Genre: Symphonic/Black/Death Metal
Label: Lifeforce
Date of Release: July 27, 2012
SERPENTINE SYMPHONIC DEATH
Devilish
Impressions is a group that truly lives up to its own moniker. A Polish quartet
formed of members of Asgaard, Crionics, and Abused Majesty, this band’s
specialty is fusing the transcending drama of symphonic metal with the sinister
nature of blackened death metal to create a powerfully epic blend. After starting
its footsteps back in 2000, the quartet began with the “Eritis Sicut Deus” demo
in 2002 before releasing two full-length records: “Plurima Mortis Imago” in
2005 and “Diabolicanos: Act III – Armageddon” in 2008. As the discography
continued to grow with every release, the fan following of the group increased
as well. This all led to the band’s third full-length meeting the light of day
in 2012, which is simply entitled “Icaros.” After being taken under the wing of German label Lifeforce Records, Devilish Impressions returns to deliver its powerhouse
symphonic metal mix once again.
The
musicianship is as powerful as ever in this record. While the high-pitch vocals
and snarls are well done, the highlight of this element would be the singing.
It has a somewhat unpolished quality, yet it showcases a very operatic and
dramatic style of clean singing. As a result, these vocals deliver raw and
powerful emotion, and they are truly one of the greatest features for this
band’s musicianship. The guitars unleash wicked black metal melodies and riffs that
are begging to be heard on Halloween night, and the drums hold great
dynamicity, ranging from steady paces to whirlwind blast beats. Both aspects
are very well-executed and sound very crisp. This is thanks to the production and
mastering, making the music sound clear yet organically raw. Another large
highlight that “Simulacra” has to offer is the theatric orchestral effects,
which generates more epic energy along with the singing. Overall, the
musicianship not only holds up well, but it is also one of the album’s
strongest points.
As a
whole, “Simulacra” aims for a dramatic and wickedly epic mix between symphonic
metal, black metal, and death metal. All in all, Devilish Impressions has hit
that mark. The operatic singing and the
dark orchestral effects collaborate to establish an epic atmosphere that could
definitely be heard in a medieval-fantasy battle scene. It is intense and
highly memorable, and, on top of that, they form a great and solid chemistry
with the much darker side of the album’s catastrophic musical typhoon. The
blackened death metal territory is also tread upon without any stumble in
structure, with a full-bodied sound and excellent flow. Vicious high-pitch
vocals and stormy instrumentation create dramatically dark tunes that drag the
listeners through the fiery gates of Hell, as well as amalgamate greatly with
the symphonic melodies. “Simulacra” is a solidly constructed and riveting blackened
death metal record, gracefully steps between the wicked and symphonically
melodic spheres of the majestic genre.
Lyrically,
“Simulacra” focuses mostly on themes of destruction, death, and sorrow. They
also iris in on some Greek mythology at times, including in the song “Icaros.” The
manner in which these lyrics are written is quite eloquent and dramatic,
fitting very well with the darkly epic tracks. They also use quotes and
passages from different authors, such as Oscar Wilde, Henry Wadsworth
Longfellow, Dante Alighieri, and Edgar Allan Poe, in order to reinforce the aphotic
themes of the texts. The simple yet eyecatching artwork also suits the music
perfectly, along with the title “Simulacra,” which means an insubstantial or slight
likeness, copy, or representation of another thing, hence the angel statue
whose face can clearly be seen morphing into a blackened state, like the demon
statue. Not only does this record do great in terms of the music, but also in
the lyrics and the artwork as well.
“Simulacra,”
overall, is a very well built and powerful symphonic black death metal record. It
showcases a wonderfully solid blend of darkness, drama, and musical potency,
equipped with stellar musicianship, strong structure and flow, great album
artwork, and poetically cataclysmic
lyrics. The symphonic and melodic aspects are gripping and theatrical, and the
blackened death metal is wickedly delightful and dark. Both sides of the coin
are played out greatly in this record and flow into each other smoothly, and,
although “Diabolicanos: Act III – Armageddon” remains as the band's best work,
this effort is loyal to old fans and welcoming to new fans alike. If you are in
search of a record that mixes epic orchestras with rapturous death metal
seamlessly, look no further than “Simulacra.” With the majority of the elements
of this record being executed solidly, Devilish Impressions has returned with
another fine specimen of symphonic darkness.
Score: 8/10 (Great)