Chug…chug… chug….blast…blast…blast…limbs are crushed…sinkholes erupt…lava explodes….ripped off heads…atomic blast…sky is torn…chest collapsing…atmosphere no more…planet dies……………….Yes, Devourment are back with their 5th album-Obscene Majesty, and their longest album yet at 47 minutes. They figured let us just bludgeon the listener more and more and if we do it longer than the beginning above part of this review will happen. With vocalist Mike Majewski departing years ago Ruben Rosas takes over the vocals once again and with Brad Fincher behind the kit, Chris Andrews on guitars/vox and Dave Spencer on bass, Devourment has unleashed what amounts to the most violent and bludgeoning sounding brutal slam/death metal album in the last decade.

“A Virulent Strain of Retaliation” starts with noise/ambient crap going on then at the 1.14 part Brad whips into a monster blasting part and I am like, this is the fastest blast Devourment has ever done and then boom right into a slam and Ruben’s filthy disgusting vocals coming in and vomiting all over your diseased body. Catch a nice little quick bass solo to boot, so quick it will lop off your horrible head within 1.5 seconds. Nice double pounding technique erupts and back into the slam. The 4.35 blasting part and guitar work is something new for Devourment and I like it, then back into this monster slam which features a monster rhythm groove-section then back into the blast. This is pure ferocity. Before you can even let out a goddamn breath “Cognitive Sedation Butchery” erupts with monster blasting, brutal slams, clogged-sewer pipe styled vocals. Then the abrupt bass solo at the 1.13 section goes right into this insane sounding guitar slide, equipped with a blistering pinch harmonic that collapsed the Houston Texans stadium in about 0.0 seconds. This is also partially due to Jerry Jones from the Dallas Cowboys colluding with Devourment to ensure this would happen-you go Jerry! The 2.18 slam is so freaking violent I began swinging. I started picking up change, windmilling and I windmilled myself so fast down concrete steps…but I never stopped windmilling. The brutal beat down continues with a slower slam than Brad adding a cool blast over it, back into the slam, then a monster blast. Nice slap happy bass guitar going on and christ almighty, I cannot catch my breath. Intensity folks. This is one of the best Devourment songs.

“Xenoglossia” is a little ditty of a number at 2.32 the song wastes no time at all with decapitating the listener as heads start rolling down the hill, like it’s nobody’s business. More pinch harmonics, ferocious blasting and the Holy Shit moment at the 1.36 isolated part. Oh sweet baby jesus. Then the trickling cymbals rolls right into a brutal slam that broke spinal columns worldwide. This part is so damn awesome, omg. The album ends with “Truculent Antipathy” and the song is the size of a Sherman Tank with treads bigger than your belly after a true Thanksgiving meal. The 2.06 slow down slam is so darn heavy and then the double bass rolls in and Brad Fincher is eating the drums. He is smashing them like his life depends on it and this slam part is outstanding and violent. Part of the slow down has some Internal Bleeding/Dying Fetus/Dehumanized influence to it and it’s pretty killer.

You wanted a new Devourment album folks, well you sure as shit got one, so stop crying. Several observations and comments must be made. One of the things that have held the band back, with getting higher reviews on past album’s, was the production. While I do take that with a grain of salt in some instances, it was not without merit. I love Devourment and admit some of their prior albums maybe had some muddy areas, however Devourment has always been a noisy sounding recorded band. Obscene Majesty has that noise, but I do think it’s part of their sound, but as production goes, this album destroys all the prior Devourment albums…it’s not even close. It also features the fastest blasting they’ve ever had and it’s their most violent sounding record to date. I’ve lived with all their prior albums for many years, so while I cannot crown this one as my favorite just yet..I do believe it will eventually become my favorite one. Devourment also has inserted some different arrangements with creating longer songs, more varied instrumentation and as I said earlier, this is the most violent brutal slam/death metal album in the last 10 years. I love this album, this is how brutal slam/death metal is meant to sound and Ruben’s vocals are a thing of twisted sick beauty.

Devourment needs to take this show on the road. Doing real tours has not been part of their repertoire, but I am hoping that will change. I saw them at this year’s MDF and their performance was insane and the pit was brutal, violent 90’s style all over the floor and the walls. Devourment-be proud of this album. It’s monstrous. It’s Obscenely brutal and crushing, all the while Majestic in its musical and creative arrangements. Folks get ready to start swinging, now. Obscene Majesty is a buy or get ready to be part of some Arterial Spray Pattern all over your neighborhood.

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