Devenial Verdict - Ash Blind (2022) Hi-Res

Brutality mixed with dissonance if done well, can be the musical equivalent to soul crushing anxiety, it’s oppressive, suffocating, and relentless. It can become a maelstrom of emotions, inflicting paralysis on those who aren’t sedated. Those that are, will become as mentally fogged, but just in a separate way. In the most turbulent of moments, hope is to be found, but only in small doses. The beauty of suffering can be serene to some and horrifying to others. Finnish death metal band Devenial Verdict seem to understand how to convey these emotions through their atmospheric, dissonant blend of crushing death metal. Slow burning atmospheres to ominous world destroying heaviness will haunt your consciousness.

Devenial Verdict originally formed in 2006, based in Helsinki, Finland the band released several demo’s and EP’s throughout the years eventually leading up to their debut album Ash Blind, releasing on the always excellent Transcending Obscurity Records. 2012’s The Unborn God, 2014’s Corpus and 2016’s Soulthirst EP’s all show the evolution of a band searching for their ultimate sound, building into what will become their phenomenal debut. One full of assaulting guitars, infernal growls, and hypnotic auras. The nasty riffs from guitarist Sebastian Frigren contort and groove in the same ways that bring to mind the great Morbid Angel. Definitely an influence in the best way. Sebastian’s solos are shred-like, but with tremendous feeling. Warm, smooth low-end is unleashed through bassist Antti Poutanen who brings more to the table than just playing along. The flawless drum performance from Okko Tolvanen is a clinic on playing exactly what each song needs. Ranging from simple but effective beats to pure chaos. Riku Saressalo bring a cavernous growl almost guttural and throaty coarse yelling. His vocal cords sound like they’re being ripped with every scream, all combining to create the perfect storm of extreme and visceral.

Ash Blind invites you to have your muscles ripped from your bone from frozen soundscapes of wintery bleakness to scorched melting flesh of molten lava filled angular guitar riffs and hellish vocals. The record is a mix of trill filled nerve-shredding guitars and moody clean stringed passages meant to entrance you before coming back out from the shadows to consume the rest of your soulless body. Often the record is a brutish death metal monster relentlessly attacking, and other times it’s dissonant with a chilling restraint that makes you wonder if something horrifying is coming around the corner. Lingering, suffocating fogs of doom driven atmosphere have meditative vibes that make you feel uneasy on the inside. Floating, otherworldly ambience transcends into vitriol, unnerving, and conflicting brutality. It effortlessly melds itself into a mammoth of crushing double bass and sickening, calculated chaos. There are times of balanced extremes, shimmering guitar melodies over thunderous basslines, powerful vocals, and fierce blast beats. It’s an appalling tension that Devenial Verdict does so well.

The glimmering fires of Pravum shrouded with smoky ambience entrances in between its raging turmoil, while the cruelty of The Contemptor punishes with utmost aggression. The eerie alien vibe spirals towards the abyss on Sun Hammer radiating a devastating cosmic heaviness, while Mourning Star is a calming mood driving instrumental heavy on fluent bass runs and clean guitars. The frosty cold riffs and blasting on Hope heaves its colossal weight towards a beautiful and serene passage complete with polarizing guitar solo that hits your feels hard. A doomy ending rounds out the feel of the track, epitomizing what Devenial Verdict is all about. The different shades of each song augment the overall experience, which becomes a rewarding but harsh journey. One that is full of intriguing, memorable and atmospheric death metal. Ash Blind is an easy recommend that will remain with me for a long time.