Band:	Devastator
Album:	Conjurers Of Cruelty
Style:	Blackened thrash metal
Release date:	March 2024

01. Beyond The Gate
02. Conjurers Of Cruelty
03. Black Witchery
04. Ritual Abuse (Evil Never Dies)
05. Walpurgisnacht
06. Necromantic Lust
07. Deathspell Defloration
08. Bestial Rites
09. Sharpen The Blade
10. Rabid Morbid Death
11. Liar In Wait [CD bonus]
12. Death Forever [CD bonus]


The British thrash scene has been in rude health in recent years, seeing a flurry of activity and releases from bands old and new to make audiences go crazy. This is thanks to groups like Devastator, who have dragged audiences kicking and screaming along with them on their journey from humble beginings, through to their second full length Conjuring Cruelty, a release that marks the band's intentions to jump from the underground to bigger things. Conjuring Cruelty is the sound of a band maturing; while they are not quite the finished article as of now, this is certainly a big leap in the sonic evolution of Devastator.

After the short introduction that is "Beyond The Gate", the title track kicks things off as the band mean to go on, with a foot-to-the-floor guitar-led attack that takes no prisoners... yet still finding time to explore and test the boundaries that blackened thrash imposes. Amun and Wolfgang may burn through riffs at a pace that would set off speed cameras, but they ensure that their solos and bridge sections are surprisingly melodic and out of character for a blackened thrash album, adding a freshness and twist to the formula that revitalizes the Motörhead worship of "Black Witchery".

If you are someone who tends to get lost in what you listen to, then I'd recommend not listening to Conjurers Of Creulty while driving, lest you risk several speeding tickets at best. Indeed, much of the album is at full tilt, something that does have diminishing returns at points, but works well overall. "Bestial Rites" is perhaps the epoch of this, a track as unrestrained as an F1 car with no brakes: pure adrenaline as you hang on for dear life (Scarlett must be a wreck after live shows, given the constant pace he has to keep on the drums). "Walspurgisnacht" is bound to be a live staple for the future, with its call-and-shout chorus alongside its well thought-out and befitting guitar solo; it offers up enough deviation to freshen up an album that can become a bit one-dimensional.

Yes, Conjuring Cruelty, for as much as it does try to explore its boundaries, does get too samey for its own goo.; leading to an album that does suffer diminishing returns as it goes on. It perhaps lacks in songwriting craft to compensate for what is an overly similar-sounding album, although, ironically, it is the one track that eases up on the tempo and shakes things up the most that is the nadir of the record in "Deathspell Defloration". Though the band have the talent and have plenty of moments where it clicks, Devastator are still a work in progress, albeit one that is advancing in good time.

Conjuring Cruelty is an enjoyable album, especially if you need something to bring a bit of energy into a room. Devastator push things to the limits and find that sometimes having everything pass by in a blur can limit the experience as much as it compensates for a quicker journey.