Mind-dazzling music and craft
Wreaking havoc since 2013, Deathgrave has released their newest album, Hell Is Evil. The record’s wild instrumentation and powerful vocal performance attacks listeners’ ears, but what really shines the brightest are the lyrics. Each song has a strong human connection, appealing to many diverse audiences. For those who enjoy in-your-face and fast paced thrash-metal music, this album can undoubtedly scratch an itch.
The title track, “Hell Is Evil,” kicks off the album with a bang. It sees Deathgrave finding their footing as their songwriting falls onto more polished ground. The band expanded their typical style to include three-minute songs, giving each characteristic vocal burst more time to develop musically rather than simply relying on shuddering, angry bouts of energy.
Another great tune is “Hard to Swallow.” It has catchy, dark and gloomy guitar riffs that truly stick their landing, due in no small part to the band members’ previous experience with Graves at Sea. The vocal performance, however, sounds like it could be from any of the band’s prior albums, with each shout dominating the rest of the song’s distinctive aspects.
“Born From Death ” is the first song where the band’s musical brutality gets free rein to spread its wings and fly, sans a bold and dissonant punk guitar riff occasionally chiming in the background to break it up. The harrowing “Smaller and Smaller,” sitting at nearly four minutes long, sees the darkness of the album emerge. The number takes things in a more sludge metal direction. The band descends into the occasional blast-beat, keeping things fresh and interesting throughout the album’s longest track.
The chorus of “It’s Only Midnight” employs vocals in a very meaningful and pointed manner, making the large dose of screaming thrash cab work with ease. In “Yaws 3D,” Deathgrave plays a lovely mix of punk and death metal, creating their own idiosyncratic style of grindcore.
Hell Is Evil proves that Deathgrave doesn’t care how heavy their listeners prefer their music. With both intensity and exciting luminosity, Deathgrave shows that there is always time to slow down and create new musical memories without having to go against one’s own music taste, regardless of how rigid it may seem. Most importantly, Deathgrave proves they are still more than capable of creating music propelled by sheer talent.
