Devilish Impressions

Plurima Mortis Imago

Conquer Records 2006

Every so often a band comes along that changes your perspective on certain things.  I am usually loathe to listen to bands that are keyboard heavy with very few exceptions such as Nocturnus, early Gehenna, and now Devilish Impressions from Poland.  Devilish Impressions composes some very intricate and difficult tunes, sort of like a black metal version of Nile with all the technical riffing and mind jarring stopping and starting but then they have interwoven the songs with keyboard mania.  Sometimes the music can get a little overly pompous such as with the clean vocal section of Dracula's Mechanized Universe.  As a matter of fact I think the music would have more impact if they dropped all the clean vocal passages.  Luckily their use is very seldom and doesn't really detract too much from the overall musical experience.  Smell of Death sows together black metal-esque blasting with death metal rhythms for a deadly affect.  My favorite song is Funeral Of God with its chugging march of brutal riffs that rumbles along like a magma spewing earthquake.  A lot of bands that I would term symphonic seem to lose sight of what makes music like this good and that is the majesty can gives extra layers to the brutality.  Too many fall into the predictable trap and just become way too soft.  Devilish Impressions have maintained the heaviness and brutality despite incorporating such symphonic flares.  The production is very clinical and highlights the bands technicality.  One more thing, I would also like to commend the band for not making a big deal of having a female member like a lot of the more high profile acts do.  I think that tactic is cheap and does a disservice to the music.  Devilish Impressions has delivered a slab of diverse extremity which continues to unfold the more one listens to Plurima.