Devilment – The Great and Secret Show (Album Review)
What do you get when you have H.P.Lovecraft, banshees, magic and metal all together? The new Devilment album of course! The band are all set to release their new album ‘The Great and Secret Show‘ which will definitely be a surprise to long time Cradle fans, seeing Dani Filth in a different light but is absolutely no surprise when it comes to the sheer ingenuity and madness that defines the man, who along with Daniel Finch and co; have created one of the most theatrical yet heavy albums of 2014!
The album begins with the elegant ‘Summer Arteries’, a melodic intro eventually switching gear and leading into this fast paced series of riffs and rhythmic drum patterns. Dani Filth makes his entrance on a powerful note,his vocals switching between brain-piercing screeches (the banshee element) and raspy growls. There is a definite black metal vibe although subtle and the chants have a witchy metallic feel to them. Metalhead witches, who would’ve thunk? This is followed by my favourite track on the record, ‘Even Your Blood Group Rejects Me‘ which is the perfect soundtrack to anything about Vampires! From the eerie ballet-like intro, the folk-metal vibe and heaps of groove to the drums galloping along makes this track is addictive on so many levels, I couldn’t stop listening to it! To be honest, it seems like it should be the soundtrack to a horror movie- one that’s about an eccentric serial killer scientist that goes around slashing people with beakers and test tubes. The cool synths and hypnotic piano sections make it an even more enticing listen! Tracks like ‘Girl From Mystery Island‘ and ‘The Stake In My Heart‘ are groove-laden, heavy and packed with fast, headbangable riffs, massive leads and Aaron Boast thumping out some catchy drum beats. The former has a really cool unexpected melodic section that makes you think of dead people singing and if you listen very closely, you’ll hear this cheeky violin going apeshit in the distance which goes to show how well this band has brought together different styles of music.
‘Living with the Fungus‘ is an edgy, rhythmic and perfectly exhibits the horror that dani personifies. Total turn-around when the madness stops and there’s this spooky section of just the piano with a guitar echoing along making it sound blues-y and then in comes another bit that reminded me so much of Insomnium, whispered growls, melodic leads and all! ‘Mother Kali‘ is friggin awesome and given the fact that I’m Indian, the traditional sounds in the intro were pretty awesome. Listen to this, and it does quite literally feel like the Hindu Goddess is stomping on your head, with the throbbing guitars courtesy of Daniel, Nick and Colin. The lyrics are something to keep an ear out for too! If you like a dramatic opera-type intro then ‘Staring at the Werewolf Corps’ is for you – great mid-paced track with a gradual build up of all those layers of sound, proof of great instrumentation and an added evil Hitchcock-ian feel to it. ‘Sanity Hits a (Perfect) Zero‘ features more growls and narrative vocals from Dani, while the drums, eerie melodic bits and female vocals on ‘Laudanam Skull‘ will not let you sleep at night. This opus ends with the title track which is beautiful at the start and then transcends into this fierce, beast of a track. Absolutely brilliant cinematic finish to ‘The Great and Secret Show’.
Devilment and all it’s members stand out on their new release, providing a culmination of everything that is elegantly horrific and 100% metal. Dani’s vocal range is unmatched, and the musicianship – with every member contirbuting to create something fun, creepy and different! Long time Cradle of Filth fans might find this quite weird given the brutality of Dani on Cradle’s albums, but if you’ve got an open-mind and like music that has a lot going on, do yourselves a favour and check this one out! Perfect for anyone that likes horror-influenced, trippy metal!