europa junto com o Devious. Domain é um álbum com altos e baixos, o
Death/Thrash executado pela banda soa bem moderno, com alguns riffs lembrando o
Arch Enemy. Explicando o porquę dos altos e baixos, algumas músicas săo bem
legais, mas a banda peca, ŕs vezes, pela falta de originalidade. Parece que os
mesmos “ingredientes” foram usados em todas as músicas. “Room 302”, cujo clipe
é bem interessante, é a faixa mais legal do álbum; “Incantation of the
Earthbound” é bem pesada e “Suoived Pt.II” tem o arranjo mais complexo do CD,
com violőes e levadas de baixo excelentes. O resto do álbum năo me chamou muita
atençăo. Esse fato năo tira o mérito dos músicos, que săo competentes e mostram
intimidade com seus respectivos instrumentos. A produçăo de Domain está bem
cristalina, tendo um destaque para a forte pegada do pedal duplo de Frank e a
forte e imponente voz de Coen Tabak que também é a vocalista das bandas
holandesas Bloodsin e Pernicious, ambas de Death Metal. Confira e formule sua
opiniăo. Năo vi aqui nada de extraordinário. Posso definir este lançamento do
Devious com um adjetivo: Regular.
Minacious
Webzine (SE)
By Mordant
Published 01 April 2007
Rating: n/a
This is my first encounter with this
Dutch band. This is their second full-lenght, they have also released a self
titled mini CD in 2002. They have been around since the turn of the millennium
and they play a mixture of Thrash Metal and Death Metal. Their approach is
quite melodic, but it's still harder and heavier then the Gothenburg stuff.
Quite technical Death Metal, focused and well played, inspired mostly by the
American masters of Death Metal with a hint of the early Swedish groove mixed
with some general Thrash Metal. A lot of tempo-changes but there is a natural
flow, it never feels abrupt or out of place. The vocals feels more Thrash Metal
then Death Metal, no deep grunt/growls, more screamed vocals, borderline Black
Metal. As I said before there are some melodic elements to the music, mostly
delivered by a keyboard, which is good since then the guitars can concentrate
on churning out brutal and fierce Death Metal riffs. But it isn't just
mind-blowing violence, there are also a lot of headbanger riffs is contained on
this CD. Nice effort, not really my type of music but if you are into technical
Death Metal mixed with Thrash Metal with a melodic touch this is for you. Great
craftsmanship.
By Steph
Published May 2007
Rating: n/a
Those who think Holland is just
about female-fronted big-tits-gotho-bitch-wimp Metal should better think twice.
Our neighbours are known for their top quality brutal Death Metal productions
from bands such as The Monolith Deathcult and Severe Torture just to name a
few… Devious belong to that category and their second album should bring them
aside the leaders of the genre. Their Death Metal is sometimes ultra fast but
most riffs are somewhat catchy and exciting! Numerous breaks, groovy parts and
technical skills make "Domain" a must have. The slower tunes such as
"The Repentance" will make you bang your head like a real maniac. Of
course, vocals are excellent, slightly diversified, deep and powerful, just
perfect!
Not much to add except all Death
Metal lunatics must possess this great release.
By Andrew Pennington
Published June 2007
Rating: n/a
For such a small country that the
Netherlands is, there is never a short fall of the ever-expanding extreme metal
genre. Devious are one such band that have raised a few eyebrows from said
country, before me lies the latest work of the 5-piece band. The second full
length entitled Domain released by Deity Down Records, since the previous
Spitzenburg Records release Acts Of Rage and the self published 2002
self-titled EP. The album consists of a hearty just less than 50 minutes 12
track rampage from the word go. Entrance, a mere intro beholds a slight black
metal tint of Old Mans Child-ish tongue before launching into a full-scale
demolition job of a thrashy Room 302. This thrash idea works well between
passages of chaotic and in places melodic black metal and old school death
metal as one will notice as the piece progresses. Incantation Of The Earthbound
takes on a different angle; Old Mans Child like black metal balanced with death
metal passages in the vein of Malevolent Creation. To name any one similar band,
Primal Dawn. This seems to be the idea throughout the entire work with an
interlude mid way Suoived Pt II which leads directly into the best track on
here in one opinion, The Repentance, heavy guitars, slightly different attitude
and different sounds making it hard to put a finger on many similarities, there
is plenty of changes, and technicality. Sweeping between heavy lockdowns, rapid
fire drumming and acoustic guitar work. Aswell as Old Mans Child, Primal Dawn
and Malevolent Creation, one could also say Devious bear resemblances with Arch
Enemy, Suffocation, Rotting Christ & God Dethroned. Production is very
well, musicianship is tight and an overall mix has been achieved at a high
standard, maybe the kick drum level could be a little higher as it can seem to
be a little hard to hear at points, apart from that consistency has been
gained.
Overall a good listen, there’s
definitely something different with this band and they should gain recognition
with good exposure though the band seem to be doing an all right job
considering a tour with Krisiun last year was underway. I’m a fan!
Chile Metal Webzine (CL, link no longer valid)
By Unknown
Published July 2007
Rating: n/a
El Sello Deity Down Records nos
hizo llegar el último trabajo de una excelente banda Holandesa llamada Devious,
la cual nos presenta su segundo larga duración llamado “Domain” Esta placa está
formada por una intro mas 11 track de un buen ejecutado Death Thrash Metal .Un
sonido limpio lleno de tecnicismo y variados cambios. Este segundo trabajo de
los holandeses nos es para nada un disco plano, todo lo contario, hay
diferentes matices que van desde principio a fin de “Domain”, se nota la
dedicación de los músicos los cambios vocales de Coen Tabak en donde pasa por
varios tonos demenciales, los cuales hacen recordar a otros demonios del metal.
