Band:	Devian
Album:	God To The Illfated
Style:	Black metal, Death metal
Release date:	December 2008

01. Mask Of Virtue
02. Assailant
03. The Unspoken
04. Saintbleeder
05. I'm The Pariah
06. God To The Illfated
07. Summerdeath
08. South Of Halo
09. Awaiting Doom
10. When The Vultures Have Left
11. Reap The Storm [limited edition bonus]
12. Raison D'etre [limited edition bonus]

Swedish blackened death metal outfit Devian were formed in 2006 by Legion and Emil Dragutinovic of Marduk fame and Jonas Mattson, who, alongside Emil, is a former member of death metal heavyweight Nominon. What separates Devian from the endless supply of black/death metal bands of today is the influence of thrash metal in their sound, which can be heard in songs like "God To The Illfated" and "South Of Halo" (possibly a reference to Slayer's South Of Heaven).

God To The Illfated features several catchy hooks in "Saintbleeder" with its thrash-laden introduction and use of clean vocals during the chorus, not to mention the aggressive feel of "Awaiting Doom". If you are having troubles understanding the purpose of this album, look no further than the hotshot drug dealer in your downtown core: like him, this album means business, and its job is to sell you a heavy-hitting trip that will kick you so hard into submission you'll be paralyzed from its sheer velocity.

The beginning of "Mask Of Virtue" is belted out with immense force, which blasts the album off to a quick start, a theme that carries the album from beginning to end, as there is little time to notice between the track changes; not that this is a bad thing, in fact it is quite the opposite, for soon after blasting off from the first track you wind up in space (also known as the seven-minute melody-driven "When The Vultures Have Left") a mere 45 minutes later.

God To The Illfated is an album designed for the students of Seasons In The Abyss and Nightwing universities. Its tolerable extremism will appease fans of "less-than-true" black metal as well as open-minded death metal addicts. Of course, everyone loves to market themselves as the next big thing, the rock-cock of society if you will, and Devian answer that call. They are by no means providing anything original to the modern black/death metal scene, nor are they breaking ground in terms of album sales records, but they understand the art of shredding, appropriate vocal depth, and Emil is a more-than-capable drummer who fits the sound perfectly. My only quip regarding the production is the inaudible bass, although that's a common problem in today's metal music.

All-in-all you will not be disappointed with this dropkick of an album, though it won't surprise you with any unsuspecting formulas.