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DEVIL CROSS
Condemned

Self-released (2022)
Rating: 7/10

Featuring Jo Steel (vocals and bass, Ice War / Expunged /Aphrodite / Cannibal), Brennan Whitworth (guitar, Aphrodite / Cannibal) and Trevor William Church (drums, Haunt / Beastmaker), North American trio Devil Cross has only been around for a couple of years but they’re not hanging about, with this latest offering coming hot on the heels of December 2021 debut full-length platter This Mortal Coil.

Condemned boasts more of that fluid metal which has a distinctive punky / Goth edge that really adds a different dimension to proceedings. The punky attitude is channelled mostly through the vocals, with intriguing if slightly off-key warbles that worm their way around a New Wave Of British Heavy Metal-styled dynamic mixed with a mid-80s Euro-metal gloominess.

It’s sort of funny how rather low-budget acts, often from Europe, were churning this sort of stuffy metal out for fun in the 80s and to no real success, but now we have a glut of bands attempting to ape such rainy rock.

Condemned is easy on the ear and well-rounded as metal albums go, and it’s not afraid to flirt with a 70s vibe at times while also exhibiting nods towards a strange new wave design. I am unsure if all these ingredients are intentional or not, but the likes of ‘Steel Heart’ and ‘Show Me Your Pain’ are catchy rockers with British strains too. The guys involved here are very much becoming journeymen with their differing projects and it certainly keeps the creative juices flowing.

I do think some people may be slightly turned off by Jo Steel’s vocal approach, particularly on ‘Closer To Death’ where he’s shouting like the drunk best-man on karaoke at the wedding. But in general if you like a bit of an early Iron Maiden feel mixed with a strange, punky edge then Devil Cross might be up your street.

Of the ten tracks on offer, my favourites are ‘Left Behind’ with its ghoulish intro and distinctly ‘80s gloomy trot, ‘Forever Dying’ with its thrashy initial chug, and closer ‘I’m Still Alive’ which adds extra pace in its melodious gallop before reverting to a doomy trudge.

Condemned is interesting but certainly flawed in its Gothic hubbub which feels like any moment it could turn into The Damned or Adam And The Ants! Devil Cross may be one of those bands for the connoisseurs even with its metallic twists.

Neil Arnold

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