Devious - Domain cover artwork

Rating: 7.7

Country: Netherlands

Release Date: 2007

Track list:
1. Entrance...
2. Room 302 [MP3] (www.devious.nl/disco.html)
3. Incantation of the Earthbound
4. Boundless Domain [MP3] (www.devious.nl/disco.html)
5. Misanthropic Entities
6. Suoived Pt. II
7. The Repentance [MP3] (www.devious.nl/disco.html)
8. Third World Suicide
9. Days of Disorder
10. Dead Cannibal Civilisation
11. Shibito
12. Lowest in the Food Chain

Band Website: Devious

Devious - Domain

Coen - Vocals
Guido - Guitar
Wouter - Guitar
Sven - Bass
Frank - Drums

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.

March 7th, 2008