Los guitarristas se destacan por los riff cortos precisos y pesados, en varios
temas se mandan unos harmónicos muy al estilo de Morbid Angel . El bajista Sven
también aporta lo suyo una potencia extra le agrega a este disco con la
ejecución de su bajo de 6 cuerdas, que no es muy común de ver en bandas de
Death metal, caso aparte es el baterista “---“ ufff… más bien es una metralleta
en donde se deja de lado el típico “tuca tuca “ de la caja y se aprovecha al
100 % cada tambor y platillo de este instrumento. ”Domain” trae un bonus, donde
aparece el video de la canción “Room 302” en donde se refleja todo lo contado
anterior mente sobre todo la actuación del vocal, el cual sale como un
verdadero demente con camisa de fuerza. Un disco excelente 100 % recomendable.
No lo recomiendo para quienes sufren de esquizofrenia o delirio de persecución
escucharlo esta bajo su responsabilidad.
Executioner Webzine (ES, link no longer
valid)
By Marc Tudori
Published 07 July 2007
Rating: 90/100
Holanda se caracteriza por ser un país donde existen y han
existido muchos grupos de Metal Extremo. Gracias a ello, nos podemos encontrar
con bandas como Devious, que tras haber lanzando un primer disco en el 2003
(“Acts of Rage”) y haber girado el pasado ańo con los brasileńos Krisiun,
además de compartir cartel con bandas como Suffocation o Cryptopsy, nos traen
esta joya titulada “Domain”, con un total de 50 min. repartidos en 12 temas.
Tras escuchar una pequeńa intro titulada “Entrance...”, comienza el segundo
tema de este álbum, “Room 302”, donde ya podemos hacernos una idea de donde van
los tiros de “Domain”. Sin duda, podemos afirmar que su estilo se centra en
Death Metal con un sonido moderno, pero también con partes muy thrasheras y
otras melódicas. Según he podido leer, su influencia principal es de bandas
como Morbid Angel, Death y At The Gates. Aunque yo me atrevería a a afirmar que
su sonido va más encaminado al de At The Gates y otras bandas del estilo
similar. En “Incantation of the Earthbound”, ya nos podemos percatar de que el
cantante no usa un único registro vocal, puesto que en empieza con una voz muy
oscura, para luego seguir con una voz gutural que a mi personalmente me
recuerda a la del mítico vocalista de Deicide, Glen Benton; por último, va
adoptando una voz más thrashera, la que más se puede escuchar en todo el disco,
que va cambiando de agudo a grave de una forma realmente espectacular. En pocas
palabras, se trata de un gran cantante con mucho dinamismo y que aporta a
Devious el sonido moderno del que hablábamos. Si alguien escuchase las
guitarras, estaría de acuerdo conmigo que son uno de los pilares de esta banda.
Aunque se basen principalmente en la rítmica, ambas guitarras ejecutan riffs
muy variados: melódicos, thrasheros, otros de más cańero..., pero siempre con
una gran técnica que en consecuencia, podemos oír unas armonías entre ambas
guitarras, que nos pueden recordar a la de bandas como In Flames de sus
primeros álbumes. Y que decir de la parte rítmica. Realmente asombroso el papel
del batería de Devious en este álbum, donde los cambios de ritmo son
constantes, pasando de partes thrasheras rápidas a otras partes más lentas y
melódicas. Por otro lado, en temas como por ejemplo “Misanthropic Entities”, la
cańa que mete este seńor es brutal, a base de blast beats super rápidos de
igual forma que el doble pedal. El bajista acompańa en todo momento a la
perfección a la batería, realizando varios cambios a lo largo de cada uno de
los temas, factor que se hace notar en el sonido final. Además de los
instrumentos típicos de bandas de Metal, se pueden escuchar algún tema, como en
“Suoived Pt.II”, con partes acústicas, así como instrumentos de percusión de
metal, además de usar teclados combinados con sonidos extrańos. Si hablamos de
la producción de “Domain”, creo que la labor que ha realizado Deity Down
Records con esta banda holandesa es más que loable: se trata de una producción
de lujo que se ve reflejada en el sonido final del disco. Para concluir, me
gustaría recomendar este grupo a aquella gente que le guste el metal extremo
moderno cuyo sonido combine variedad de estilos.
Earshot Magazine (AT)
By Mike
Published 12 July 2007
Rating: 5/7
DEVIOUS aus den Niederlanden präsentieren mit „Domain“
nach einer Mini Cd und dem Album „Acts Of Rage“ ihre zweite Langrille der
metallischen Öffentlichkeit. Nach dem sehr bombastischen, an HYPOCRISY und auch
DIMMU BORGIR erinnernden Instrumental „Entrance“ legt man mit einer ziemlich
nach Göteborg klingenden Mischung aus melodischen Death und Thrash Metal los.
