DEVENIAL VERDICT were formed in 2006 and they are from Helsinki, Finland. While they started as Death Metal band, in recent years they moved to a more progressive or avantgarde-type of Death Metal. After releasing two EPs, “Blessing Of Despair” is their second full-length album. It has a length of about 51 minutes, and it was released via Indian label “Transcending Obscurity Records”, which has many Black, Death, and Doom Metal bands among their current roster. The album starts grim with the doom-laden “I Have Become The Sun”. It is a track at a measured tempo and a sluggish rhythm with devastating guitar riffing and growling vocals coming straight from the abyss. The growls vary around the medium end of the guttural range with deeper growls added as background vocals occasionally. The track is mainly driven by the guitars and as the track moves forward, it becomes two-parted: crushing and aggressive parts alternate with quiet guitar parts, which have melancholy in their melodies. All is kept well together by the vocals. A very contributing lead guitar solo is also included, and all together makes “I Have Become The Sun” to a strong opening track.

“Garden Of Eyes” continues with the tempo and the rhythm of the previous track. The riffing is punishing and aggressive, while the vocals are brutal. There are hardly any changes in tempo and rhythm, the track is a short and direct head-banger. Technicality is introduced by the lead guitar solo; however, focus is put on an aggressive and brutal sound. “Moon Starved” slows down compared to the opening tracks and the main driver is the epic and melancholic nature of the melodies. The track has a lot of progressive elements, in particular during the break. “Moon Starved” has been uploaded on YouTube by the label, and the link is provided below. The title track is introduced by the drums, with guitars joining soon after. It is a tension-building extended introductory part, with the vocals releasing the tension. While the main part of the track focusses on the melodies provided by the guitars, the parts where the vocals join in are brutal and devastating. It is a back and forth between both elements, and that gives “Blessing Of Despair” an extra dimension. “Shunned Wander” is a one minute pre-lude to “The Quietus”, which continues the journey of mixing melancholic melodies at a measured tempo with crushing riffs and brutal growls. The quiet and melancholic parts are delivered during the verse parts, while the chorus parts of the track are punishing and include a few Deathcore vibes. “Solus” has a powerful start with direct and aggressive riffs accompanied by the growls for the verse parts. Those verse parts are interrupted by slow and melancholic parts delivered by the guitars. The album songs do not have fixed common verse/chorus structures, typically the structures become very indistinct, and “Solus” does not make an exception from the rule.

“Counting Silence” starts silent with the guitars transitioning into a track with punishing and aggressive riffs as well as brutal low growls at a measured tempo. The growls are intensified by background growls and as the track goes on, the quiet guitar melodies alternate with or are on top with the brutal sound. “Counting Silence” is a good combination of progressive Metal and Death Metal with a few Deathcore twists, and the track is one of my album favorite. “Cold Lantern” starts with an extended instrumental part before the growling vocals join the Death Metal carnage. The track follows the well-tried patterns of the album sound, meaning brutal parts with crushing riffs at a measured tempo are switched with quiet guitar parts, even though the devastating chorus parts dominate the track. The album finishes with “A Curse Made Flesh” and it all starts in the typical manner with an extended instrumental part delivered by the guitars and the strong basslines. The start of the track also introduces the main melodic framework, which is grim and melancholic. As soon as the riffing and the growls take over, the track becomes brutal again, however, the main melodic theme of the track is maintained. “A Curse Made Flesh” is a representative track for the album and a good choice to close the album.

DEVENIAL VERDICT deliver a very strong Death Metal album. When I listen to “Blessing Of Despair”, I hear a perfect symbiosis of several Death Metal subgenres, predominantly progressive Death, a doom-laden Death Metal, some Deathcore elements, and occasionally some traces of a TRIPTYKON sound. All those elements are kept together by an excellent vocalist. The songwriting is very mature, and the album is well produced. “Blessing Of Despair” is pure darkness and one of those albums, I highly recommend listening to any Death Metal fans and beyond.