DEVIOUS – Wolfhagen

Dutch death metal is often associated with great names like Asphyx, Pestilence, Severe Torture and ex masters of brutality God Dethroned. The dutch scene is actually quite massive and there are a lot of great DM bands hailing from the windmill country. One band that have managed to stay below my DM radar is Devious. The band formed back in 98 and have released three albums so far. I have not heard any of their previous releases but if they are as good as their  fourth opus, "Wolfhagen" I will certainly       check them out. They apparently have a new vocalist appearing on this release, but I am guessing he sounds quite familiar to the old one.  The Devious form of death metal is modern and fresh without being Gothenburg melodic or related to any form of deathcore. Its just straight ahead pure death metal with massive riffing, a couple of blast beats and a pretty deep growl to keep the excitement going. The pace is just above midrange and the brutal factor is there but not overwhelming and hectic.

 The production is good and even though their music is not that complex you can hear that the musicians know how to work their way around the fretboard. "Wolfhagen" is not rocket science, but a hymn of true feelings for the extreme music we all love. Their death metal is not that innovative but it keeps me interested and as said earlier, I will definitely check out their back catalog. Worth checking out!