The Devil’s Blood – The Thousandfold Epicentre (2011)

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As one of the most anticipated releases of 2011, “The Thousandfold Epicenter” delivers in every single aspect and considerably surpasses all expectation we had from The Devil’s Blood. In this release we are treated to 11 tracks of brilliant composition and intelligently transmitted emotions that will either captivate you due to its very catchy nature or its highly interesting ideological nature. The band spares no expense in providing a very insightful release, both musically and lyrically.

After their amazing 2009 release “The Time Of No Time Evermore”, this band blew us away immediately with their high-octane psychedelic/occult rock sound that while many bands mimic, this band is the real deal. Lead by the mysterious SL/TDB/A-O and fronted by the powerful female vocals of F/TDB/MOS, this band is the real deal when it comes to mixing psychedelic music with occult references and ideas. The band’s persona is surrounded by mystery and large amounts of symbology, allowing all people that like to dig into things to enjoy countless hours trying to identify each little (and carefully crafted) detail behind the band.

Released in Europe on 11-11-11, “The Thousandfold Epicentre” opens with the eerie “Unending Singularity” before fully exploding into the even more ritualistic “On The Wings of Gloria”. In this track the band’s trademark sound is immediately back and the vocals nicely adorn a very effective track. Packed with intricate guitar sections and brilliant vocal harmonies, this song immediately shows that this release will be a truly emotional rollercoaster ride.

Moving into a more familiar territory, “Die The Death” is a very traditional song for The Devil’s Blood and it nicely gives that feeling of familiarity with the band. The closing moments of the track are excellent, showing an excellent culmination to a momentum-building track. A similar approach follows with “Within The Charnel House of Love”, but of course this song also has its own magic to make it stand out from the rest.

Things start getting even more exciting with the epic “Cruel Lover”. In this track we get super catchy parts and a nice build-up. The vocals are outstanding as always, but the raw emotion behind this is what makes them even more appealing. The melodic section around the 5 minute mark is pretty intense and nicely adorned by the soaring guitars works like a charm. The magical “She” makes its way around the middle of the album and by this time if you are not completely sold in by the magic of this band, nothing else will convert you. This is for us, the best The Devil’s Blood song of all time, with powerful vocal leads, magical lyrics and overall excellent music…. things can’t get any better than this, truly brilliant and highly emotional.

Things continue to get even more epic with the final arrangements of “She” that nicely bleed into “The Thousandfold Epicentre”. In this track we have the super catchiness of the band nicely spread out in a 9 minute monolithic track. The band’s musical abilities are very evident since they manage to carry this song majestically and with very creative sections, rather than just repeating things forever. The experimental “Everlasting Saturnalia” is an excellent track that features a chilling atmosphere, particularly around the middle of it. This song is very ethereal and provides a nice breather before the next aural assault.

The Madness of Serpents” feels like one of those chaotic nightmares that we sometimes have where everything is completely random and very bizarre. The atmosphere behind this song is very weird and gives you a very weird (but good vibe) since the beginning. The band has a gift when it comes to creating very psychedelic songs that transmit raw emotions. This song also bleeds into the closing super weird track “Feverdance”, a 15 minute voyage through time and space. Indeed “Feverdance” is a very unconventional and experimental closing track that somehow feels just right for such an emotional and powerful release. With the last five minutes being truly … bizarre, the band leaves the listeners on a high note and scratching their heads.

If you are a fan of the band, you will love this release. If you never heard of them before, this is your time to jump into something that is truly unique and very real. The band blends a wide palete of psychedelic/hard rock elements with so many layers of mysticism that will keep you busy for a few weeks. The musical abilities of the band are just brilliant and every single song has magic in it. We particularly recommend you get the ‘lush’ CD version (from Europe) that comes in a nice book with some illustrations and liner notes that will guide you through the listening experience. Hands down one of the top 5 releases of 2011, and we are already leaning towards crowning it the best of 2011.

Band: The Devil’s Blood Album: The Thousandfold Epicentre
Label: Van Records

Release: November, 11th, 2011

Oficial Site myspace
Genre: Psychedelic/Occult Rock

Country: Netherlands

Rating: 96/100
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