Die fünf Burschen können mit einer handwerklich soliden Vorstellung überzeugen,
den Inbegriff der Originalität stellt „Domain“ jedoch nicht da. Die melodische
Mucke geht gut ins Ohr, über 49 Minuten wird gutklassiger Extrem Metal ohne Tiefpunkte,
jedoch auch ohne wirklichen Höhepunkt geboten. Die Jungs durften auch den
Opener für Bands wie VADER, DARKANE, CROWBAR, THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, GOD
DETHRONED, MALEVOLENT CREATION, DYING FETUS und KRISIUN machen, was meine
Meinung über die Truppe bestätigt: Die Musik ist nett anzuhören und stimmt live
sicher gut auf die genannten Kaliber ein, um selbst als Headliner auf der Bühne
zu stehen fehlt aber noch das gewisse Etwas. Anhänger von melodischem
Schwedentod werden trotzdem beim Anhören von „Domain“ nicht enttäuscht sein.
Benzoworld Webzine (IT)
By Sam
Published 07 July 2007
Rating: 60/100
Dall’Olanda con (poco) furore, i Devious! Cosě come centinaia
di volte avrete letto questa frase in una recensione, con i cosiddetti che vi
toccheranno ormai terra, lo stesso effetto ve lo regalerŕ l’album in questione.
Per caritŕ, i suoni sono anche spaziali e non mancano alcune intuizioni
gradevoli, ma il senso generale di “giŕ sentito”, unito all’appiattimento
vocale, demoralizza, lascia l’amaro in bocca, per un dischetto che con un
briciolo di personalitŕ in piů avrebbe quantomeno fatto la sua parte nel
lettore ciddě di un’auto, piacevole sottofondo di un viaggetto magari lungo
l’autostrada del Brennero; e invece ‘Domain’ č piů adatto come colonna sonora
di una domenica di traffico intasato lungo la strada costiera del lago di
Garda. Comunque, lasciando da parte divagazioni vacanziere, il genere proposto dai
nostri č un death metal con pesanti venature black, quello dei Cradle o di
alcuni Dimmu Borgir per intenderci, molto metal e molto atmosferico, quindi
anche tronfio e pacchiano in certi momenti. Non sempre questi aggettivi hanno
un valore negativo, basta essere coerenti. I nostri invece sembrano non aver
preso una strada precisa, tra momenti un po’ troppo concreti ed altri
decisamente piů melodico-evocativi. Volendo prendere due termini di paragone
agli estremi, si potrebbero citare i Kalmah e i Kataklysm, ma intendiamoci,
senza mai avvicinarsi alle vette qualitative di questi due gruppi. Parrebbe che
per entrambi i casi sia la fantasia e la giŕ citata personalitŕ a peccare nel
paragone. In fondo, nel loro piccolo, entrambi questi due gruppi hanno saputo
inventare cose geniali: flirtando con la melodia black piů bella, senza mai
sconfinarci; rimanendo legati alla matrice death, ma con una visione
singolarissima. Qua in campo invece ci sono solo i muscoli metal e poco piů,
una bella facciata senza troppa sostanza. Francamente fatico a capire i diversi
voti entusiastici che hanno raccolto, oltretutto non solo in patria, dove il
campanilismo č lecito. Se apprezzate il genere, sicuramente c’č di meglio in
giro, e lo č anche in abbondanza, e questo certo non aiuta i cari Devious.
Metalist
Webzine (IL)
By Alon Miasnikov
Published 25 July 2007
Rating: 35/50
Review in Hebrew. If you’ve mastered the language, please
follow the link. This website’s character set unfortunately does not know what
to do with Hebrew.
Ballbuster Webzine (USA)
By Chris Forbes
Published August / September 2007
Rating: n/a
This was some pretty good death metal I must say. The band
writes some nice riffs and the playing is tight and the band is fast and the
music is very powerful. The vocals are death metal all the way and the guy sings
with some passion and emotion. The band reminds me of Immolation in spots,
which isn't a bad thing at all. The production is nice and thick and heavy and
the guitar sound shines. A winner.
Backline Magazine
(NL)
By JG
Published Backline Popmagazine Gelderland en Overijssel,
nummer 33, zomer 2007, ISSN 1387-1390
Rating: n/a
Zo, deze mannen uit Hengelo (O) blazen je even het stof
uit de oren. Niet van dat slappe geneuzel, maar flink de beuk erin. U raadt het
al, Devious bedient zich van de zwaardere metalen muzieksoort. Denk aan
Cannibal Corpse of Vader. Dergelijke orkestjes. Furieuze en superstrakke riffs
vliegen links en rechts door je kamer, vakkundig dichtgetimmerd door drumbeest
Frank. Dit terwijl vocalist Coen diepe grunts afwisselt met een mooi thrash
zanggeluid en hier en daar een clean gedeelte. Bijvoorbeeld Boundless Domain,
maar zeker ook Misanthropic Entities laten bewonderenswaardige ritmewisselingen
horen. Technisch klinkt het allemaal als een klok. De ongeoefende luisteraar
zal dit echter absoluut ontgaan: die zal denken dat het einde der tijden nader
is of dat een ander groot onheil zich van de mensheid meester maakt. Voor de
geoefende liefhebber is dit echter een zeer knappe plaat met een internationale
sound. Let ook op de bijgevoegde videoclip van het eerste nummer. Mijn advies:
kopen.
Marios
Metal Mania Webzine (NL)
By William Nijhof
Published 28 April 2008
Rating: 75/100
Devious is a relatively new band that started in 2000.
