DEVATION was born in 2009 in Sweden for the singular purpose of finding the "prefect balance between harmony, rhythm, and groove." The band released their first full-length album "Scorn through An Absent Scene" in 2015. DEVATION is back with their sophomore effort "GIANTS", released in January 2017. "GIANTS" comes in with fourteen tracks, a listening time of one hour and six minutes, and two single releases "Wake Up" and "The First And The Heartless".

The opening track's, "One With The Vermin", name reminds me of something SOILWORK would do, and while DEVATION and SOIL WORK are both Melodic Death Metal, this track is nothing like SOILWORK's work. "One With The Vermin" starts with a blast of drums and guitars, then we bring in bass and vocals and now we have the start of a classic Melodic Death Metal track. The guitar work is phenomenal, the bass is there but is overpowered a bit by the rest of the sound, and the drums are played with ease. They maneuver rhythm change extremely well. The vocals are gruff and rough and everything nice in an amped up Melodic style, and are similar to Strid's in terms of range and depth. The melody here is fantastic and I am excited for the rest of the album.

Track two, "Fractals", has one of my favorite intros. Blast beat drums and guitars galore. There is a groove to this track that had me slightly head banging at my desk the first listen through. I am thoroughly convinced that had I been home, this review would have waited out my need to engross myself into this track. There are so many elements in this track that one listen through isn't enough, and it's so good that multiple listens aren't boring or monotonous.

Welcome bass, welcome. "Aspire The Drifter", track three, is a heavy bass track. We get to hear it all the way through too, and not just as the glue but also as an integral part of the overall sound. The guitars are refreshing and the drums aren't as blast-y, slowing the track down a bit. I love the outro of this track. It's low and slow and provides us a look into a different sound from the guys.

Track six, "Wake Up", is the first single off the track. It is heavy and brutal. The musicianship is overwhelmingly powerful and the chorus is anthem like. The guitars are displayed vigorously and the drums match it beat for beat. Track seven is the second single release "The First And The Heartless". This track comes in a little less strong, but there is still a dominant tone to this track. The lyrics in this track struck me hard, along with the dynamic musicianship. What an inspirational piece of work.

"Plains Await", track eleven, starts off strong and bass heavy, but the guitars work so beautifully in there as well, that to separate them would de-value the track, so we wont. The drums are done superbly helping to create the speed within the track. The melody in this track is another that is creatively done and intense.

The album's namesake and track thirteen, "Giants" starts off very slow and melodically. That feeling continues through the first few minutes of this track. The vocals are diverse and have more range than we have seen in the album. There is a bit of an Alternative feel here. Mixing that with the love of melody, this track has so much to offer. Being the most grandiose track on the album at seven minutes, this gives DEVATION the ability to show off minute after minute. This is a beautifully written piece.

The final track "Vibrant Closing" is a two and a half minute part acoustic part electric piece that has heavy and good bass but exquisite guitar work. This instrumental shows the many faces of "Giants". This is a two-minute recap of a glorious album.

Gothenburg, Sweden is one of the few places to be for any Melodic Death Metal band and these guys are no different. There is a reason my flavor of Metal is Melodic Death Metal, and these guys are it. "Giants" is the creation of a thousand previous Melodic Death Metal albums and none at all. They have the classic "look and feel", yet they are creative and original. The only complaint is the production. DEVATION can hang with the best. Check this album out.