Devils Henchmen
Devils Henchmen – The Deaf Choir
Self Released
Release Date: 04/10/23
Running Time: 39:16
Review by Oli Gonzalez
8/10
Evolution. Noun. The gradual development of something. The evolution of Devils Henchmen is certainly worth noting. Despite their young age, they’ve been an ever present in the North West of England’s underground metal scene, as well as their hometown of Liverpool. Going from being a bunch of teenagers playing gigs while they were still learning how to shave to where they are now has been quite the journey. They’ve bagged some impressive support slots and reached a career high by playing Bloodstock’s New Blood Stage this year, after reigning triumphant as Merseyside’s regional Metal To The Masses winner. Yet they’re showing no signs of slowing down, and are on the eve of releasing their latest full-length effort, “The Deaf Choir”.
Whereas the band had a classic metal feel to them in their early days, they still have somewhat of a classic and old school vibe on “The Deaf Choir”. This was achieved by the overall raw and retrograde style promotion. No fancy overly polished end-product. Just good old fashioned 80s thrash goodness. The Slayer-esque guitar tones adds to this vibe (especially in ‘Grimace’), while the gang style backing vocals are reminiscent of Municipal Waste and other punk-thrash crossover style bands. The band originated as a 3 piece, and with respect to some of their older recordings, you could argue that the sound was a little thin at times. This is certainly not the case with “The Deaf Choir”, with second guitarist Dylan joining the band’s ranks and adding an extra dimension and thickness to the overall timbre and sound.
The energy is unapologetically relentless, and will cause absolute carnage in any venue the band will play live in. This is definitely an album for a gym playlist, or any other situation where you need a burst of energy. With that being said, ‘Hollow’ is a song that stood out to me on the album. The first minute or so takes a different compositional direction, with a much slower, deliberate, almost stoner style dynamic. All of this is, of course, to lead you into a false sense of security before the thrash onslaught returns. I’m not sure who or what possessed the guitar in the solo for ‘Poison’, but that is absolutely gnarly! The hammering of the notes on the fretboard is frantic, highlighting some technical expertise within the band.
With this being said, it feels as though something is missing from the album. In a very stacked thrash metal genre, what separates Devils Henchmen from the rest of the horde? This is a question that I’ve asked but cannot truly answer at this moment in time. Other thrash bands in the UK have looked to other genres and additional compositional techniques to vary their sound, and ultimately setting them apart from the competition. Take Sylosis for instance, and their progressive flavour of thrash. Devils Henchmen certainly have the talent and tools at their disposal to go very far in the industry. For them to reach their full potential, this is a question the band must now ask themselves in my opinion and work on this in their next release. After all, evolution is a gradual process, as is the development of Devils Henchmen. While not quite the band’s breakout album yet, “The Deaf Choir” represents a serious statement of intent and one that makes the potential of Devils Henchmen impossible to ignore.
TRACKLISTING:
01. Grimace
02. Think Like You~
03. Bite Back
04. Hangman’s Craft
05. Time And Time Again
06. Hollow
07. Poison
08. Burn Me
09. Opressor
10. Greed
LINE-UP:
Joe Doolan – Guitars and Lead Vocals
Elliot Kyriakides – Bass and backing vocals
Daniel Adkins – Drums
Dylan Ware – Guitars and backing vocals
LINKS:
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