Artist: Devil Sold His Soul
Title: Blessed & Cursed
Genre: Post-Hardcore
Release Date: 9th July 2010
Label: Century Media Records
Album Review
After six years of existence, the British DEVIL SOLD HIS SOUL are about to release their second full-length record, after the EP ‘Darkness Prevails’ (2005) and the first album ‘A Fragile Hope’ (2007). Being signed to a major label, the band is preparing their final breakthrough with a mixture of darkness, melancholy and power. The first song, ‘Tides’, possesses a nice, atmospheric beginning, creating a sensible but moody beginning. Then, the screamed vocals set in and put forward a more powerful phrase, which again is discontinued by melodic sung parts. The second song merges into the other almost fluently, only some breakdowns make you realize it’s another piece of music. In ‘Drowning/Sinking’, some nice and fittingly choir-sung elements are included.
‘Callous Heart’ starts off with an acoustic guitar phrase, which soon veers towards the usual mixture of hardcore and dark, desperate melodies. This is mostly underlined by unusual yet suitable drumming. At this point it already has to be said that listeners of this album should better be used to this kind of music, since for me, the vocals got pretty annoying already after the first minutes. So it is not enough if you enjoy either the soft or the harder side, but the combination of both is definitely promising in this case. ‘An Ocean of Lights’ is in general a slower song, whilst the beginning of ‘Frozen’ is really down and depressive. Yet, the usual trademark is not lost, which ruins some atmospheric and ambient moments.
Consequently, the sixth song is faster, also showing resemblances to Deathcore or heavier hardcore, since the structure of this song possesses some more breakdowns. The rest of the album continues in that manner, combining the above listed elements and trademarks. Fans of the genre should definitely give this album a listen, since lots of beautiful moments are included. If you easily get annoyed by this sort of vocals, you better leave ‘Blessed & Cursed’ aside. Yet, it is audible that lots of effort has been put in this record, so there are definitely people who are more suitable to cherish it.
Tracklist
01. Tides
02. Drowning/Sinking
03. Callous Heart
04. An Ocean of Lights
05. Frozen
06. The Disappointment
07. Crane Lake
08. A Foreboding Sky
09. The Weight of Faith
10. Truth Has Come
Line-up
Iain - Bass
Paul - Samples
Ed - Vocals
Jonny - Guitars
Leks - Drums
Rick - Guitars
Website
http://www.myspace.com/devilsoldhissoul / http://www.devilsoldhissoul.com/
Cover Picture
Rating
Music: 5
Sound: 8
Extras: -
Total: 6.5 / 10
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