𒂔𒈾𒆠𒍪 — Before these last three generations of irradiated mankind lost sight of knowledge, history, community and culture as a point of life’s pursuit many had speculated and theorycrafted in various unscientific ways the idea that humanity’s ills were directly related to the dysfunction of ancestral traits found in all high apes. A theory wherein unsustainably sized societies inevitably breed adversarial behaviors en masse as truly self-inflicted hierarchical problems arise when the perceived environment is stretched to its limit by overpopulation. It is a naturally arrived-upon thought that the “darkness within man” is less the hand of the daimonian character repressed by societal conditioning but moreso an irrepressible “evil” which overtakes the mind when faced with competition and purposelessness, a new ailment specifically engineered by an artificially extended lifespan. Brutality, mayhemic violence cannot be nullified or bred out of the human race per some imagined farcical evolutionary reprogramming per technological convenience for the sake of they who shall not be herded by design. In their own way Roman brutal death metal quartet Devangelic meditate upon on the feeble art of self-exorcism which plagues mankind throughout history as they rip through this fourth and heaviest full-length album in unholy barrage, feeding the darkness rather than attempting to extract it. Though their work on ‘Xul‘ leaves slightly more room to breathe here and there these folks are no less relentless by nature, still brutal berserkers as evidenced by the way they’ve wrecked their way through this savagely beaten yet meticulously crafted proper brutal death record. Though there may be little hope for any meaningful evolution within the remainder of human history as the horizon dims before us that doesn’t stop this Italian quartet from taking a considerable next step on their own impressive series of potent adaptations.

Devangelic formed back in 2012, a point in time where brutal death metal had been well on its way towards recovery beyond its cruel bastardization in the late 2000’s. It was a time where I’d personally expected a death metal band from the region to be brutal by default, even. Many excellent Italian bands of the era such as Hideous Divinity, Hour of Penance, and such were making waves well beyond Italian shores and most continue to do so in an appreciably steadfast manner as the general output from better known groups readably took notes from the best of Nile, Hate Eternal, and Deeds of Flesh while setting aside the gimmickry of slam and deathcore in most cases. This continues to track as the major genetic codification which guitarist/songwriter Mario Di Giambattista (Corpsefucking Art, Vulvectomy) still leads with a style that defies both perceived “modern” populist gimmickry and nostalgic “old school” indicators in most respects. Narrated from an otherworldly Sumerian point of view and performed at a highest standard this band continues to be familiar in tone no matter where they’re approached from yet we find their own distinct approach to rhythmic churn and slapping brutality satisfying in its growing signature.

You might recall I’d been a huge fan of Devangelic‘s Willowtip debut and third full-length ‘Ersetu‘ (2020), having detailed the history of the band somewhat thoroughly when I’d reviewed it before placing the album at #6 on my Best of May list and eventually setting it at #52 on my Top 100 Albums of 2020 where the key remark to reflect upon today is: “[…] smaller hooks and subdermally implanted nuances are good enough reason to come back to the album year after year but it is the sheer beating that Devangelic provides that’ll get you tapping your foot ’til it hurts and drumming on any available surface with your fingers. Where I mean to go with this is that there is both cerebral and primal satisfaction within ‘Ersetu’, it cannot and should not be passed off as a mere brutal puncher.” as I’d felt like this thought held up especially well in hindsight, there is yet more to discover beyond brutality within their discography but that doesn’t mean they don’t hit a highest standard for murder-paced swatting. The general thread achieved by the band since ‘Phlegethon‘ (2017) continues in logical progression as they improve upon a standard rarely upheld today. But hey, that much is expected and the big note up front for ‘Xul‘ is its fastidious development of atmosphere which becomes an important focus for this record.