They released their first demo in 2002 and their debut album "Acts of
Rage" in 2004 by Spitzenburg records. After a line up change they decided
to work on a new album and I must say it definitely kicks ass. They signed a
deal with DeityDown Records a relatively new label (the only thing they
released yet is "A Nihilistic Swarm" of Vermin) that will bring them
right back in the metal scene. Their latest album is really great. The songs
have a lot of variety in it and the production of the album is great. The drums
are very fast and pound through every song. The guitar riffs are very technical
and sound furious. All though I also like there first album with the old singer
(also singed with Altar) I must say that there new singer has a great grunt
that finish this album as a great death metal record. Fast songs combined with
old school Morbid Angel riffs, very nice. If you like bands like Morbid Angel
or Krisiun you should check out this album.
Metal Impact Webzine (FR)
By Le Comte de la Crypte
Published 21 September 2007
Rating: 4/5
Avec ce deuxičme album, DEVIOUS ne témoigne pas de la
déférence attendue envers ses aînés et, plutôt que de frapper humblement ŕ la
porte des Grands de la scčne Metal, il est bien décidé ŕ la faire voler en
éclats. Le groupe met les choses au clair dčs son « Entrance... », une instrumentale,
histoire de montrer que les gars maîtrisent leurs instruments. Qui plus est, la
production est aux petits oignons. « Room 302 » débute sur des riffs Thrash
Death Mélodique de bonne facture mais somme toute assez classiques. Pour
autant, les vocaux de Coen nous annoncent que l'orage couve et qu'il va bientôt
nous péter ŕ la gueule et d'ailleurs, pas le temps de nous abriter, puisque la
rythmique, particuličrement solide, s'emballe, blasts ŕ l'appui, tandis que les
riffs crépitent. Les Hollandais évoluent dans un registre męlant Death, Thrash,
Black, Hardcore, disons brutal pour aller vite. Et ce qui, chez la plupart des
jeunes groupes, est le signe d'un manque de maturité, trouve chez DEVIOUS une
cohésion assez surprenante. Domain est un album homogčne, doté d'un groove
indéniable, mais aussi de moments de furie dignes d'un IMPALED NAZARENE («
Incantation Of The Earthbound », « Misanthropic & Titties »), sans oublier
de réelles prouesses techniques ŕ la THEORY IN PRACTICE et catchy ŕ la DARK TRANQUILLITY,
avec cette aptitude consistant ŕ créer des riffs qui, une fois écoutés, vous
obsčdent immédiatement. Il est certain que le fait d'avoir partagé la scčne
avec des groupes comme VADER, DARKANE, THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, GOD
DETHRONED, MALEVOLENT CREATION et DYING FETUS laisse nécessairement des
séquelles. Tous les styles évoqués plus haut se croisent et s'entremęlent au
travers d'un travail de composition soigné et riche, ne lésinant pas sur les
ruptures de rythmes. Et plus du groove, c'est une véritable ambiance qui se
dégage de ses douze titres et une fois de plus, les Hollandais n'optent pas
pour la facilité puisqu'ils n'usent que trčs rarement de samples. Amateur de
Metal puissant, agressif, mélodique et technique, ce Domain est le vôtre.
Laermbelaestigung Webzine (DE)
By Karim
Published 07 October 2007
Rating: n/a
Wow, das Debüt der holländischen Death-Metaller DEVIOUS
legt ja gleich mal ordentlich los... fetter Sound, monumentale Walze im
skandinavischen Stil zwischen Power und majestätischen Keyboardflächen.
Schwupp. und dann geht's weiter mit schön schnellem, melodischen und vor allem
verspieltem bis technischem Death-Metal, der wie im Opener auch mal Richtung
Black-Metal kippt oder an anderer Stelle thrashig angehaucht daherkommt. Für
ein Debüt lassen es DEVIOUS mal ganz gehörig knallen, denn die Jungs haben Power,
liefern variable Songs in blitzsauberem und drückendem Sound und vor allem
makellos eingespielt ab. Die Musik zu beschreiben ist nicht leicht, da man
munter von melodischem Death/Thrash zu technischem Death-Metal und oft auch zu
sehr U.S. Brutalo beeinflusstem Stoff wechselt. Um mich mal im Bandinfo zu
bedienen könnte "Domain" irgendwo zwischen DARKANE, CRYPTOPSY und GOD
DETHRONED angesiedelt sein. Vom ersten Höreindruck und der Power die DEVIOUS an
den Tag legen richten sich gleich mal beide Daumen nach oben. Was allerdings
nach einigen Songs anstrengend wird ist, dass die Band VIEL zu vielfältig ist
und so viele verschiedene Stilelemente und Parts in ihren Songs verwurstet,
dass man schnell hin und hergerissen ist. Vieles klingt nämlich ziemlich nach Lego-Prinzip
und am Songwriting könnte die Band noch gut arbeiten. Für eine
Underground-Veröffentlichung zudem eine Debüt-CD ist "Domain" ganz
gross und wer auf die obengenannten Band steht, sollte sich das Ding mal
anhören. Wer mit CRYPTOPSY vergleichen wird macht ja auch eh keine geradlinige
Mitnicker-Musik. Im Falle von DEVIOUS sind aber durchaus genügend
Mitnicker-Passagen dabei, speziell im skandinavischen Stil und den thrashigen
Passagen. Eben daher wirkt "Domain" auf mich auch überladen, da immer
urplötzlich rumgebreakt und gefrickelt wird um dann wieder einen majestätisch
walzenden Melo-Part ranzukleben. Die Jungs haben Potential en Masse aber
weniger wäre hier ganz klar mehr.
