Style: Slow, brooding black metal with a hint of dissonance
Primary Emotions/Themes: The darkness in man, desperation, slow brooding evil
Thoughts:
When it comes to dissonant music there is generally a formula that is
followed. The music is dense with a lot of riffs and a lot of notes that
typically don't belong together. The music is fast - assaulting the
listener with a barrage of sounds that often become so intertwined that
it results in a wall of sound effect. The music also tends to be
difficult to digest in one sitting. Songs will often be long and require
multiple listens to fully digest.
Devouring Star takes dissonant metal and breaks the aforementioned formula... just a little bit. The music is still dense... perhaps more so than the typical black/death metal band in fact. Where the deviations begin though is the speed.
The Arteries of Heresy takes things a bit slower than I initially expected of the music. Many of the songs have a rhythmic groove to them that is largely unheard of with this kind of music. Most of Procreation of Blood has this infectious sway to the riffs that act as a counter balance to the whirlwind of notes that make up the riffs. It's a delicate dance between the two opposing forces that leads to a more interesting listen.
Most of the songs will alternate between slower, more relaxed portions and the more chaotic faster sections. The balance is just about spot on for the record. The band knows exactly when to change up a riff, a tempo, or even just outright end the song. Nothing has a dominating force, things are as they should be.
Devouring Star is a fascinating entry into the field of dissonant music. Even though I call this dissonant that's only a part of their sound. There is quite a variety of tempos, variations on themes, and even a small amount of melody in between the chaos. It's not all instantly memorable, but it certainly will become infectious after repeated listens.
Written February 21st 2024
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