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The Devil And The Almighty Blues - The Devil and the Almighty Blues (2015) (Full Album)

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• published: 13 Apr 2016
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I sold my soul to the devil. Seemingly coming from nowhere, Norwegian rockers The Devil and the Almighty Blues has hit the scene hard with the release of their debut album. The hype for this album was big. I'll get straight to the point and admit that it meets the expectations and then some. The Devil and the Almighty Blues is fantastic. It's doomy, it's bluesy, it's raw, and you can easily find yourself getting lost in it. There's no sense in fighting it, either. Just let it; you'll be glad you did. The album has a consistent theme with each track starting off slow and building steam throughout, reaching a climax as you find yourself doing the same. It's slow, it's heavy, and it's crafted well from start to finish. There's not a single bad track on this album. The Devil and the Almighty Blues’ self-titled album was released in February 2015. It was recorded live in-studio. The sound quality reflects a raw transparency missing in much of today’s metal. What we hear on the album is what happened in the studio, something that the audiophiles out there will certainly appreciate. The guitars have a specific Southern twang to them which should please blues aficionados. Fuzzy and warm, the bass coats the guitars like a sweet candy shell. The drums are crisp and clean, and I am particularly fond of the snare. Vocals range from desperate and anguished shouts to melodic crooning. Also, while the band is definitely influenced by Delta blues, they are about as far from that part of the world as one can be. A place home to more black metal than virtually anywhere else on the planet – Oslo, Norway. This isn’t your Dad’s classic rock. There is a weight, a grave heaviness to this collection of songs that is absent in most modern blues-influenced rock. You can’t quite put your finger on it in the first track until about the 3:45 mark when the band picks up the pace. The resulting riffage is a doomy gallop that would make Sabbath proud. There is a restrained and frenzied energy in the faster second half of this track. Instead of letting it all out in one 15-second breakdown, the band sustains the angst until the song ends. “Distance,” gives an image of Raoul Duke and Dr. Gonzo speeding through the Nevada desert in a red convertible. The title notwithstanding, the track’s mellow but steady tempo makes it perfect for traveling. You need good tunes when you pass through bat country. “Storm Coming Down” and “Root To Root” are the album’s centerpieces. The two tracks are each about ten minutes in length. These songs should appeal to those who pine for lengthier musical excursions, particularly those with stoner/psychedelic influences. “Storm Coming Down” would feel totally at home next to anything by The Doors. Fuzzaholics will have their ears tantalized and satisfied by this song’s trance-like texture. Even fans of drone can find something to like about this song. The band hits a churning and slow musical stride at 4:40 that persists unbroken for about 3 minutes. Then, at 7:50, the tempo picks up before a cacophonous final verse sees the song out. I could listen to the intro riff on “Root To Root” on repeat for hours. The solos in the second half of the song may be the best on the album. Guitar work like this bleeds traditional blues, but with a certain lurking darkness that overshadows the song. “Never Darken My Door” is similar in structure to “The Ghosts of Charlie Barracuda,” in that it ends with a shrieking frenzy that punches harder than the song’s first few minutes. “Tired Old Dog,” the closing track, is the slowest. The song is the closest to an old school blues song on the album. The vocal delivery is slightly more laid back, bemoaning the narrator’s self-deprecating assessment of his own life. The guitars on this song unabashedly worship the lineage of the late Jimi Hendrix, one of the band’s noted influences. If you like proto-doom, traditional doom, Southern sludge, or anything remotely psychedelic, then The Devil and the Almighty Blues have something for you. Fans of recent output from the Australian doom scene (the likes of Child, Horsehunter, Watchtower, etc.) should definitely invest in this album. 1. The Ghosts Of Charlie Barracuda - 0:00 2. Distance - 7:46 3. Storm Coming Down - 11:55 4. Root To Root - 22:12 5. Never Darken My Door - 32:00 6. Tired Old Dog - 38:34 https://thedevilandthealmightyblues.bandcamp.com/ https://www.facebook.com/thedevilandthealmightyblues