Orphion

Orphion, succesor to 2009’s Infinity Echoes, is the second EP in Devius catalogue. Orphion continues Devius’ tradition of progressive death metal with a quite different sound from the debut EP, adding some new elements that the previous released lacked.

Orphion is a much heavier entity than its predecessor, which is evident in several fronts of the band. For instance, Pidone’s vocals have changed considerably, this time being more of a deep grunt/growl instead of the harsh voice he employed on Infinity Echoes. This already changes the overall impression that the band may cause on the listener, as now Devius appears as a heavier and more obscure band. He still retains his previous approach on determined parts of the EP, but for the most part he makes use of his new vocal style. Another thing that the band incorporated are blast-beats, of which there were none on previous releases. This accentuates the chaoticness of Devius’ music, but the good thing is that they’re not used constantly; they’re just another resource to add variation to the songs’ structures. So, in the end Devius took a step forward and came up with a heavier release and a heavier overall sound, though still retaining many of the characteristics that could be appreciated on Infinity Echoes.

Despite the changes the guys introduced, the band’s essence is still there. ‘Upnaphistim’ features the dissonant riffs and melodies that are a favorite of the band, and half song in there’s a jazzy break that reminds me of ‘Theory of Murder’ from Infinity Echoes, and there also some slides similar to those Gojira uses so often. ‘Ophiogenesis’ and ‘Astrophobos’ return the band to its love for middle-eastern acoustic passages, and the latter features a bass solo courtesy of Fabian Pignataro, which is played over a nice Opeth-like riff. ‘To Remain Human’ shows Pidone’s vocals with that kind of robotic effect that you can hear on Cynic’s Focus, which is yet again another new addition to the band’s sound.

Orphion is a considerably heavier release than Infinity Echoes, but it manages to retain the sound that Devius started to develop on the previous record. I personally liked Infinity Echoes more, it showed a more intriguing and melodic side of the band which was very pleasant to listen to, as it was a really heavy record but at the same time it had many slower and mellower sections that were well done. Anyway, Orphion isn’t a bad release, make no mistake of that, it shows that Devius is capable of moving forward and adding new elements to their recipe, which is always good for a band. If you feel like listening to some progressive death metal rich on atmospheres, this one is for you.