Since forming in London in 2004 Devil Sold His Soul have been terrifying listeners with their unique brand of metalcore and, more nuanced than their peers, they’ve a sound that pulls an array of influences into their orbit. Their fourth full length, Loss, finds the band consolidating their core sound whilst simultaneously pushing at its limits and the result is a multi-textured album that incorporates a wide range shades.
In a move which echoes throughout this album opening cut “Ardour” begins with an unsettling soundscape; a piece of music that lures you into another dimension and leaves you totally unprepared for what’s to follow. Bursting into life with the force of a volcanic eruption “Ardour” proves to be a jumble of juxtapositions as clean vocal nestle ‘twixt growls and screams whilst surgical synths make easy bedfellows with organic instrumentation. With a satisfyingly heavy bass rumble this is an album that explores the full range of musical dynamics from soft to brutally crushing yet the magic lies in the fact that Devil Sold His Soul make these sonic shifts seamlessly.
Scoring a deal with Nuclear Blast Records (the bastion of all that’s good and heavy) seems to have galvanised the band and Loss definitely takes Devil Sold His Soul to new extremities. Adding ambient traits to metalcore might sound like an oxymoron but it’s a move that makes the band kinda unique in a genre that can often descend into generic posturing. Devil Sold His Soul bring these two polar opposites together in a multifaceted and often arresting sound. Ed Gibbs is back in the fold (last appearing on 2012’s Empire Of Light) and his vocal dynamics make a welcome return and provide a continuity of sorts. Musically too, there’s an invisible thread running through Loss which stitches the tracks into a cohesive whole, not quite a full concept but unified nevertheless.
If you like what we do, consider joining us on Patreon for as little as £1 per month!
Using tonality to create moods and shift emotions “Tateishi” soon evolves into a musical tsunami and sets things up nicely for the monolithic enormity that is “The Narcissist”. A field recording of the warning bells from Tateishi rail station serve as an introduction before the band take their sound to new levels of heaviness (and that’s certainly saying something). A brave choice for a single, “The Narcissist” is indicative of the turn Devil Sold His Soul have taken; it’s dark, dissonant and discombobulating and creates the feeling of something vast and immovable; imagine laying beneath a concrete slab beneath an ocean and tethered by a 100lb anchor and you’d have something approaching the weight of “The Narcissist”.
All the tracks contained on Loss veer towards the epic yet they don’t seem forced or unnecessarily elongated and things are left to run their natural course. But while I’m on the subject of things monumental “Loss”, the vast, symbolic title track, is the closer that pulls all of the albums disparate strands together, from its ambient beginnings via hardcore blasts to its cliff edge ending, and weaves them into an extravagant tapestry.
Don’t fancy Patreon? Buy us a one-off beverage!
While some bands mellow with age and tread water Devil Sold His Soul keep finding ways to enhance their sound and push musical boundaries. Their Loss is our gain.
Loss is released by Nuclear Blast Recordings on 9th April 2021
Check out all the bands we review in 2021 on our Spotify and YouTube playlists!
Devil Sold His Soul: official | facebook | twitter | instagram | spotify | youtube