EP Review: Devourment – Pious Impiety
Devourment is FUCKING back
Unless your knowledge of death metal begins and ends with Six Feet Under, I’d imagine you are at least tangentially aware of the slamlords known as Devourment. Possibly the closest thing slam death has to a Metallica, the group was one of the first bands to incorporate the pounding, mid-paced riffs pioneered by Suffocation into their own sub-niche of brutal death metal (along with Internal Bleeding, Afterbirth, and Wicked Innocence, plus bands that shared members with Devourment like Necrocide and Sintury). Landmark releases like Molesting the Decapitated and Butcher the Weak were foundational for the most tasteless side of metal outside of black metal by fash-LARPers (read: kissless virgins)—for better or worse, I suppose. The Texas band maintained somewhat consistent releases up to and beyond departures of members, with a true reincarnation in 2019’s Obscene Majesty. Taking a far noisier (almost war metal) approach to production and a more sophisticated take on songwriting (comparatively), Obscene Majesty noted a return to quality and a new chapter for the band.
While it doesn’t seem like it due to stress-induced time dilation, that was 7 years ago, a longer wait than between any of their previous full-lengths in the past. Yet, the surprise release of Pious Impiety (the group’s first release dignified as an EP) feels like a continuation of the momentum from Obscene Majesty. Sonically, this three-song release seems to split the difference between the group’s older production and auditory profile and the newer approach to songwriting (and far less misogynistic, meathead lyricism), resulting in three of the best death metal tracks to come out of Texas since Molesting the Decapitated.
Sure, maybe it’s extreme to jump to a conclusion like that this close to the EP’s release, but I can safely tell you I have been spinning Pious Impiety constantly; it has been getting better and better with each listen. The title track blasts into full gear after a brief sample from the 2005 horror film The Exorcism of Emily Rose, exhibiting a level of forcefulness we’ve come to expect from Devourment while toning back some of the noisier elements of the previous LP. Original drummer Brad Fincher and longtime vocalist Ruben Rosas are joined by Regurgitation‘s Dave Spencer on bass (who has been in the band since 2014) and new guitarist Marvin Rulz of Nephilm Grinder and Stabbing. Rulz’s playing style fits smoothly into the band’s structure, working along Spencer to build massive guitar tones that wash over the listener like an immense wave at high tide. When in conjunction with the power and precision of Fincher’s playing and the iconic gurgles of Rosas, we see a new form of Devourment in spades.
If you’ve heard the group’s quote-unquote hits like “Babykiller” and “Choking on Bile,” you can rest assured that you have at least the basic DNA of Pious Impiety‘s sound in mind. That said, the quality on this release sets a standard about as high as 1.3.8./Molesting the Decapitated. Something about the group’s near-scientific perfection of the various elements they specialize in (the breakdowns, the slamming riffs, the immediate grooves, the ferocity, etc.) brings this new release to practical perfection, especially considering it’s a lean 12 minutes. As much experience as I have in describing this kind of death metal, it’s hard to capture the intricacies and specifics of a release like Pious Impiety; it’s just slam perfected with a level of polish that few bands will ever hope to reach. That’s just what you get when you fuck with the best.
5/5 Flaming Toilets ov Hell
Pious Impiety is out now through Relapse Records.
