Find out if Devil Sold His Soul deliver after so many years away…
British metalcore band Devil Sold His Soul make a triumphant return to the scene with their first studio album since 2012. Unambiguously titled Loss, the London-based six-piece couldn’t have picked a better time to make a comeback and exert their pent-up energy into an album at (what we hope is) the tail-end of a global pandemic.
The album begins with a quiet, ambient opening which gradually builds into an explosive mix of riffs and heavy beats, and continues on this path throughout. The band’s quintessential atmospherics don’t go amiss, complimenting the dramatic nature of each song. Retaining two dedicated vocalists who each perform both clean and harsh vocals, DSHS blur the lines between sombre metal and catchy pop-punk melodies. Though it creates a unique sound, some listeners may find this marriage of genres distracting due to the overload of different vocal styles.
As I said, the quality of production is noticeably well balanced. Yet, Loss emits a nostalgic feel and could very easily belong in 2005. The drumming is at the forefront of the mix and brings the power you’d expect for enhanced build-ups. DSHS prove they have no trouble writing and curating new musical ideas and memorable tunes, with the average song length on the double LP weighing in at six minutes. These extensive song durations are by no means uncommon for the band, however, they might be a touch tedious to the more restless audiences.
The title track sums up the themes addressed throughout, assembling a slow mournful climb of heart-wrenching lyrics, high-pitched tunes and accelerating drums, climaxing to a crescendo and ending with a sudden silence. It replicates the rollercoaster of emotions when one is grieving and thus earns its name. Loss brings so much to the table, offering dissonant riffs, head-banging solos, melancholy screams and hopeful choruses. This release justifies itself as a worthwhile listen to hardcore metal-heads but also appeals to punk-rock fanatics looking to expand their palette and enter a heavier stratosphere.
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Watch our interview with Devil Sold His Soul
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