Doom metal and death metal have a long and storied history that has typically yielded some excellent results. Something about the slow dirge of doom fusing with the confrontational and riffy aspects of death metal always seems to work well, and one such act to showcase this hostile harmony is Texas’s own Divine Eve. In 2007, the band released a retrospective compilation that should be picked up by just about anyone who considers themselves a fan of Texan extreme metal, or just extreme metal in general.
The compilation starts with the landmark “As the Angels Weep” EP, an excellent work which could deserve a review on its own. The four songs are all devastating in their own regard, using some of the most putrid guitar tone and a mix of punky and slow drum beats to churn out a vile atmosphere, which can be particularly encapsulated by the title track, which initiates with a looming drone that soon explodes into a relentless furor with speedy drumming and a headbanging-inducing beat. During these faster sections, one could make a comparison to the first album by old-school death/thrashers Deceased, “Luck of the Corpse”, although there are plenty of riffs that bring the tempo to a sluggish crawl, dragging the listener to a place where no light exists, which is ideal for this type of metal. Divine Eve oftentimes use raspy growls that are occasionally echoed that almost creates a forlorn effect consistent with the doomy vibe present on many of the songs on this compilation. A spoken-word piece is used on the last song of the EP, “Harlequin of Perpetual Destiny”, which adds a dramatic narrative to the crushing riffing that greatly enhances the overall presentation of the song. Lyrically, Divine Eve add a subtlety to doom/death that seems to draw more from the doom side of the equation than the death side, which allows for a very interesting listen, with a depth that other bands lack. This compilation would be worth your money if all it included were these four tracks, but luckily the fan gets much more “bang for his buck” due to the plethora of material present on “Upon These Ashes Scorn the World”.
The rest of the material on this compilation also maintains a consistent level of quality, featuring songs from a 1994 promo, with “Velvet of the Godless” standing out as a highlight, with an Autopsy-like atmosphere that spits in the face of overly commercial “death metal” that pollutes the current extreme metal stratosphere. This release captures the spirit of the underground to a “T”, without any overproduced flair that could compromise the artistic vision that Divine Eve set out to unleash. Other songs originally featured on the 1994 promo are “Innocence Lost” and the haunting “Essence of Dawn (Return to Midnight)”, both of which are brilliantly composed slices of doom/death that keep the pace of the album going with ripping solos and memorable riffing. It’s tough to say which part of this compilation is better – “As the Angels Weep” or the 1994 promo – but it is easy to state that both are some of the best doom/death to ever come out of the Lone Star State.
There are two covers featured on this release, Sodom’s “Witching Metal” – delivered in all its D-beat ridden glory – and Celtic Frost’s “Visions of Mortality”, the latter of which retains the exact feel of the Frost original and even uses the famous introductory guitar squeal to great effect. Both covers serve as the icing on the cacophonous cake to supplement the stellar sounds of the original material present on “Upon These Ashes Scorn the World”, and through listening, one can definitely discern where Divine Eve took inspiration from the two aforementioned acts in order to create their own unique take on extreme metal. “Witching Metal” happens to be the last song on this retrospective, and it allows the release to end on a very positive (well, as positive as extreme metal can get) note, thrashing about with an added sense of brutality that wasn’t present on the Sodom original (not to disparage the original, mind you).
This release comes highly recommended to anyone who considers themselves of death metal, doom metal, or any combination thereof. If you’re a fan of bands like Asphyx, Autopsy, or Coffins, then you absolutely must look into this compilation. There’s no word on whether or not Divine Eve will play San Antonio in the coming months, but if they do, attending would be highly recommended for any who are intent on waving the flag of the old-school high.
For more info: You can acquire “Upon These Ashes Scorn the World” at Hogwild Records here in San Antonio. Don’t be without it!
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