Devourer of All is the second album from Belgian black metal band Nyrak, (I could not find who or what a ‘Nyrak‘ is) a new band to me, but based on this excellent second effort they will be a regular band in my playlist and a band with a bright future.

Playing a blend of stirring, symphonic black metal and atmospheric black metal, Nyrak delivers all of those elements in spades with a confident grasp of melodic riffs, some despondency, some damn right epic orchestration, and choirs (from founder/bassist Guy Van Nieuwenhove).  All within a handful of really, really strong moments that elevate some of the album’s more standard songs.

At a perfectly structured 41 minutes or so, the album’s 7 songs are perfectly balanced and written to not be too long or too short and contain several ‘wow’ moments that keep you coming back.

Bombastic opener “The Eyes of Time” has the bands’ (and especially Van Nieuwenhove’s) grasp of symphonic black metal dynamics and a balance of blistering and truly majestic. The title track reigns things it a bit with a more somber vibe and less dynamic orchestration and honestly is a bit of a let down after such a rip-roaring start.

Luckily, the third track “Candlelight” delivers another stellar number that opens with some gorgeous orchestration before the track takes off and has a couple of repeating refrains with chord progressions that are just top-notch (3;16, 3:40, and 5:13, 5;36), and make it a standout track.

Like the title track, “Lament” is a slower more moody number that sort of slows things down a bit, despite some nice orchestral moments. The ‘Great/OK’ swing of songs continues for “Oceans of Lies”, with some gorgeous choirs, and yet another series of breathtaking riffs/chord progressions before the album’s last two songs “Meaningless”  and “The Abstract Shape of Life” break the trend with a stellar set of riffs, albeit slower, moodier ones surprisingly.

I kinda had releases by Ensom, Aquilus, Dodsrit, and Suffering Souls as my top entries into the genre for 2024, but based on a few jaw-dropping songs on this album, Devourer of All is elbowing its way into the conversation. The only thing holding it back is a little inconsistency early on.

 

[Visit the band's website]

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