The M-4 burst fired rattling pace of Devangelic survives as we step into the sands with “Scribes of Xul” but not before we’re introduced to rattling chains, howling souls, and trampled upon orchestration, a hint of the ‘Black Seeds of Vengeance‘-esque nature of this experience where scene and setting space deeper pockets of brutal grooves delivered with high technical aptitude. Although this is a tunnel in, a full-on aggressive tilt up front complete with wailing leads and a strong mid-song break, it’ll be a welcoming realm for existing fandom as these folks cut right into it. Beyond the ~3:08 minute mark we do get a strong dose of foreshadowing for the darker grooves of the record, obviously fitting for the Sumerian aspect of their themes but also more-or-less taking the place of a drop or a breakdown. It is a full dose of what to expect before “Which Shall be the Darkness of the Heretic” delivers the chunking meatus of brutality I’d expected the album to open with, a real machine gunned shuffling groove with a perfectly set snare clap to emphasize the more intense verse riffs. It is one of many examples of prime brutal death metal’s fixation upon rhythm on this album which do not suffer from their excess or lose sight of the eerie, dark atmosphere the record intends to generate.

“Udug-Hul Incantation” provides one of two key singles/music videos released in promotion of ‘Xul‘ and it is well chosen as a slower, decidedly atmospheric piece which rends its groove with expert tact of movement. Something not entirely different for the band yet pronounced enough in its mid-paced slithering and wailing accoutrement that it naturally spikes up as a great point of interest on Side A. The track also features backing vocals of the guttural variety per drummer Davide Billia (Antropofagus, Beheaded) who also served as the drum and vocal engineer for these recordings per his Mk2 Recording Studio. This in addition to the “Famine of Nineveh” instrumental interlude should compound the earlier point about atmosphere being a key component of ‘Xul‘ outright, an aspect which might typically slow-release the potency of some records but in this case it feels like it pushes things along in a way which makes this ~40 minute record feel shorter, compact despite the wide open spaces they’ve managed herein. If you were hoping for an all-slapping, all killing brutal death metal record you’ll have to accept that Devangelic are on a tangent here and have found something worth expanding upon and I’d say “Sirius, Draconis, Capricornus” is the song to fully make the case for the mid-paced, groove hounding side of the band since they’ve done so with grandiose Sumerian atmosphere alight, enough spectacle and ethnic instrumentation to keep things interesting.

Fair enough if the tradition of Egyptologist and in this case Sumerian occult obsessed death metal doesn’t inspire at this point for some as a theme, though I’d argue that the way that Di Giambattista has curated this aspect of the record between arrangements, lyrics and artwork (per Nick Keller on the cover art) amounts to immersion with some considerable depth. I’d been a bit more concerned with the record blazing past without sinking in right off the bat, skipping back to “Worship the Black Flames” a few times on first listen and finding it curious that the piece refused to sink into mind and instead served to shove me quicker down the pipeline of ‘Xul‘, ushering me toward the higher impact brevity of “Ignominious Flesh Degradation”, one of my favorite songs on the record for its succinct and hammered interjection on a record which’d quickly threatened to ease up on Devangelic‘s brutal repute.

If there is a lacking third of the whole experience it is probably the transition into Side B since I’d found the final two pieces on the album the ones to really “sell” the full listen and it takes a few minutes to land upon the ~10 minute grand finale they bring with “Shadows of the Iniquitous” particularly standing out as a marriage of the atmospheric guitar techniques they’d toyed with earlier on the album which are now integrated into their vernacular. As we continue to bump into familiar traits within each song, such as the integration of the gong, a similar thread of riffs arise and yet some strong variation in the actual approach to each rhythm ‘Xul‘ begins to round out as a complete thought that only for a moment threatens to reach the point of overstatement. I’d read this as a strong push of personality which didn’t intend to distract too deeply from the riffs in hand, it is yet an extreme edge which still clearly drives the Devangelic experience and despite a focus on slower grooves and stylized atmospheric presence; Though I’ll admit I’d have liked more of the Deeds-worthy riffs on the album (“Sa Belet Ersetim Kiam Parsusa”, “Which Shall be the Darkness of the Heretic” etc.) in multitudes they’ve made a good argument for something different here by way of a very focused theme which extends into the sound design and arrangement in an impressive way. It all blasts by, spins well on repeat, and still feels like enough of a brutal death attack upon the skull to hold my interest for countless listens. A very high recommendation.

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