Oh, what a cavernous sound... Wait a minute, it was just a trick at the beginning! Good, it sounded way too manufactured anyway. Deviser do have black metal influences in their music, that's for sure. They sound Greek because they are Greek, but when entering the realms of a very well-known acts, namely Rotting Christ and Nightfall, it all becomes a bit boring. Why? Not because aforementioned bands are bad, no, but because Deviser do not manage to make it all sound Deviser enough.

See, 'Stand & Deliver' sounds very much like older Rotting Christ, just more heavy metal oriented, so I think this makes 'Unspeakable Cults' a dark metal album. Deviser have utilized keyboards to bring in some atmosphere, but surely the atmosphere they create is nowhere near evil. Some riffing is extremely simple, and with boring rhythms, hoarse echoing black metal vocals and lame keyboards the feeling I'm left is boring. At times (for example 'Threnody'), some riffs are very good, but when the band choose to take that way of simplified black metal delivery, those riffs alone can't lift the music up from the grey mass. The heavy metal stuff is just way more lively than that boring and typical black metal stuff. However, the worst example of uninteresting music is the gothic instrumental 'Ritual Orgy'. Weak female vocals are introduced on 'Darkness Incarnate', but thankfully no more of it can be heard. While production is clean, it's also way too refined, without edges. Good, at times trippy bass playing is the most interesting aspect music-wise (the outro 'Afterkill' rules, and here's the sole atmospheric keyboard work on it, too).

Lyrically, this is interesting for the fans of witches, Lovecraftian creatures and such dark things. Sometimes written in delicate manner, the lyrical offering is the best element of 'Unspeakable Cults'. Anyway, if you are a fan of Greek dark metal, then go on and try this album. I bet this gives you more than nought. Deviser just couldn't create something unique here, and that's the main reason for the score.

Rating: 4½ (out of 10) ratings explained

Reviewed by Lane
07/31/2007 14:05