Evil Summons Evil

..please check your passports and visas prior to travel.

Deviser of the past is my absolute underrated, overlooked band. Their first two albums are the very definition of hidden gems, Matt Hnaras is an unsung hero and in my books Deviser were the masters of easy-listening melodic black metal in the mid-to-late 90s along with well-known bands like Cradle of Filth and Dimmu Borgir. Yes, Unspeakable Cults and Transmission to Chaos are THAT good.

Though being a black metal band from Greece in the 90s, their sound was not that of typical Hellenic Black Metal. There were elements and traces of it; the blend of heavy metal and tremolo picking riffing, the occult atmosphere, the blasphemous Lovecraftian lyrics, the smell of the obscure, but their overall sound was truly unique. I can't really compare them to any other band, they were really accessible and subtly evil at the same time, without resorting to any cheesy tropes, like gothic atmosphere or over the top blasphemous imagery.

Then the 00s came round and like most extreme metal bands at that time, they felt the need/pressure to experiment. The reception to the third album "Running Sore" was rather lukewarm, I still find it excellent, though a bit odd at times. They kept quiet for almost a decade and released "Seasons of Darkness" in 2011, entirely experimental, not great, not terrible. "Howling Flames" in 2017 tried to restart the band's career, decent and promising but not spectacular.

Fast forward to March 2022 and "Evoking the Moon Goddess" comes out of nowhere and straight out of the band's debut. I can't praise this song enough, to me that's Deviser at their best. Loose, relaxed guitar-driven verses followed by intense tremolo picking bridges along with violent bursts of Matt's impish barks, complete with colourful leads and discreet keyboards. Pure perfection. Months later it becomes apparent that a new album is about to be released and the anticipation becomes unreal. Three new singles emerge bringing about mixed feelings. The verses of "Absence of Heaven" are pure gold, but the remaining 2 songs sound a bit soulless and directionless and I was hoping they will work better as parts of the full-length flow. Now the wait is over and we have the end product.

"Sky Burial" and "Serpent God" take their place next to the Moon Goddess as worthy re-animators of the band's glorious past. Glimpses of majesty and pure passion can be found on the brilliant "When The Lights Went Out", "Where Angels Fear to Tread" (what a song title!) and "Absence of Heaven". The rest of the songs ("Death is Life Eternal", "Cold Comes The Night", "Of Magick") though really good for what they are, just don't it for me, as they sound a bit forced and made to measure. "Of Magick" sounds like a mid-era Rotting Christ outtake and Androniki's vocals seem redundant at best. "Death is Life Eternal" and "Cold Comes the Night" sound unnecessarily bombastic and rather formulaic, like a producer got their hands in there to make them catchier and metal radio-friendly.

The overproduced and over-compressed guitars, the obvious professionalism, the rounded edges, the over the top cover art, and the inevitable general lack of youthful flame and fearlessness detract points in the minds and hearts of purists like myself. But make no mistake, the band is clearly back to claim the empty throne of melodic black metal. I find it really hard to rate this album as I'm really torn between what I wanted it to be and what it really is. But honestly, anything less than near perfect it would be unfair to the stunning quality of the compositional value offered here. Deviser still blow out of the water 99% of all extreme metal bands that choose to tread the fine line between aggression and melody.

Like the review title suggests, it's practically impossible to turn back the time and recreate the past, but Deviser got really, REALLY close. So, enjoy Evil Summons Evil, as it's a practically flawless work of art worthy of the band's magnificent past, but make sure you also go back to check the real deal.