Deivos - Apophenia

Deivos is a death metal band from Poland, who formed in 1997.  Their latest album, “Apophenia” is their seventh full-length album; they have also released a demo and an EP.  

This is the first time I’ve heard their music and I’m kicking myself—I’ve been missing out for 27 years!  Damn!  Oh well, better late than never, right?  Unfortunately, I did not have time to check out their back catalog but if “Apophenia” is any indication, I'm in for quite the ride.

This is exactly the kind of death metal I like: bludgeoning yet engaging.  From the first note to the last, the entire blistering 33 minute runtime across 9 songs is an absolute blast. The aspect I like most about the album is that’s it is technical without all the moddern “widdly wham” that comes with *insert random tech death band here* these days.  These days?  I know I sound like an old man yelling at clouds (I’m 41 so I guess I am old anyway) but I just love it when a band can play in a technical fashion yet still manage to write actual riffs with groove and notes that don’t always fly by at 1000 mph.  “Deivos,” is the album that captures what the tech death scene has been missing. 

The production is loud and vibrant, capturing the many dynamics and twists in the music without being too clean or overproduce.  Every instrument shines in the best way and all the bright spots, ike the solos or time changes, are captured perfectly in the mix.

The barely controlled chaos begins with “Feretory.” Within ten seconds, the sound is encompassing and massive.  Vocalist Angelfuck (and why wouldn’t that be in his name, really) is monstrous and adds a special layer of brutality to the music.  Around the 1:32 mark, guitarists Tomasz and Mścisław hammer so ferociously that I had to rewind this passage multiple times because the punishment was so severe, so unrelenting that I managed to beg for the pain over and over again. 

“Sermon of Hypocrisy,” is brought to life by the ravaging rhythm prowess of the beastly Kamil (bass) and Krzysztof (drums).  No doubt this is one of the most powerful duos I’ve heard in death metal this year—their sound is thick and suffocating, even without the other instruments in the mix.  Remember those solos I talked about earlier?  There are a couple short but sweet ones here (at the 1:4 mark and the 2:57 mark) that claw their way out of the fury, showcasing a special brand of madness.

“Revelations,” is maddening in its approach but every note belongs where it is needed to create a song that flows much better than any song this goddamn intense has a right to. I love the riffs at the 2:06 and the bass I might love even more.  The solo around the 4 minute mark is almos unexplainable but it leads right into a slower tempo crush that ends the song on one of its best moments.

Ah yes, now we come to the title track.  Monolithic.  Massive.  Encompassing.  Brutal.  Any number of things could be said about it but it’s an experience that’s better enjoyed with a decent pair of headphones so you can feel what I did: my head imploding.  As the song approach its midsection, the band throws out grooves that just bulldoze everything.  The technical flourish after the solo is just as impressive and it’s so crazy how these guys blend riff based death metal with technical aspects so effortlessly

The final song is the roaring “Persecutor.”  The drums and bass ramp up the urgency almost instantly and the band rides alongside, throwing out riffs that balance the groove and the tech while the vocalist barks out his sermon with guile and venom. 

Deivos’ “Apophenia,” is one of the best death metal albums I’ve heard in this final half of the year.  I wish I had discovered them much sooner but I’d say this is obviously one hell of an album to start with.  .