Devilish Decibels
Modern Industrialized Enigma (Demo) 2001 No label
To be quite honest to both myself, the band and you, the reader, Finland's Devilish Decibels do not play doom-metal. You won't come across your typical slow doom-metal riffing here, but you will find dark and gloomy music of great quality. As the band stated themselves, their biggest influences came from doom and it does reflect on this four track demo. Moreover, the way Devilish Decibels are able to insert the gloomy feel into their musical labyrinths, is quite exceptional. Elements from various musical styles are intelligently mixed into the final package, 'Modern Industrialized Enigma'. As is often the case with experimental materials, this demo takes a while to get into. Sometimes reminding of Opeth, sometimes Arcturus and other similar acts, but at the same time with a dose of complex (stoner) rock and typical metal melodies, the band easily 'build' the songs, as if they've done it a hundred times already. No keyboards are used here, instead the band rely on excellent guitarwork to spice up the songs. Also, the drumming is very good throughout the recording, allowing the other instruments to be properly heard. The vague production sometimes works in this band's favor, too, although a clearer one would give them without a doubt more room for experimenting. Sami Harju shows great variety of vocal styles, from clear to harsh vocals and whispers. The lyrics were a bit disappointing, some of them dealing with computer programs of all things. However, it's all a part of a strange world that Devilish Decibels operate in. 'Modern Industrialized Enigma' is one of the better and most original demos to see the light of day in the past few years. I hope the band get a record deal soon because they thoroughly deserve it. Band Contact: Sami Harju Raitatie 13 36200 Kangsala Finland Email: samiharju@koti.soon.fi Web: www.devilishdecibels.cjb.net	1. Procedure: Hate 2. Carneval for the Deceased 3. CodIX 4. Chaos Paradigma Approx. 28 minutes
Reviewed by: Bojan Janjanin