By Federico Marongiu
Published Issue 42, September 2007
Rating: n/a
“Entrance” opens up this amazing album with full
intensity. I can say that this guys from the Netherlands are one of the most
compacts death metal bands that I have listened in a while. Their sound is
tight and aggressive with crushing guitar riffs and amazing drumming. And they
also have really clever use of guitar melodies and keyboards. Here we have
amazing riffs and solos designed to surprise constantly the listener and to
show how a band can be really violent and full of clever arrangements that
combine almost all the styles within metal. The extreme vocals give the deathly
feeling to the music and add some extra brutality points here. And the sound is
almost perfect making the guitars sound with razor sharp precision and the
keyboards to create the dark atmospheres and arrangements that Devious wants
them to do. One of the releases of the month.
Xtreem Music Webzine (ES)
By JM Salas
Published 30 October 2007
Rating: 75/100
Domain es el segundo trabajo de este quinteto holandés.
Puede que sea algo desconocida por todos, pero lo cierto es que su primer álbum
Acts of Rage recibió muy buenas criticas, y sus miembros han compartido
backstage con bandas como CRYPTOPSY, SUFFOCATION, VADER, MALEVOLENT CREATION o
DYING FETUS entre otros, es más en marzo de 2006 acompańaron a los Brasileńos
KRISIUN durante su Tour europeo. Lo que quiero decir es que no estamos ante un
grupo sin experiencia, simplemente a mi entender DEVIOUS ha tenido una
promoción desastrosa, y quizá por este motivo han decidido largarse de su
anterior sello Spitzenburg Records, lo cual es una razón más que justificada.
Su estilo se decanta por una perfecta combinación entre death metal con motivos
thrash, pero mantenido una agresividad constante a lo largo de los doce temas
que componen el disco. La ejecución instrumental es buenísima, y los cambios de
ritmo son fantásticos: encierran elementos acústicos y extraordinarios solos, y
por ello los veo como una mezcla entre la furia de AT THE GATES, la extremidad
de ABORTED, y las melodías de ARCH ENEMY, aunque como imaginareis su música se
deja influir en ciertos momentos por la moda del metalcore. Lo que más me gusta
es la inclusión de teclados dando una visión industrial y un tanto atmosférica
a todo el conjunto. Destacaría cortes como “Boundless Domain” uno de los más
técnicos y con figuras de cuerda semejantes a UNREAL OVERFLOWS, el potente
“Third World Suicide” y “Dead Cannibal Civilization” donde tanto la batería
como la voz rasgada de Coen Tabak se emplean a fondo. El sonido es buenísimo, y
han incluido un video clip totalmente profesional para PC de la canción “Room
302”. En definitiva…. brutalidad, melodía y furia a partes iguales.
Peacedogman Webzine (USA)
By Cardona
Published October 27 2007
Rating: 4/5
“A domain of death metal mindreaders”
It seems that all death metal fans have been hearing for
the last decade is "Sweden this" and "Sweden that". What
about the once-booming Dutch death metal scene that gave us such brilliant acts
as THANATOS, PESTILENCE and ASPHYX? Clearly not content on remaining dormant,
the Netherlands are striking back with new outfits such as DEVIOUS, an
extreme/melodic/progressive hybrid hell-bent on uniting all death metal fans
under one banner… either that or obliterating all life on the planet… can't
tell which… The basis for the band's sound is a concoction of blitzkrieg
percussion, the flashy B-tuned riffs of AT THE GATES, and just the right amount
of harmony and random progressive touch a la MORBID ANGEL. Keyboards are employed
scantly throughout, but when given the moment to shine, particularly on intro
"Entrance…", the most effective work of OLD MAN'S CHILD comes to
mind. As far as chops, these guys got 'em. The cornucopia of technicality in
the riffs is impressive enough, but the dual lead in "Third World
Suicide" and bitchin' bass lead at the start of "Misanthropic
Entities" are a workout for even the listener! Production-wise, this album
delivers the sound that even the most discerning ear can appreciate:
everything's clear and balanced, the guitars aren't too dirty OR clean and the
kick of the drums isn't too sharp. It's almost like they've been reading my
mind! Basically, what we have here is a thoroughly solid, high-quality disc
with which metal fans are going to have a hard time finding anything tangibly
wrong. After all, if there's one scenario that's constantly annoying, it's when
the IN FLAMES fan tells the NILE fan that his favorite music is nothing more
than noise, and then the NILE fan complains that the IN FLAMES fan has never
heard of true aggression, and then the CYNIC fan steps in and tries to persuade
them both that they're wrong. DEVIOUS' "Domain" should shut all three
of them up.
Bloodcult
Fanzine (GR)
By SinisterDivine
Published Bloodcult Zine, November 2007
Rating: n/a
Brilliant band from Netherlands stemming from Death Metal
fields with extra melodic touches and Thrash elements. They got nothing to fear
as they can stand with attitude and great musical skill next to big names of
the mainstream. They also bring some Swedish approach in mind (eg on
"Incantation of the Earthbound"). They are surprisingly skillful
musicians, with lots of progressive touches - not however in reminiscence of bands that tend to bore you
with their techicality - and more
catchy when demanded within the tracks. They incorporate the necessary groove
at points, dragging you to the floor and then grabbing you by the neck and
blasting you down to the ground again! At the same time their vocalist varies
in aggressiveness, giving extra points to the whole result. A very succesful
package, powerful and with a strong undergound and anti-mainstream
"stench"! You need at least 2-3 times to listen to this records so
that you get a grasp of what is happening here. Fans into MALEVOLENT CREATION,
ABORTED, CARCASS and tons of other Death Metal war machines, this is for you. A
very tasty cake indeed! My congrats... You have to listen to this release
people...
