Devilskin
Be Like The River
(Self-Release)
One of the biggest bands in New Zealand right now is Devilskin, and they’ve just released their sophomore opus which is arguably more realized than their admittedly sluggish debut, 2014’s We Rise. The debut literally went in one ear and out the other, which is why I never even so much as bothered to review it after the first listen. But times have changed and what I’m hearing now is something that could be a heavily successful act. Frontwoman Jenine Skulander seems like she could be as big of a force in the alternative heavy metal scene as that of In This Moment’s Maria Brink or Halestorm’s Lzzy Hale. It’s quite refreshing to hear a band like this one, where the female vocal element is such a commanding force. We also get occasional growls that front rather hard-edged numbers like opener “Dressed In Black” and “House 13” which are loaded with fierce and heavy down-tuned guitars, as well as some solos. Yes, you heard me right – as mainstream as this material is, there’s actually some pretty decent solo and melody work coming by way of a gentleman that calls himself Nail. Whoever this Nail may be, he certainly has some chops and isn’t afraid to throw in some djent or take listeners right back to the days of Priest and Maiden. What you need to know, is that you’re getting an album with variety and that’s important. Even if the vocal approach isn’t too dissimilar for most of these songs, musically you’re getting a radio-ready act that isn’t afraid to tear down some of the boundaries and throw down with some of metal’s strongest modern acts.
Arguably the disc’s fiercest track is “FYI” but that comes right before the extremely poppy ballad, “Closer” which could’ve been covered in any manner of music, but just happened to be rock in this case. Devilskin definitely combine alternative rock music with that of hard-hitting metal and bits of pop, which might give listeners a Lacuna Coil vibe and that’s certainly not a problem. The truth of the matter is that you can actually bang your head to this one (metaphorically, it’s no longer medically advised to do so) and you’re not going to sit through a bunch of sappy ballads. Now I know that there are a couple gentlemen out there who might want to throw the tag “Girlfriend Metal” on this one, but it’s actually a bit more unhinged than you might expect. Devilskin are definitely the kind of alt-metal act you’d expect with female vocals, but like harder-edged acts in the vein of The Agonist, Huntress or Otep, there’s a little more bite to the performance and arguably much more to chew on. This obviously isn’t the first female-fronted alt-metal act I’ve been handed and won’t be the last, but it’s extremely memorable. Be Like The River simply thumps with sugary choruses and a bit more musical muscle than you might expect from a record of it’s nature. With a professional production job to boot, Devilskin are on their way to becoming the next In This Moment or Lacuna Coil, of that I have no doubt. Killer stuff, that I’m not afraid to admit I actually dug.
Purchase Be Like The River here.
