Info
- Band(s): The Devil's Sermon
- Label(s): Putrid Cult
- Release Format(s): CD
- Release Year: 2019
- Review Date: December 21, 2019
The Devil’s Sermon are a project from Polish musicians, living in the U.K…Or that is how the story or rumour goes. Not much information is being given. Their objective is to make true satanic Black Metal as extreme and dark as possible. The album title translates as: “There is no god above the Devil”.
From the first track on, The Devil’s Sermon deliver bonehard, ultrafast and razorsharp Black Metal with hellish vocals and all the infernal ingredients for a night out in hell.It’s mostly full throttle all the way, with demonic shrieking and growling raw vocals, creepy spoken passages, a dense sonic barrier of the finest riffs and metallic tremolo picked fills and melodies I have ever heard and a Mach 3 rhythm section. Vocals are in Polish, but don’t let that stop you, this album is so brutal and well-produced it might have been sung in Swahili, for all I care. Besides, I can clearly hear the rage against God and his Son, the adoration of death, the worship of Satan and Lucifer, and so on.
The intensity of his album is scorching. one explosion of satanic sermons after the other. “Through the dead memories of human souls”, “In the cursed light of sleep”, the slower, more than 10 minute long truly magnificent seismic cataclysm of “Deep in venom” with massive riffing and cathedral wide sonic bursts simply knock you off your feet and bludgeon you in submission.
Musicwise, I’d say the influences are mostly derived from second wave influenced BM, but with a very coherent and thunderous sound. Although influences from Bathory, Root, the old Blazebirth Hall scene also seem to be a source a source of inspiration. These are merely some pointers, as this album is way above average in every aspect. This masterpiece offers a great deal of variation, like the deadlike satanic incantation “Ave Lucifer”, the “Styx” interlude and your basic headsplitters “Lilith”, “Hell”, “Hecate”. Last track, “XIII” opens mildly with a cold acoustic guitar before metamorphosing itself in a maelstrom of Black Metal violence with the unexpected tempo changes and many other highlights.
What we have here, is the unclean essence of satanic Black Metal at its pinnacle. Hard, uncompromising and very unique in composition. Not only is the production flawless and flawlessly balanced (as it is most of the time with the Putrid Cult Records’ releases), it also delivers a monumental high number of decibels.
In a nutshell: fans and other maniacs of true and really hard and quite original Black Metal totally devoted to the Dark Prince of this World need not to hesitate for a split second. Others are suggested to check out The Devil’s Sermon on YouTube or other platforms. This album is heading for a cult status and if not: I will go on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem myself.
And … by the way: a new EP of these Infernal Harbingers is to be expected in January 2020. All heed the omens – praise Satan! (LV)
