Another band I have never heard of, hailing from New Zealand, Devilskin have apparently burst onto their home country scene and done very well hitting Gold status there. Having played shows with Slash, Rob Zombie, Korn and other well known bands, they are catching the attention of the rest of the world, and I can hear why.
“Elvis Presley Circle Pit”: I could do without the death metal screams, but I understand it; appeal to the most metal masses as possible. Otherwise a solid opening song with quite frankly amazing double bass drumming from the 18 year old drummer Nic Martin!
“Little Pills”: A much better vocalization song in my opinion. The range and melody of vocalist Jennie Skulander is clearly evident.
“Vessel”: Not a bad song, not a standout either.
“Start a Revolution”: This is a solid anthem tune. Some eerie style background sounds. A definite rallying cry song and a good one!
“Never See The Light”: Some solid lead guitar from Nail starts out along with highlight heavy bass playing from Paul Martin, good start! Once the vocals kick in they are once again strong and melodic.
“Until You Bleed”: Holy wow, a killer opening drum beat. Who is this kid on the skins? Strong song!
“Fade”: Things slow down here and other than the blistering guitar solo, I am not sure it works for them.
“Surrender”: Another slow starter, the middle of album syndrome is setting in…
“Burning Tree”: A symphonic vocalization showcase. Slower and builds up the tempo.
“The Horror”: It really is just horror movie sounds, not sure I understand this inclusion.
“Violation”: Perhaps the previous was a bridge to get back to hard and heavy. Solid song even though the death metal screams are front and centre, it fits.
“Covet”: Nice piano instrumental.
“Cherophobia (The Failure in Me)”: Probably the strongest song of the album, the guitar riff is nasty great, the vocals are strong from a metal and melodic standpoint.
“Dirt”: A good tune, the final minute is some awesome vocalization!
My only real issue is the naming of songs. They tend to follow the path of 90’s grunge bands by naming many of their songs for the sake of naming them rather than naming a song because of the chorus. Petty, I know, but a pet peeve of mine and from a marketing standpoint a band does well following the tradition since the beginning of rock n’ roll time. Pearl Jam is one of few bands that made the naming of songs without rhyme or reason work for them.
Devilskin deserves a listen, they are strong on all fronts playing solid metal music “avec” melody. The French Canadian side of me comes out, as my homeland has a tradition of supporting solid metal music!
They have since released a new single as of July 2015: “Mountains” which continues their strong drum beat foundation, solid guitar and vocals.
Stand out songs: “Cherophobia (The Failure in Me)” / “Until You Bleed” / “Start a Revolution”
Blair De Abreu
Devilskin Website / Devilskin Facebook / Devilskin Twitter
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