Devil

Magister Mundi Xum

Unborn Productions 2010

It's not often that we are treated to a cohort of spirits that breathe the ancient winds of traditional doom with as much authenticity as Norway's Devil.  But echoes of old doom overlords like Black Sabbath, Pentagram, Trouble and so forth tread heavily within the notes of the Magister Mundi Xum.  After a dark and stormy intro the six song demo gets underway with At the Blacksmith's.  Traditional doom riffs with a heavy nod to Sabbath bounce out of the speakers.  The guitars are imbued with a rich yet dusty quality with the proper amount of fuzz.  Up next is Spirit of the Cult which is in the throes of a stomping riff, and surprisingly has a hint of punk to me which reminds me slightly of Turbonegro.  The gang chorus enforces that comparison in my head.  The supremely magical track off the demo though is Time To Repent with its throbbing, heavy Pentagram-ish riffs, weighty like boulders.  The chorus is stunning in that is immediately grabs me, forcing my to sing along to its prophecy of impending doom.  Lumbering riffs, recalling Trouble's thundering mastery, bound like the riders of the apocalypse across a foreboding sky on Made a Pact.  A slow smokey dance of guitars and forceful vocals span the shadows of ancient weed-devoured days on Welcome The Devil.  With Magister Mundi Xum, Devil has ensured that unholy forces of traditional doom/heavy metal are alive and well and plotting to destroy humanity within a diabolical haze of nostalgic devil worship and ritualistic crushing riffage.  If you thought doom was dead in Norway then it's "time to repent, time to atone!"