Devenial Verdict – Blessing of Despair

In 2022, Devenial Verdict released Ash Blind, an album that was among the best I found that year. So, you can imagine that when I heard Blessing of Despair was coming out this year, I was more excited than the last time Transcending Obscurity did a “name your price” digital sale (I’m not hinting at anything for the future, of course! wink wink). Still, I also felt a bit nervous because we’ve had so much amazing Disso-Death this year that I started to wonder if there were any areas left to explore in the subgenre. Let’s see if Devenial Verdict has an answer for us!

I usually hate reviews that start with, “the opening track is…” but honestly, I can’t avoid mentioning that my first impression of Blessing of Despair was that this album gives zero fox and that I could forget about an easy ride. Yet, I was fooled, because there’s more than just unstoppable Disso-brutality here. There’s a deep understanding of atmosphere, mood, and even… melody? Yes, just like its elder sibling Ulcerate, Devenial Verdict has chosen a slower, more melodic path to horror. I love that the band feels comfortable at any pace. Sometimes it seems like Death Metal bands are embarrassed to slow things down!

Blessing of Despair sounds gorgeous and massive; there’s no other way to put it. The guitar work can be terrifying at times, but it also builds moments of deep emotional weight (it almost sounds vulnerable!). And am I nuts? Or does the guitar tone almost feel like old Gojira? That’s probably the wackiest comparison I’ve made all year. I could keep talking about the superb drum, bass, and vocal work, but what I really want to highlight is how much Devenial Verdict has evolved since its previous album. It’s still the same band, but the songwriting has become more creative and definitely riskier. This mostly pays off, though there are a few things to keep in mind before diving headfirst into Blessing.

I’m not going to say this is inaccessible, because that’s obvious. But within the Disso-Death world, this is about as close to commercial as it gets. My only significant issue with the album is that it loses a bit of steam in the second half. It picks back up by the end (“A Curse Made Flesh”), but a few tracks, though great, don’t quite stand up to the rest. That could change with more spins, though, and I’m definitely coming back to this. By the end of the year, I’ll let you know if any mistakes were made.

So, if Ingurgitating Oblivion was too abstract, Replicant too disgusting, or Ulcerate too loud (though I think you’re wrong in all these cases, just saying!), then Devenial Verdict has exactly what you need. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but maybe there’s still a lot left to explore in the Disso-Death sphere (the Metal world isn’t flat, deal with it!). Either way, can’t we all agree that “Moon-Starved” is freaking beautiful? My sense of aesthetics has been so deformed by despair, which is kind of a blessing! I’m definitely getting canceled after all these bad puns.

Label: Transcending Obscurity

Release date: 4 October, 2024

Website: https://www.facebook.com/DevenialVerdict

Country: Finland

Score: The blessing that we all needed! or 4.2/5.0!