Descend - The Deviant (2020)

Breaking the funk of multiple weeks of non-stop Black Metal releases being reviewed, today we have an excellent Progressive/Melodic Death Metal outfit from Sweden named: Descend. Combining elements of bands like Opeth, Cynic, In Mourning, and Persefone, “The Deviant” is one hell of a cinematic experience filled with technical intricacies and superbly catchy songwriting.

Warming up the listener with the melodic instrumental opener “Avalin”, the band nicely builds up to the proggy melodies of “Blood Moon” and its crafty tempo changes. The mixture of clean and harsh vocals is nicely balanced, and the addition of female vocals on tracks like “The Purest One” add an extra layer to the band’s excellent sound. For those looking into more experimental/free-style songs, “Lily” has a nice mixture of fast-paced sections and highly crafty instrumental interludes.

The album’s most exciting song has to be the brilliant “Wallow”, and its jazzy/fusion edge, again providing the perfect balance between melody, technical wizardry, and aggression. Closing with the introspective title track, the band has managed to deliver nearly 50 minutes of flawless music that is both well crafted and superbly executed. With a superb production to match, “The Deviant” is almost guaranteed to be one of our top 10 releases of 2020.

Label: Aftermath Musica

Release: June 26th, 2020

Genre: Melodic/Progressive Death Metal

Country: Sweden