The Gods Below

Sounding like a dusky, doom bent fusion of Hessian or Portishead, the Australian female fronted Devil Electric is also derivative of Jinx Dawson's Coven and at times, Electric WIzard, Lucifer and Christian Mistress. With her husky, soulful crooning and cabaret charm, Pierina O'Brien leads the way for this fairly recent newcomer to the rapidly growing heavy psych/occult metal scene. And while the dark, bluesy instrumentation on The Gods Below EP won't necessarily part the Red Sea, it's varied enough to keep the listener on his/her toes for its appropriate twenty minute duration. Here's a bit more of what to expect from down under.

The opening track, "Devil's Bells" is along the same lines as EW's "Vinum Sabbathi" with its forlorn, steady pace and devil worship cliches, features not to be taken literally but simply viewed as part of a fun nod to the realm of the occult (which, you have to admit, does make for great storytelling). It's really on the next track, "The Dove And The Serpent" that the band's true colours come out as O'Brien and her band mates create a laid back, lounge-like rocker which gives a promising glimpse of what their full length will have to offer. Combining O'Briend's sultry exhortations ("Jack me down to the hellhole!") with a hypnotic, haunted castle flair (you can hear some creaking at one point...), bassist Tom Hulse plays his part close to his chest but really hits the hammer on the nail when his notes swoop in ghost like to the beat of drummer Mark van de Beek's congenial time changes and fills.

The third and shortest track, "Confusion Of Mind" is the fastest number among the four and possesses the same hard driving pace as early Sabbath and Pentagram, or for want of a more recent comparison, Night Demon, which straddles the line between doom and NWOBHM influenced traditional heavy metal. It also features a trill happy and gloom infused guitar solo on behalf of guitarist Christos Athanasias. O'Brien's voice is also echoed by backing vocals, making this track a possible candidate for a single or even a staple of the genre as far as heady, mid-tempo rockers go. The rhythm section of Hulse and van de Beek could also be compared to Amulet's to an extent and definitely topple Devil Electric under the metal side of the coin, as opposed to over the "heavy rock" side. As for the final track, "Holy Ghost" it's built upon the same formula as Electric Wizard's classic, "Funeralopolis", from the Dopethrone LP ('04), with its incremental, pentatonic riffery and 70s proto doom style jamming.

As I implied above, The Gods Below EP is of the just right length for an introductory EP while its haunting and mellow vibe leaves me yearning for Devil Electric's full-length debut. As well, I dig the band logo as it adequately conveys a proper image of their sound and what to expect from them musically as well as thematically. Another reason why Devil Electric and their laid-back fire and brimstone infused heaviness are definitely worth keeping under the radar.