The Devil’s Blood – The Thousandfold Epicentre

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Ván Records
Produced by Pieter Kloos

As a live band, The Devil’s Blood have had no trouble winning over the black metal crowd they so bizarrely seem to be drawn to. However whilst their polished version of occult psychedelic rock might have impressed metal crowds in the live arena, their debut album was met with slightly more resistance. Not that there is anything objectively wrong with The Time of No Time Evermore, the band’s debut is a fantastic dose of retro ’60s rock and already strong enough to set the band above other genre contenders such as Blood Ceremony and the much overhyped Ghost. That said, the band’s debut was very accessible – good for some crowds, but hardly suited for a supposed Satanic rock act.

Second album The Thousandfold Epicentre adds a few more rough edges whilst at the same time keeping some of the band’s accessibility. The more easy-going rock tunes such as I’ll Be Your Ghost are gone, and there’s a much bigger focus on songs that show off the band’s notorious lead guitar parts whilst highlighting The Mouth of Satan’s unbelievable vocal talents. The latter is by far the most obvious as it is very difficult to ignore the sheer soul and strength of the singer’s voice, able to deliver delicate melodies (Everlasting Saturnalia), rousing anthems (On The Wings of Gloria) through to a rich, soulful and hedonistic menace (Cruel Lover).

However it is the former of these two elements that perhaps excites the live audience more, and this has been much better highlighted on this album. Naturally it is easy to miss the sheer complexity of the guitar parts when you don’t have the guitarists in front of you, but the intricate and subtle guitar interplay that occurs throughout the album is utterly mesmerizing once noticed. The number of guitar parts on occasion actually boggles the mind, with the band often delivering multiple lead guitar solos (harmonized or otherwise) at the same time.

With all these technical elements aside, the album would fall apart without a solid collection of songs, but the songs on this album convey a much more intoxicating atmosphere than that of its predecessor. Whilst black metal’s version of Satanism has always been focused on negative emotions, The Thousandfold Epicentre focuses more on occult rock’s roots, focusing on the pleasures of the dark side, and perhaps the ultimate consequences of those that might follow such a path. Whilst this might not be projected in the band’s lyrics, it certainly is in the journey the band’s music takes. It starts off excited, euphoric and heightened on opener On The Wings Of Gloria, passing through the vaguely funky Cruel Lover and the devoted melodies of She, to plateau on The Thousandfold Epicentre before peaking with Fire Burning.

The album then nosedives from its more hedonistic material into the introspective trilogy of Everlasting Saturnalia, The Madness of Serpents and the particularly damning Feverdance. These three songs are where the album really shifts away from what we know of The Devil’s Blood and into far more unique and interesting territories, far less showy and overt and much more internal. For many this will be where the album either succeeds or fails; some will genuinely prefer the ‘safe’ direction of the band’s debut, but given the target audience and the band’s subject matter, a safe approach doesn’t really seem the correct way. That’s the main reason why The Thousandfold Epicentre is a far better album.

Still, all things considered the album wins on all fronts. It still has plenty of straight up catchy psychedelic rock songs, just these songs are richer, more intoxicating, and much more suited to the band’s themes. Technically speaking the guitar playing is better than ever and the band’s illusive singer displays an unbelievable talent. At the same time the band have delivered a much more difficult, much more involving and much more complete set of work. As far as the current crop of retro-revival bands are concerned, very few are likely to deliver an album as exciting as this one.

“ intoxicating atmosphere ”

Tracklist: Unending Singularity / On The Wings of Gloria / Die The Death / Within The Charnel House of Love / Cruel Lover / She / The Thousandfold Epicentre / Fire Burning / Everlasting Saturnalia / The Madness of Serpents / Feverdance

Written by James Donovan
More: 2011, Albums, Doom Metal, Female-fronted, The Devil's Blood