11:20 PM
Devilment bring out a truly original album in 'The Great and Secret Show'
I have never been a person to play an album on constant rotation. A few albums do stand out for me such as Black Sabbath’s first 6, Jeff Wayne’s War of the Worlds, Iron Maiden’s Live after Death, Ghost’s Opus Eponymous and Cradle of Filth’s Live Bait for the Dead are just a few that spring to mind. An album was released recently that has really provided me with another that I can add to that list. It is Devilment’s The Great and Secret Show.

 

 

Devilment was originally formed in 2011 and has just released a debut album. The members are;
Daniel Finch (guitar)
Nick Johnson (bass)
Colin Parks (guitar)
Aaron Boast (drums)
Lauren Francis (vocals and keyboards)
Dani Filth (vocals)


 

 

Dani Filth joined in 2012 as a temporary vocalist and from that point the sound was completed. The music is different from Cradle of Filth’s symphonic extreme metal and is more anthemic and beat driven. I like both styles equally but with Devilment there is a mixture of musical styles coming from members that bring variety to the table. The beauty in the album comes from a timeless feel where you experience, due to the songs and artwork, an indefinable epoch. It is a nocturnal world of wonder. This is no surprise when you hear the band members say it was influenced by a Clive Barker book that the album takes it’s name from. I have never read the book and intend to do so over the Christmas period. My feeling is the nocturnal escapism that emanates from the music is almost like another Clive Barker film called Nightbreed. In fact Cradle of Filth’s popular album Midian was based around that very story. There we see 2 albums exuding the same type of feeling in very diverse ways.

 

 


The producer Scot Atkins at Grindstone studios seemingly was the guiding hand when it came to the songs. He is a Cradle of Filth stalwart and the members of Devilment explained that he would push them so they played and composed at their peak. Once the music was recorded next was the suburb artwork by Drake Mefestta. The booklet takes you on the nocturnal and bizarre journey creating a mesmerizing world that steers the listener perfectly. The vocal of Lauren Francis is very different from the COF sound. It is more sirenesque and not the operatic element that Sarah Jezebel Deva brought to that original COF distinctive soundscape. Lauren adds a poetic quality to the eclectic mixture. Songs such as Mother Kali have an eastern air while others sound like they have come from the depths of hell without being too extreme.

 



 

It is a tour de force and reading some Internet reviews I feel it is very misunderstood. Modern music reviews seem to almost expect Machine Head, Devildriver or Norwegian black metal from albums. I know that is a sweeping statement but emanates from looking at recent reviews for various recordings. I tend not to pay attention to other peoples reviews when it comes to music and this is a fine reason why I don’t (and I am not expecting others to agree with my every word) I have no issue with any of the bands mentioned but find that it is hard to find true originality. Looking through the reviews for it I am reminded of the French band Gojira. They are incredible live, if a bit repetitive, but when they signed with Roadrunner Records and released L’Enfant Sauvage the reviews were overwhelming. It is a pretty good album, that is true, but in that case it was almost like a virus had swept the Internet and it infected making all reviews positive. My point is never to jump on any bandwagon or you may be disappointed. COF and now Devilment are very much their own entity and I love them both for that. If you like HP Lovecraft, Silvia Plath and even Ronald Dahl then, to me, it sums up the feeling obtained from this unique album.

 

 

This is are perfect descriptions from the Nuclear Blast Website;

‘Classic heavy and groove-laden riffs combined with a soundtrack ripped from a Hitchcock flick, are infused with insane melodies and a roaming evil-eye for the avant-garde.’

‘Songs about exonerating the Hindu Goddess of Death and Rebirth; Celebrating the band's Witch County origins; Murderously unstable relationships; Exotic cinematic women; Mind-altering Victorian drugs and the phantasmagorical beauty that exists behind the thinly veiled curtain of existence.’

The album The Great and Secret Show by Devilment is out through Nuclear Blast Records and can be found here


 
Category: Music | Views: 2411 | Added by: James | Tags: Black Metal, Cradle of Filth, Devilment, Iron Maiden, anthrax, Thrash, Black Sabbath | Rating: 0.0/0
Total comments: 3
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I saw them on the tour they did to support the album and, although the sound was not good at the hall, the band was on form. The music is perfect for live situations. They certainly beat the big boys on that night!
Keep up the blog as it is really interesting to read.
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Yes I saw the founding member left. Shame really, maybe as he has a 'normal' job too he decided touring was too much. I have seen videos of their live gigs and he really is a vibrant character with a great guitar tone.
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Top post and totally agree that the album is brilliant. You know the guitarist has split with them?
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