Nuskull Webzine (HU)
By HaragSICK
Published 02 December 2007
Rating: 90/100
Hungarian:
A holland Devious már nevében is sejteti, hogy némi köze
van a death metálhoz. A borne-i csapat ’98-ban született és kissé későn
2002-ben jött ki az első anyaguk demó formájában, amit egy évvel rá az Acts of
Rage nagylemez követett, majd ez évben kijött a Domain, melyről most olvasol.
Ahhoz kétség sem fér, hogy a kezdetekben zenéjük thrash-death volt (ennek
tudható be az is, hogy a kultikus csoda gyilkos holland Altar énekese volt az
első hörgőgépük), ám mára a műfaj némileg átalakult. Tagadhatatlan a
thrash-death jelenléte, de már sokkal modernebb fertőzésekkel felruházva ugrik
fejest a keserű jelenbe… 12 szám közel 50 percben taglalva, a külsőségek és a
hangzás remek, a logó azt kell, hogy mondjam egyéni, de inkább emlékeztet egy
black vagy folk metál bandáéra, mint arra, amit a CD rejt. Nem is húznám az
idegeket, könnyen körbeírható a dolog, az Entrance... kellemesen vezet fel, misztikus
billentyűkkel a háttérben (kissé Angel Dust szerűen) már ízelítőt ad a várható
modern hatásokból. Ahogy a Room 302 berobban, egyértelműen érezhetővé válik a
svéd melodikus vonal, mely kéz kezet mosva szépen váltakozik a thrash-death
csépelésekkel, más nótákban, pedig a black metál is némi szerepet kap,
kiegészülve a megbúvó, de azért kellemes hangulatot nyújtó szintetizátor
témákkal. Mivel az alapvetően In Flames és At the Gates szerű dolgok keverednek
itt, így a szaggató riffek miatt a metalcore vonal sem teljesen tagadható,
ahogy pl. az Incantation of the Earthbound elején Cradle Of Filth szerű (Dani
hangját is beleértve) részek tűnnek fel. Akad itt-ott pár tiszta death metál
rész (minimálisan Morbid Angel szerűek - agyasságuk miatt) és pár thrash téma
is, de mind inkább thrashcorenak tűnnek! Ugyanúgy érzem benne a Maroon vagy a
Heaven Shall Burn hatását, mint a már említett In Flames-t, és mai Hypocrisy-t.
Ebből következik, hogy ami a lemez előnye, az számomra a hátránya is egyben…
Túl változatos, rengeteg ötletet sorakoztatnak fel, gyönyörűek a váltások, a
dallamok éppen úgy kapnak érvényt a létezésre, mint a brutális agresszió, lassú
és gyors váltások, szólók és deathcore és metalcore féle zakatolások és
szaggatások. Ez utóbbira erősen rájátszik Coen Tabak súlyos orgánuma, mely
igazán maiként kapja fel a nem túl barátságos szövegvilágot és zenei témákat.
Avagy minden a helyén van - a tudás pedig kifogástalan, bár egy kicsit túl
trendinek érzem a végeredményt, persze mostanában az ilyesfajta zenékre nagy a
kereslet, és az igényes tálalás és tartalom miatt a Devious nem áll
esélytelenül a sorba. A CD tartalmaz egy multimédiás részt is, ami mindössze a
Room 302 klipéből áll. Semmi rosszat sem tudnék róluk mondani, a teljesítmény
maximális és a műfaji kavalkád is jól áll nekik, bár inkább ajánlott egy bátor
mai metalcore arcnak, mint egy 90-es évek eleji death vagy thrash fanatikusnak.
Változnak az idők, és mássá lesznek a műfajok is… a hibrid zenék és stílusok
pedig pártatlanságából kifolyólag életképesebbek, mint valaha!
English translation:
We can find out from the dutch Devious's name, that it has
some relations to death metal. The band borned in 1998 in Borne, and their
first material was issued a little later in 2002 in a demo format, it was followed
by an album, Acts of Rage, and in this year Domain has been brought out, about
what you read, now. That can't be doubtful, their music in the beginnings were
thrash-death (this could be also because their first singer was from the cultic
killer dutch band, Altar), but since then the sytle has changed. The presence
of thrash-death can't be denied, but its jumps into the bitter present whit
more modern infections... Twelve songs in almost 50 minutes, the formalities
and the sounding are good, the logo is creative, however it rather reminds me
of a black or folk metal bands', than to that, what we can found on the CD. I
wouldn't steal my readers time, the material can be easily introduced,
Entrance... nicely brings us into their music, with magical keyboard
instrumental voices in the background (slightly Agle Dust kind), it's gave
already a taste of the modern effects. As Room 302 burst into our faces the
swedish melodical line become obvious, which awesomly changes alternately whit
the trash-death trashing, in other songs black metal got a little role, which
completed by the hiding synthetizer themes, whome gives a pleasant mood.
