The first New Zealand Christian metal band I know of. The inserts are very professionally done with somewhat explicit and gory art which might offend those who do not understand it's meaning. It depicts the various ways that history records martyrs dying and being tortured. Like beheading and crucifixion. Consisting of only 2 members Kim Carter on guitar and Shane Kennerley on bass and lead vocals. On this cassette EP, they play what they call "Forest Metal". They don't play the usual chugga chugga stuff. But rather the lead guitar, with lotsa doom and goth influence.
"Martyrdom" starts the EP off with full on double bass kick on the drum. The gothic voice speaks of the suffering of the martyrs over the years and them crying out to Jesus for help. The deep growl Shane has is almost unearthly and is like the kinda growled vocals that I like - in the veins of Paramaecium and Mortification's earlier days. As I've said this doesn't follow the usual chugga chugga but rather the guitar plays some wonderful licks and the whole song revolves around it. "From The Crypt" Really lowly tuned guitar start things off. The deep growl speaks of Christ's descend into the dead. The same kinda strong doom/goth hold their ground here. This song will sound awkward as it isn't in the usual manner that most doom/goth metal is played. During the middle slightly towards the end of it. The music intensifies and gets really heavy. Very off timing stuff.
"Judgement Distortion" The vocals sounds very fake and sound like it's being forced out. This song has too much of out-of-timing playing style that I don't really appreciate. As I find that the song cannot flow as a single entity. "Scolded in Evil" sounds very different. It is a 100% non-melodic 1-2 1-2 1-2 timing, guitar hammering with abrupt stops. The lyrics are positive, poetic and evil hating with lyrics like 'Bring discrimination upon your brother no longer/ opinionated views from your thoughts withhold/ from the elite devotion you must deny. From Judgment distorted.'
Judging from the package that's so very professional. I don't think that for the actual album, Devout will need anyone else to design it for them as this is really wonderful.
6/10
Other coverage for this album
Dead Zine 1996Reviewed by FetusBeheaded, impaled, stoned, and tortured corpses encompass a cryptic font, centered by a black inverted cross. Surely a satanic band's cover art. Nope. Hailing from New Zealand, DEVOUT is a Christian band sure to give you a lesson in sound you have never been dealt. DEVOUT has manifested an original sound unheard of in secular or Christian music, coined "forest metal". A concoction of doom metal…
