I've said this many times in recent memory, but the 'deathcore' sub-genre is really getting out of control. Too many bands are jumping on this bandwagon, and it's getting harder and harder to find any that have anything different to offer. The Devastated fall right into that pile, a young band from California who find their new CD The Devil's Messenger on a pretty big metal label in Century Media. Well, all the backing in the world from the label isn't going to help the fact that The Devil's Messenger is typical run of the mill deathcore, nothing more, nothing less. The musicianship is competent, but there's nothing here amidst the pummelling riffage, brutal breakdowns, and pounding drum blasts that we haven't heard before, and better. The vocals are all over the map, so expect a wide assortment of growls, screams, pig grunts, shouts, bellows...well, you get the picture. I found the constant shifting of the vocal styles to be a distraction, especially on what is musically a pretty decent song in "Swallowing Tumors".
If The Devastated want to be the next Suicide Silence or Annotations of An Autopsy, they've got a way to go. This is middle of the road deathcore, and though you can hear that these guys have some talent, they haven't quite put it all together yet.
Track Listing
01. Drip Drip
02. Psuedo Smile Campaign
03. Swallowing Tumors
04. Failure in Thrive
05. Roof Top Party Drop
06. The Devil's Messenger
07. Spit Vitriol
08. Zombies
09. Blood Bag Drag
10. Tongue in Cheek
11. Caprice
12. Conductor
Printer Friendly Page
Send to a Friend
