Devil’s Tail - Desolation (Review)

Black Metal has always been a hit or miss for me - some records stick for a long time with their multiple spins and some just get lost after going through once in the heap of mass releases. This week was quite remarkable. An album cover that is not too cliched with the generic trope of b/w imagery - that's how Devil’s Tail caught my attention with its minimalistic imagery and its artwork void of any color. Understandably, this was a hint of where the band’s music was heading.

”Desolation” is the first full-length album of Devil’s Tail. Consisting of Erik (guitars, bass, drums) and Jimmy (vocals) - the duo is all set to unleash the coldness among the mortals.

From the starting track of “Eternal Life” itself, the band unbridles itself with haunting riffs reminiscent of Dark Funeral. Though a mid-paced track, the track contributes in making the atmosphere more decadent. “Creeping Terror” and “Master of Salvation” bring annihilation with their creepy and punishing guitar works. The pacing is fast with extensive use of blast beats, though the band does not shy away to insert passages that return back to depressive mode. It's best to say the tracks oscillate well between these woven thoughts of bleakness and despair.

"At the Crossroads” might be the most unique track off the album - a much more dissonance-laden track with unorthodox passages and guitar layerings with an ethereal tone. Also, instances of time signature change bring in dynamic change which manages to capture your attention throughout. “Power from the Dead” pretty much sums up the record in a compact way. It starts off in a furious manner, while slowly morphing itself into a vile and evil character till the ending.

The production stands off somewhere in the middle ground - it's not clean and precise the modern times while not being painful to your auditory lobes. The band manages to capture the essence of 90s black metal with callbacks to Marduk and Dark Funeral. A Swedish touch is meticulously added which leaves quite a remarkable impression.

Devil’s Tail offers a sound that is something not unheard of, yet cannot be dismissed solely upon this. “Desolation” finds itself oscillating between the various emotions of being unapologetically punishing while embracing the bleakness in its moments of despondency and melancholy.