Doom metal lagged after the 1980s, then was reborn in Cathedral, who in turn inspired a new wave in the early 1990s including Sleep, Winter, Skepticism, Thergothon and doom-death bands like Infester and Divine Eve. On their first opus, the As the Angels Weep EP, Divine Eve showcased a style that was part NWOBHM-influenced doom metal (Witchfinder General, Holocaust) and part Swedish death metal of the more Motorhead-influenced stuff we heard on Entombed's Clandestine.
After a fifteen-year hiatus, in which the band split up and partially reformed as Crimson Relic, then fragmented into projects like Infernal Oak, Divine Eve released a compilation CD in 2007 called Upon These Ashes Scorn the World which had their first EP, a demo from 1994, and Celtic Frost and Sodom covers. This jump-started the band and they've come back with a powerful new EP called Vengeful and Obstinate.
Like their first album, this is a three-way cross between Entombed, Motorhead and Cathedral. It's more technically adept, and alternates between two-chord riffs that are pure motivational rhythm and longer, plodding, doom riffs that reduce your soul to ash. On top of it, the band have stitched in melodic guitar leads that both echo and play with the melodies of those long doomy riffs, opening up the sonic space of the album to more possibility.
2010 hasn't distinguished itself for metal releases so far, but Vengeful and Obstinate provides a good candidate for all metalheads to appreciate. Released by Ibex Moon records, it is widely available. In addition, Divine Eve is touring Europe this fall, and may return to do a US tour (including Texas) if that goes well. More information can be found on the band's myspace page.
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