Devilinside Volume One
Abacus Recordings September 7th, 2004
By Jason Jordan
Volume One is the aptly-titled debut release from the four-piece known as Devilinside. Im in conflict about the nature of this album for a few reasons: 1) some sections are numbingly bland, 2) others are inherently great, 3) the instrumental interludes between longer songs work sometimes, and 4) sometimes they dont. I suppose its all a matter of taste; nevertheless, Devilinside do muster enough innovativeness to warrant a listen.
After the Prelude gives us a first glimpse into how the rest of the album will pan out. The aforementioned instrumental piece convincingly segues into 34 Months for Nothing. Nothing overtly special here, but ingenuity will manifest itself later in the record. Batan serves as a lull between the latter and Conflicted, Conditioned. The former begins with a high-pitched, panicky tone that conveys nervousness; hardcore riffs and vocals surface soon afterward to achieve a whimsical climax. Unfortunately, subpar vocalizations enter the foray and break the frantic rhythms. Thankfully, though, the clean wretchings are kept to a minimum. Glass is nothing but a nonsensical, noise piece that functions mainly as an irritant. Why they chose to include compositions like this is beyond me.
The group traipses through numbers like Hangnail, California Burning, and Dead Wrong with relative ease. California Burning is unequivocally a high point of the album due to its imaginative hooks and infectious grooves. Further notable tunes are Confession and The Outlook. Overall the band succeeds on a multitude of levels. Volume One is basically well-done hardcore, but execution falters citing the inclusion of filler interludes and sometimes-repetitive hardcore ramblings. Devilinside, however, are ones to watch (along with labelmates Heaven Shall Burn and Narcissus).
7/10
Official Devilinside website
Official Abacus Recordings website
Abacus Recordings September 7th, 2004
By Jason Jordan
Volume One is the aptly-titled debut release from the four-piece known as Devilinside. Im in conflict about the nature of this album for a few reasons: 1) some sections are numbingly bland, 2) others are inherently great, 3) the instrumental interludes between longer songs work sometimes, and 4) sometimes they dont. I suppose its all a matter of taste; nevertheless, Devilinside do muster enough innovativeness to warrant a listen.
After the Prelude gives us a first glimpse into how the rest of the album will pan out. The aforementioned instrumental piece convincingly segues into 34 Months for Nothing. Nothing overtly special here, but ingenuity will manifest itself later in the record. Batan serves as a lull between the latter and Conflicted, Conditioned. The former begins with a high-pitched, panicky tone that conveys nervousness; hardcore riffs and vocals surface soon afterward to achieve a whimsical climax. Unfortunately, subpar vocalizations enter the foray and break the frantic rhythms. Thankfully, though, the clean wretchings are kept to a minimum. Glass is nothing but a nonsensical, noise piece that functions mainly as an irritant. Why they chose to include compositions like this is beyond me.
The group traipses through numbers like Hangnail, California Burning, and Dead Wrong with relative ease. California Burning is unequivocally a high point of the album due to its imaginative hooks and infectious grooves. Further notable tunes are Confession and The Outlook. Overall the band succeeds on a multitude of levels. Volume One is basically well-done hardcore, but execution falters citing the inclusion of filler interludes and sometimes-repetitive hardcore ramblings. Devilinside, however, are ones to watch (along with labelmates Heaven Shall Burn and Narcissus).
7/10
Official Devilinside website
Official Abacus Recordings website
