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DEVOTION
The Harrowing

Memento Mori (2021)
Rating: 8/10

Hailing from Valencia in Spain, Devotion are on their second full-length and it’s a decent outing boasting 13 tracks of atmospheric death metal heaviness. For me there’s something mid-to-late 90s about the sound of this five-piece, although others may beg to differ.

The Harrowing is not a fusty experience, but comes daubed in Gothic atmospherics from the off with the slow-paced menace of ‘God Forlorn’, where the vocals are deep and chesty and the music dark and grinding but rarely murky.

Now, I’m not a big fan of death metal after, say, 1994, but over the last few years some incredible bands have emerged bringing their own brand of murky morbidity.

This is far from clean. It’s very heavy, but certainly not swampy, and yet I find myself revelling in the dark, suffocating atmosphere of brutal rushes such as ‘Megiddo’s’ with its percussive barrages and chugging aggression, while the vocals of Vicent Riera maintain a booming, bellowing presence whether the tracks take on a faster, hostile approach or slow to a hammering drab slab.

However, there’s more to this record than meets the initial ear – again I refer to those Gothic inclusions where misty, occult shadows appear from seemingly innocent yet pallid architecture. Tracks such as ‘Birth Of Horror’ are blistering but remain heavy and ravenous where doomy solos entwine within the morose mesh of hailing bullets. The same can be said of ‘Demon Sleep’, which is one of the album’s most aggressive bouts, but there’s always time, within this framework, for an effective synth or a mid-paced shift.

‘Valley Of Death’ beams with arrogance and gargantuan musicianship; the rhythm section as hard as bones thanks to the killer axework. Percussive sorcerer David García deserves a special mention for his bombastic beats that provide the mesmeric pulse throughout, and coming to the fore with the hammering ‘Feast Of Esdras’ and the rolling grooves of ‘Virtue Besmirched’.

The Harrowing reminds me of the sort of soundtrack one should experience if they found themselves within hidden catacombs where old crypts hide esoteric secrets, and that’s why this album grows on me with every listen. Devotion create a far different atmosphere than I’m usually accustomed to and for that I commend them, because The Harrowing exists like a vast network of ancient tunnels; not necessarily sprawling with complexity but at times simple by design yet cloaked in darkness. The sound here is vast, yet not befuddling. It is big yet not overly produced, and above all there’s a suspense that keeps you on your toes.

Neil Arnold

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