Grief Of Emerald - The Devils Deep
After almost nine years of silence, Grief Of Emerald has returned with their fourth full length album to date. For those who don't know much about the band, Grief Of Emerald has a sound that combines the symphonics of Dimmu Borgir with the harsh, but melodic rhythms of Naglfar. They ignore the harsh, lo-fi black metal style with the annoying high pitched shrieks and instead aim for a more mid paced snarl that is tolerable. At this rate, the vocals sound a lot more demonic and enjoyable, somewhat similar to Gorgoroth's Gaahl when he was still in the band. Throughout 'The Devils Deep' listeners are assaulted with a mix of beauty and beast. Tracks like "Famine" featuring chilling riffs that are drenched in a symphonic keyboard backdrop, which makes the ultimate symphony from Hell. The drums are on full assault battery and the guitars just rip through the air with sharp tones, but the symphonic bits cushion the blow. As a result, the music sounds a lot like Dimmu Borgir's work from 'Death Cult Armageddon.' There is even some brief clean vocal work on the track "Divine Dragon" that sound just like ICS Vortex, so the comparisons are uncanny). Had these elements not been there, listeners could easily pass this off as mediocre black metal that all sounds the same. Instead, having a bit of Dimmu influence really pays off.
Other tracks like "Zyklon Of Fire" can be a bit more technical, especially when it comes to the guitars. The sharp squeals of the notes are interesting, but sometimes blot out the symphonic parts. Thankfully, the guitars sometimes quiet down so the keyboards can be heard loud and clear. "Holy Book Holy Shit" tends to be a bit overkill on the anti-Christian themes regarding the song titles and lyrics, and it also seems a bit heavier than the other tracks, but it still is pretty melodic (here the Naglfar influence is really shown. The final track, "Holocaust," is very similar to "Divine Dragon" as it starts out symphonic and builds more into the black metal style over time. It has a bit more 'chug' to the rhythm, but overall the sound is very similar. There may not be too much diversity on the album, and a bit of a brief time stretch (the album is less than forty minutes), but 'The Devils Deep' is highly melodic at times and will appeal to fans ranging from Dimmu Borgir to Cradle Of Filth to Shade Empire or even Limbonic Art. The entire Satanic themes may be a bit overplayed, but considering this is a longtime comeback album, rustiness is expected. Hopefully Grief Of Emerald will produce another bombastic, symphonic effort that will be even more grandiose than this one.
Other tracks like "Zyklon Of Fire" can be a bit more technical, especially when it comes to the guitars. The sharp squeals of the notes are interesting, but sometimes blot out the symphonic parts. Thankfully, the guitars sometimes quiet down so the keyboards can be heard loud and clear. "Holy Book Holy Shit" tends to be a bit overkill on the anti-Christian themes regarding the song titles and lyrics, and it also seems a bit heavier than the other tracks, but it still is pretty melodic (here the Naglfar influence is really shown. The final track, "Holocaust," is very similar to "Divine Dragon" as it starts out symphonic and builds more into the black metal style over time. It has a bit more 'chug' to the rhythm, but overall the sound is very similar. There may not be too much diversity on the album, and a bit of a brief time stretch (the album is less than forty minutes), but 'The Devils Deep' is highly melodic at times and will appeal to fans ranging from Dimmu Borgir to Cradle Of Filth to Shade Empire or even Limbonic Art. The entire Satanic themes may be a bit overplayed, but considering this is a longtime comeback album, rustiness is expected. Hopefully Grief Of Emerald will produce another bombastic, symphonic effort that will be even more grandiose than this one.
- The Devils Deep
- Divine Dragon
- Revival
- Famine
- Zyklons Of Fire
- Holy Book Holy Shit
- Holocaust
