Brutal slam veterans, Devourment, have been quiet, having not released new material for a number of years. I reviewed their last album, Obscene Majesty, back in 2019, and what a crushing onslaught of music that was. Then,BAM! Out of nowhere this 3-song ep, Pious Impiety, drops, and here I am reviewing it.
With a very similar color palette, on the cover, like their last release, these newer cover designs, I feel, are a good look for the band. Shows some maturity, and these three songs, at least a few of them, will be in their upcoming tour setlist, with Hatebreed, for sure. Brad Fincher – drums, Ruben Rosas – vocals, Dave Spencer – bass all welcome to the fold, Marvin Ruiz, on guitars. Marvin is no lightweight when it comes to guitar work, as he is the guitarist for another brutal Texas death metal band – Stabbing! Marvin has now been with Devourment for a few short years and has the Devourment, slamtastic guitar sound down!
The title track opens with a film clip, which I think is the movie Evil Dead. Once the music hits, Brad gets into a monster blast beat, and Ruben’s vocals sound sooo vomitrocious. I love the filth. Clogged sewer pipe stylized brutality. There is an early slam, then right into a monster blast beat, equipped with 90’s era brutal pinch harmonics. I really enjoy Marvin putting in those harmonics, as it ties together some of the earlier material of Devourment. The mid-paced moments with the double bass will collapse chest cavities all over.. Once the slower slam hits at the 2.48 mark, this will level pits, on their tour. This is a most excellent song, and those sharp harmonics, towards the end of the song, will eviscerate your flesh, right off your skeleton.
“Mortiferous Dependency” has monstrous blasts and then creeping slams, and the moment at the 30-second slam will level your neighborhood. I know. I saw your neighborhood and it looks like shit after this EP was blasted. The slam gets even slower and is just monstrous. The mid-paced moments are so bludgeoning that it may cause you to start punching holes in things. I wrecked a few houses while listening to this EP. One of the finest songs Devourment has written.
“Advanced Stage Decomposition” is crucial in the beginning, with vocals getting zoomed right in. This monstrous opening slam could cause a ruckus at the local five and dime, so keep your stereo at an acceptable volume. The slam at the 1.10 section is the Holy Shit moment. You know, with the quick buildup, it is about to hit. And son…does it ever hit. It’s so heavy it may cause the brown note in you. Brad tosses in a nice blast with a few tasty drum fills, as well. The 2.20 slam is yet another crushing wave of brutality!!
Geez! Pious Impiety is one helluva brutal slam release from Devourment. The three songs are so strong that they should rotate them all in and out of their sets on their upcoming shows. These songs are tight, played with precision, are brutal, and the slams hit and keep on hitting. There is no let up on this release. You have no time to catch your breath and that is what Devourment wanted to do. Especially with all these younger whipper snapper slam bands putting out release after release after release. But the masters have returned to basically say, F You all, we are here and we will continue to slay nonstop. Literally, a breathtaking display of how brutal slam should be written and produced!