Because the basically In Flames and At the Gates kind of thoughts mix here, so
because of the rugged riffs the metalcore line also cannot be denied, as for
example at the beginning of Incantation of the Earthbound the Cradle Of Filth
kind of parts (whit the sound of Dani..). Here and there we can find some pure
death metal (they are minimally Morbid Angel kind) and some thrash theme too,
but all of them rather seems to be trashcore! In the same way i feel the impact
of Maroon or Heaven Shall Burn, as the above mentioned In Flames, or the recent
Hypocrisy. It follows from this, that the album's advantage is what a
disadvantage for me... It's too varietym, they brings in a row a lots of ideas,
the changings are beautiful, the melodies are there as the brutal agression,
slow and fast changements, solos and deathcore and metalcore kind of staccatos.
To the latter Coen Tabak's heavy sound really adds more , which modernly gives
back the not soo friendly lyrics and musical themes. Well, everything in its
place - the knowledge is perfect, however i feel the outcome a little too
trendy, of course today for these kind of music the request is big, and because
of the nice presentation and content Devious is not an outsider. The CD
contains the clip of Room 302 too. I couldn't tell any bad things about them,
the performance is maximal, the mixture of styles fits them, but i rather
recommend it to a present-day brave metalcore fan, than a fanatic of '90s death
or trash fanatic. Times changes, and as well the styles changes too... and the
hybrid music and styles are much more lively today, than ever!
Diabolical Conquest Webzine (IN)
By Mike Reeves
Published 07 March 2008
Rating: 77/100
Domain is the second album from a Dutch band founded in
2000 by a guitarist and drummer with a superlative bond in the vein of
Malmstrom and Wildoer of Darkane. What hits you initially is the combination of
classy production, super-tight playing and instant hooks. This is one of the
catchiest metal releases of 2007 for sure and only rarely does this overbalance
into inauspicious cloying commercialism. The rapacious `Room 302`, much like
the album itself, is like an overexcited spaniel that suddenly decides it is in
fact a wolf and should be doing bloodthirsty lupine things rather than leaving
urine and drool underfoot. Blasting interchanges with burly groove
effortlessly, carnivorous blackened tremolo picking transmutes to scalar
flourishes whilst rhythm, melody and harmony are given equal weighting.
Vocalist Coen is a confident performer, mainly sounding like Jason Blachowicz (Malevolent
Creation) and Sven de Caluwe (Aborted/In-Quest). There is a fretless bassist in
their ranks although it is a restrained (but nonetheless engaging) performance
compared to Steve DiGiorgio. Bridging the worlds of US and Scandinavian extreme
metal isn't new but Devious definitely bring their own spirit to events.
`Incantation of the Earthbound` mixes up Morbid Angel and black metal
(including a ghostly clean section). `Boundless Domain` has one of those
classic Gothenberg thrash intros and nice off-kilter fills between riff
repeats. `The Repentance` jumbles lethargic icy harmony (think Dark Funeral or
Necrophobic) with choppy Deicide territory as well as old folky In Flames
acoustics. `Days of Disorder` contrasts jerky syncopation with old Dark Tranquillity
and Dissection. `Dead Cannibal Civilisation` hacks and grooves away through
Hate Eternal and Cannibal Corpse sections, using subtle dual guitar touches.
`Shibito` blends dark harmony with spiky Florida death. `Third World Suicide`
is the stand-out track, mixing a primary Death influence with a touch of At the
Gates to produce a quicksilver smooth torrent of metal, complete with superb
cosmic tapping and an excellent 30-second double-tracked solo-fest. There isn't
much fat to trim off this meaty serving so for an easily digestible but
nourishing fix of infectious riffing, look no further.
By Dario Adile
Published 15 April 2008
Rating: 70/100
Italian:
Visto che nulla di nuovo si puň inventare, tanto vale
mescolare tutto quello che esiste giŕ. Questa potrebbe essere la considerazione
che ha guidato i Devious nel comporre i loro brani, visto che la band olandese,
dopo essersi chiusa a doppia mandata in un recinto ben determinato, ha scelto
di esplorare per intero il perimetro che aveva a sua disposizione. Fuor di
metafora, il combo europeo suona un death metal a tutto tondo coniugandolo in
tutte le declinazioni conosciute: il furioso assalto dei Suffocation viene
abbinato alle aperture armoniche degli At The Gates, le serrate variazioni dei
Cannibal Corpse sono accostate all’inquietante malvagitŕ dei Dissection, mentre
gocce dell’assalto irrequieto dei Cryptopsy vengono disciolte nel gorgo di
violenza cara ai Behemoth. E non potevano certo mancare, in questo bailamme, i
riferimenti alla madre di tutti gli stili estremi, il thrash della Bay Area,
alle volte impiegato in pillole, altre volte omaggiato in modo evidente come
nell’incipit volutamente slayeriano di “Shibito”. La lista delle rassomiglianze
potrebbe proseguire, ma direbbe poco se non fosse per la capacitŕ dei brani di
reggere i confronti senza sfigurare.
