IRONY OF FATE was formed in 2014 and they are from Bern, Switzerland. They are a melodic Death Metal band who include Groove Metal elements. IRONY OF FATE released their debut album "Pray for freedom...prepare for extinction" back in 2018 and went on European tours with JINJER in 2017 as well as with NERVOSA in 2018 and 2019. Their second full-length album "Wicked And Devine" is an independent release. It has a length of about 44:50 minutes.

There is a new generation of exciting young bands coming up in the melodic Death Metal scene and IRONY OF FATE is certainly one of them. "Wicked And Devine" is the follow-up of their much acclaimed debut album "Pray for freedom...prepare for extinction" which is a beast of an album, not only because of its awesome melodeath sound but also because of its impressive length of around 70 minutes. "Wicked And Devine" clearly follows the pathways of their debut album but there are subtle differences: the sound is slightly more melodic, there are a couple of progressive elements included, and most notably, the album is more compressed (there are only 9 songs compared to 14 on the debut) which gives it a more dynamic touch.

It all starts with "Vengeance" which can be seen as an IRONY OF FATE trademark song: clean song structures, mostly played in mid-tempo, fast and aggressive rhythm guitar riffs, double-bass drums, excellent growling vocals ranging from medium to low end of the gutturals with occasional screams, and most notably extended lead guitar solos. "Vengeance" is an excellent song to start with and it was also released as video with the YouTube link given below. The video is really worth watching since it is a cartoon playing at a Margarita bar somewhere in the Mexican desert.

"The In-Between" continues with the melodeath onslaught and it has more harmonies and catchiness in the chorus thanks to the lead guitar sequences. Gregor Bucher on drums does an outstanding job here by adding everything that makes an excellent Death Metal drumming including blast-beat hammering when needed. The break midway through the song includes an awesome head-banging sequence and a short lead guitar solo.

"Mind Vs. I" is one of the faster songs on "Wicked And Devine". Again driven by the relentlessly hammering drums, the song has less melodic components compared to the other songs, but it has clearly more aggression, especially in the guitar riffs and the vocals. Most notably, an extended harmonic lead guitar solo is absent here. The melodic approach comes back in "Deceiver" and here the comparison to melodic Death Metal legends ARCH ENEMY is inevitable. I would even go so far to say that "Deceiver" would fit very well into each ARCH ENEMY album of the last 10 years. This is not a bad thing, it actually appreciates the very high quality IRONY OF FATE is able to deliver.

While "Deceiver" is a rather slow song, "We The Damned" has a bit more pace with absolutely epic lead guitar sequences supporting the rhythm section and a sing-along chorus for the fans. The song has an extended break which includes an extended lead guitar solo, something that was very frequent on the debut album. "Mayhem" is another of the faster and more aggressive songs, but with an awesome and catchy chorus, and a few of the trademark lead guitar solos. "Mayhem" has everything that makes a great melodeath song and it fits perfectly to Cveti Stojmenova who shows that she has an excellent diversity in her guttural vocals.

"Hypocrite" is one of the four songs with a length of approximately 6 minutes, something that was very frequent on the debut album, and IRONY OF FATE use the time to include another extended harmonic lead guitar solo. Those lead guitar solos are, beside the vocals, the greatest strength of their sound. The title song is one of my favorites on "Wicked And Devine". It also features Morgan Reid (BLOODSHOT DAWN) on guitar. Starting with a short lead guitar sequence, the rhythm section is very powerful and has a subtle darkness, while the transitions are driven by the double-bass drums before it all explodes into an epic chorus. The break starts a bit chaotic before it transitions in another of those long lead guitar solos. The lead guitars here are of outstanding qualities and have it all what it makes a great melodeath song. Once again, Cveti Stojmenova is at her very best in the battle with the lead guitars and she shows what awesome vocalist she is. It all finishes with "Hear Them Calling" that has a catchy rhythm section and a melodic chorus with an epic character, a great sing-along for fans. One final lead guitar solo that is maybe less harmonic compared to the others and one final chorus, and "Wicked And Devine" comes unfortunately already to an end. I would not mind to have another 20 minutes of that album!

"Wicked And Devine" establishes the journey of IRONY OF FATE as a melodic Death Metal band. There are a lot of promising new bands around in that genre, but IRONY OF FATE have established a signature sound, they are authentic and they found their own identity. They are not afraid to experiment and adjust their music if needed. All members have outstanding individual qualities and the band understand it perfectly to maximize those qualities which is an evidence of very good song writing. The greatest strengths of IRONY OF FATE are the harmonic lead guitars and the outstanding vocals of Cveti Stojmenova. There are a few outstanding female Death Metal vocalists around and she clearly belongs among the top of them. The album is very well produced. "Wicked And Devine" belongs in the collection of every Death Metal fan and beyond and IRONY OF FATE show their potential to become one of the leading forces in melodic Death Metal in the future.