Rating: 9.3

Country: USA

Release Date: 2005

Record Label: Scarey Records

Track list:
1. The Brutality
2· Guns, Germs, Steel
3· Winds of Deth
4· Cocaine Years, Cocaine Tears
5· The Majesty
6· Flee
7· Murder Red
8· Warrior Fugue [mp3]
9· Night Wraith [mp3]
10· Sea of Rape Pt. I (Crimson Dawn)
11· Sea of Rape Pt. II (Fool's Dance)
12· The Eternity

Band Website: Bible of the Devil

Bible of the Devil - Brutality. Majesty. Eternity

Mark Hoffmann - Vocals, Guitars
Nate Perry - Guitars, Vocals
Darren Amaya - Bass
Greg Spalding - Drums

As if 2003's 'Tight Empire' wasn't raucous, rambunctious and downright ROWDY enough, Chicago's foremost purveyors of whiskey -drenched, wide-legged-stanced, Flying-V-brandishing heavy metal have returned with THE most insistent claim towards “Most Improved Band” bragging rights this year. This is absolutely fucking magnificent, a frighteningly accomplished amalgam of purpose and pummel, brain and brawn, that manages to distil classical heavy metal to its base alchemical essence, synthesizing scintillating twin leads, fist-throbbing, sinuous adrenaline and defiant, unapologetic attitude with a spectacularly sophisticated knack for transcendental, hook-driven songwriting. What results is one of the finest collections of SONGS the year has seen, an absolute delight for all who have prostrated themselves before the rock n' roll altar and offered their blood and sweat to the spirits of shred.

To anyone who caught wind of 'Tight Empire' (and proceeded to play it into the ground, as I certainly did), it will strike you that this is a far heavier affair than its severely overlooked predecessor. While Thin Lizzy remains the primary point of reference throughout this slab, the likes of Iron Maiden, UFO, Wishbone Ash, Def Leppard (first two records, naturally) and Motorhead also loom ominously above the record. “The Brutality” opens with flurried bouts of spiraling, distinctly “Emerald” -esque guitar fencing that paves the way for a MUSCULAR, sinewy bass sound that bulldozes its way through the speakers with a very organic, very spontaneous drum sound. GREAT mix here. What ensues is a sublime cross section between Maiden' s all-balls debut and Lizzy's 'Fighting'/'Emerald', the graceful and literate musicianship juxtaposed with the gruff Udo meets Lemmy barks of one Mark Hoffman. “Guns, Germs, Steel” draws an immediate parallel to a more contemplative, somewhat less vociferous but no less lethal Running Wild, a pulsing, scrambling swashbuckler nugget complete with wail-along Accept bridge (“WHOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAOHHHHH”, lift your lighters/sabers!) halfway through and SEARING, WELL-WRITTEN solos (a lost art in metal now, no?). Clearly, this is the work of a band attuned to the anthemic capacity of heavy metal, one which is intent on crafting cohesive, enduring work that celebrates heavy metal as a living, breathing organism, an interactive conduit between listener and band. This is music to shout along to, to air guitar to, that soundtracks sweltering, beer-drenched nights to remember.

“Cocaine Years, Cocaine Tears” , perhaps, echoes that unashamedly song-oriented, hook-laced approach that Bible Of The Devil have honed and sharpened throughout the past three years, an upbeat, surging singalong that exudes all the unassuming charm of the first Van Halen record, the first Montrose record, the first Scorpions record. Honest, gritty, unpretentious. Fast forward to “Majesty” , and witness the “Phoenix”/”Throw Down The Sword” stylings that introduce the mini epic...fucking fantastic. Then, is it just me, or does “Flee” sound like Dave Mustaine's “She Wolf” and a slower, pared-down “Holy Wars” taking “Two Minutes To Midnight” missionary style while Lemmy grunts in the back? Does “Murder Red” not elbow its way through the hordes of Phil Lynott facsimiles that have populated rock n' roll in recent years and seize a seat right next to Johnny The Fox, fusing ornate, immaculately-constructed Celtic leads with bludgeoning, white-knuckled MC5 Motor City Muscle™ ? How about THAT fucking great escalating, swelling, mounting bridge 03:25 through, arguably the most gorgeous twin guitar display on the record? 04:15 through, and there it is. One of the riffs of the year. Absolute cocaine, like if one were to crystallize all the bliss-inducing, pant-wetting magic of guitar rock into 40-odd seconds of auditory opium. The record is worth buying for THIS section, THIS solo alone, and just like that, “Murder Red” has secured its place on my Best Of 2005 Mixtape.+

Of course, one could not possibly discuss the sheer genius of this record without delving into an examination of the jawdropping epic sequence that is “Sea Of Rape”, which sees Hoffmann asserting himself as quite the vocal chameleon. Here, the impression being offered is Bruce Dickinson, the theme explored that of 'Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son'/'Fear Of The Dark'. That is to say, grandiose, majestic, lofty power metal designed for stadiums, proof that Bible Of The Devil's music is equally at home in the mangy biker bar, the Hammersmith Odeon and the Wacken Open Air. This band is this fucking good, this fucking versatile, this fucking underrated, and I have absolutely no reservations in saying that I'd happily take the “Sea Of Rape” sequence over anything that Iced Earth have done. “Sea Of Rape Part 2” sees Hoffmann ditching Bruce Dickinson's drama and clarity for the sore-throated, aggressive hoarseness of Paul Di'anno, the music adopting a 'Piece Of Mind' rawness/cerebral mindfulness that isn't entirely removed from like-minded luminaries like Slough Feg and Twisted Tower Dire. Indeed, if you have lost any brain cells to the likes of 'Twilight Of The Idols', 'Down Among The Deadmen', 'Crest Of The Martyr' or the likes of Battleroar/Medieval Steel/Emerald, there is little doubt in my mind that you will find much to enjoy in the sword-swinging, mace-wielding gallop on offer here. Much like Slough Feg have done with their latest masterwork, Bible Of The Devil have managed to craft epic-feeling songs WITHOUT epic lengths, managing to conjure a majestic feel within compact, straightforward song structures. Now THAT is the mark of great songwriting, and indeed, it is quite pleasing to note that BOTD have exhibited this much promise this early in their careers.

Simply put, this is among the most well-written platters of heavy metal I've heard this year, and EASILY lays to waste any number of more accomplished bands peddling a similar style. This is a band that DEMANDS to be heard, one that has, to me at least, firmly escaped the tentative “bar band” strains that pervaded the good-time rollicking of 'Tight Empire', and truly induced itself among rock n' roll's elite, presenting a more Lizzy-inclined alternative to Slough Feg's out-and-out Maiden-meets-Gotham-City-Vulcain-and-Gorgon trappings. In a just world, this band would be bandied about on the Miskatonic Board and seeing their name in lights on Keep It True. HONEST ROCK N' ROLL, BUY OR DIE.

January 27th, 2005