English:
Since nothing new can be invented, then it’s
better to shuffle all what already exists. That can be the consideration that
led Devious in writing their songs, since the Dutch band, after remaining
closed within a particular perimeter, decided to fully explore the field at
hand. Out of metaphors the European band plays a 360 degrees death metal: the
furious assault of Suffocation is merged with the harmonic breaks of At The
Gates, the fast variations of Cannibal Corpse are matched with the anguishing
wickedness of Dissection, while drops of the frenzied assault of Cryptopsy are
fused with the violence vortex of Behemoth. And they may not miss the reference
to the thrash of Bay Area, at times in little pills, at times evidently homaged
as in the Slayer-like incipit of “Shibito”. The list of comparisons may go on,
but it would say little without their ability to stand the comparison with the
big names with valour.
Violent
Moshground Fanzine (NL)
By Mark Angelraper
Published Violent Moshground, issue 63, April 2008
Rating: 80/100
Deze had ergens vorig jaar al in VMG moeten staan, maarja,
net 40 geworden he, zo verstrooid als een je weet wel... Devious mixt een hoop.
Gothenburg, US Death, en er zitten zelfs atmosferische tussenstukjes in, maar
echt van hype heb ik de band niet kunnen betichten, vooral ook omdat er veel
Old School in de muziek geweven zit. Maar goed, iedereen heeft ze het afgelopen
jaar wel ergens kunnen zien en beluisteren. Deze cd scoort een 8. Ik ben erg
benieuwd naar het nieuwe werk met oudgediende Arnold weer terug op zang.
Metallus Webzine (IT)
By Riccardo Manazza
Published 07 May 2008
Rating: 70/100
Death metal molto vario, tecnicamente valido e arricchito
da componenti melodiche decisive: questo propongono i bravi Devious dalla terra
dei tulipani. Non inventano certo nulla di nuovo, ma riescono a far combaciare
le loro influenze in modo non fastidioso, creando cosě i presupposti per un
piacevole ascolto. Tradisce l’approccio un po’ troppo datato lo stile vocale di
Arnold Oudemiddendorp (ex membro degli storici Altar), ma inserito in un
contesto cosě elaborato si puň anche sopportarne una certa monotonia di fondo.
A far bella figura sono invece i continui cambi di direzione che la band
imprime alla propria musica, con riferimenti che spaziano dalla tradizione del
loro paese (Pestilence, Asphyx, God Dethroned) al metal d’oltreoceano per
alcuni passaggi brutali, fino ad alcune varianti di puro stampo swedish nei
passaggi piů melodici ed elaborati. Non da scartare nemmeno la capacitŕ sopra
la media di inserire assoli azzeccati e di gestire gli arrangiamenti in modo da
dare una direzione comprensibile ai brani che non si riducono cosě ad un
insieme sconnesso di riff e passaggi armonici. Nei limiti che impone
l’underground di genere i Devious meritano sicuramente una certa attenzione.
Negatron Webzine (IT, link no longer valid)
By Marco Ganzerli
Published 07 April 2008
Rating: 80/100
Il secondo album della band olandese fondata nel 2000 da
un chitarrista e un drummer con un legame superlativo č indubbiamente nella
vena dei Darkane. Ciň che colpisce inizialmente č la combinazione di produzione
di classe, canzoni tirate e hooks istantanei. Questa č una delle uscite piů
catchy del 2007 e solo di rado si sbilancia in un inatteso commercialismo. La
rapace “Room 302”, come il resto del disco, somiglia a un eccitato spaniel che
improvvisamente decide di divenire un lupo assetato di sangue invece che
urinare e sbavare sulla strada. Scambi interni bruschi ma ricchi di groove
senza forzature, un tremolo picking carnivoro e annerito che diviene scalare
fiorisce mentre ritmo, melodia e armonia vengono soppesate in egual misura. Il
vocalist Coen č un esecutore sicuro, a metŕ tra Blachowicz (Malevolent
Creation) e Sven de Caluwe (Aborted/In-Quest), mentre il bassista fretless puň
senz’altro esser considerato un degno emulo di Steve di Giorgio. Unire metal
estremo americano e scandinavo non č una novitŕ, ma i Devious riescono a
portare il loro spirito dentro tale miscela, che spazia da Morbid Angel,
Cannibal Corpse e Deicide da una parte a Dark Funeral, Necrophobic e Dissection
dall’altra. Un disco pieno di carnosi riffs contagiosi, ma anche altamente
digeribile; se questo č ciň che cercate, la vostra ricerca č terminata.
Metalzone Webzine (GR)
By Efkarpos
Published 02 April 2009
Rating: 85/100
“DEVIOUS' SECOND ATTACK”
Devious are formed in 2000 and already released their
first album in 2003.After many concerts and festivals with many known bands they
released their second work, with the title - Domain. The band is doing a new
start with a new vocalist and the news are good. Good quality Thrash-Death
Metal with atmospheric mood. The album is a mix of Thrash-Death with many
atmospheric themes. The vocals of the new singer, Coen Tabak, are nice and
brutal, the guitars are using great riffs and beautiful melodic ideas while the
bass stays behind and following the furious drumming in double bass techniques
and blast beat passages. There's a lot of melody and atmosphere combined with
their Thrash-Death sound and a very nice production. The cover is a work of
Hrodger Design and it shows a little bloody girl in a dark atmospheric place.
Devious are very nice musicians. Their songs are complete, strong, with
passages, bridges and combinations of Thrash madness and Death Metal wildness.
Their sound is amazing and they are totally shredding!! Although their new
vocalist is very good i heard that they changed him again. They are already
preparing their new album and entering a new era for the band. Till the new
album , i will be headbanging to the -Domain- album for sure!!
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