Let me start by telling you how I came to be the one reviewing this one. I actually picked DEVASTATOR to be one of the albums just on the fact that some of my friends seem to like the band. So, I felt it only right to check them out. That made me put in a request with the METAL TEMPLE music distributor, only to be denied. Well, it tried again a few weeks later, and lo and behold, I was awarded with the honour of reviewing their sophomore album “Conjurers of Cruelty”. And I haven’t regretted asking for it for one second. What an amazing drive, power and enthusiasm is flowing out of my speakers as I am typing this piece of information which will tell you why these guys from Derby in England are force to be reckoned with.

I felt I needed to get more information on the band, as none at all was provided when I received the (digital) music. If you look on the site of METAL-ARCHIVES.COM, you will see that they class the music of DEVASTATOR as Black/Thrash Metal. Even though this is true, I feel they are forgetting the large doses of Heavy Metal and even NWOBHM that are shining through on “Conjurers of Cruelty”. If I would have to give you a more specific reference, I would go for a mix of MIDNIGHT and early VENOM, or even current VENOM INC. that will give you an inclination as to how rough the songs on offer are. But they are also polished enough to be classed as well written and executed.

The speed of it all goes from mid-tempo to fast to furious, making all the songs very different from each other whilst on the other hand all being in the same vein of sound and intensity. Because that is one other aspect of “Conjurers of Cruelty”; it is a very intense record, but without being manic or destressing. That is very fine by me, but what really heightens the experience is the voice of T. Nachtghul. His kind of growling and gravelly vocals is exactly right. He is the icing in the cake for me. And if that is the comparison I am making, this is a very rich cake with whipped cream on top. For a band that has been around since 2017, DEVASTATOR is really living up to their name. Now it’s time to check out their 2020 debut “Baptised In Blasphemy”.